The train shooting scene must have been the most hilarious moment in the movie. It was funny how the conductor said, "Who fired that shot, don’t you know that's a misdemeanour". I don't know if it really was just a misdemeanour to shoot a train cart full of holes back then, but nowadays they'd probably been in serious trouble.
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"An eye for an eye, and the whole world goes blind"
I'm pretty sure it wasn't a misdemeanor then either but it was just a gag comment and it worked pretty well. The scene is a deft blend of comedy and tension because those old drunk kooks could have killed somebody with their gunplay.
share2 words: bang! bang!
shareI was watching this scene completely unamused by how tiresome, obnoxious and unending it is ...long before its overt racism kicked in. Thirty guys shooting at a stupid black Step'n Fetchitt stereotype. Old school violent-racism is funny, how?
I've yet to see a Sturges comedy that makes me laugh... let alone that I like. I'd heard so many superlatives about his talent, and he's not living up to them.
While I really enjoyed the movie, and generally love the works of Sturges, the part where that one feller is trying to kill the "stupid, black Step'n Fetchitt stereotype" was really disturbing and rather pissed me off. I don't agree with all of your comment but that was a pretty sadistic bit of humor. In fact everytime a black character was on screen I cringed due to the way they are essentially played and treated as sub-human morons. Really unfortunate because otherwise i thought this movie was a lot of fun to watch and very funny.
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While I really enjoyed the movie, and generally love the works of Sturges, the part where that one feller is trying to kill the "stupid, black Step'n Fetchitt stereotype" was really disturbing and rather pissed me off.
How would you feel if someone shot a stick out of your hand? That and shooting in a train probably were misdemeanors, which are quite serious crimes.
shareThe portrayal of the caricatural black men was particularly disappointing seeing as just a year prior to TPBS's release, Sturges was praised by the NAACP for the portrayal of the African-American church in Sullivan's Travels.
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This whole sequence was not in the least bit funny. Almost turned the film off.
shareGlad someone else felt the same way. Ham-handed might be a description of the style of humor.
shareThis whole sequence was not in the least bit funny. Almost turned the film off.
Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
That is sad commentary. The scene was okay but I don't know if I would describe it as hilarious.
shareI don't know if it really was just a misdemeanour to shoot a train cart full of holes back then, but nowadays they'd probably been in serious trouble.
I didn't find it one bit funny as well, and it dragged on and on too.
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