Revised list of high-class original motion picture films (1908)

COMEDY. film comedy containing as many assorted laughs and as much uproarious merriment to the foot as it is possible for the human system to absorb at a sitting. The picture opens with a scene at the cab driver's home. The driver is evidently tired from his previous day's work and unwilling to go out again, but his wife persuades him to do so, and finally he brings his horse out of the stable and, hitching him up, drives off to see what he can make in the way of business. Cabby's first fare is decidedly not a "fair" one, but a negro wench as black as the ace of spades, who deposits her basket of laundry on the seat of the cab and gets inside herself. It seems, however, that the fare is not to cabby's liking, and he drives so violently as to throw both washing and washerwoman out of the vehicle and into the middle of the road, leaving the wench with her washing scattered around her and indignant at the manner in which she has been treated. His next fare is a countryman and his wife who are seeing the city, and from whom he exacts payment in advance before he lets them get into the cab, and in a short time induces them to get out again, ostensibly to look at something of particular interest, but as soon as he has got rid of the unfortunate couple he dishonestly drives off and leaves them in ignorance of their whereabouts and not knowing what next to do. In a hurry to get back the cab experiences a couple of very comical accidents, running into a street peddler's pushcart, and a delivery cart piled high with merchandise, all of which is scattered far and wide, while the cabman drives on, disregarding the excited comments of the pushcart proprietors. The cab driver returns to his stand and waits for another fare, but this time things are not so easy for him, as a tough looking citizen appears and insists on getting into the cab; the driver objects and asks for money, but gets a licking instead, and the tough, taking possession of the driver's hat and livery coat, kicks the unfortunate man out of his way and, mounting the box, drives off to look for a fare on his own account. His first encounter is with a gentleman who has been dining much too well and shows it very plainly. This looks good to the new driver, who dismounts and persuades the intoxicated person to get Into his cab — after relieving him of all his valuables — but the poor fellow cannot maintain his equilibrium, and at last rolls out of the cab and is left to his fate by the heartless cabby, who is worse, if anything, than the former driver. The next fare Is a very portly gentleman, who appears to enjoy his ride, but unfortunately is so heavy that he breaks through the floor of the cab, and, being unable to attract the driver's attention, is compelled to run along as fast as the horse can trot, with his legs projecting through the bottom, until he finally succumbs and is also left sprawling in the road. When the driver at last notices that he is minus a fare he loses no time in lamenting, but patches up the bottom of his cab as best he can and drives on until he picks up a couple of ancient ladies who desire to take a drive. All goes well until, alas! a wheel comes off — general breakdown — and the ladies are thrown out on the road, and seeing the prospect for an enjoyable drive destroyed make up their minds to get home as best they can. In the meantime the cab driver has managed to replace the wheel and drives off without wasting any sympathy on the ladies so summarily ejected from his cab. The cab driver's next venture Is serious — being pretty far gone in drink, he collides with a policeman on his beat, who immediately pursues him. At first it seems as if he would escape, but one more accident occurs; a junk dealer drives his wagon across the street, and the cab smashes into it, delaying the game long enough to enable the pursuing policeman to arrive on the scene and arrest both cab driver and junk man, and, putting them both into the cab, drives them off to the station house. Apparently the cab is hoodooed, for on the way to the station the policeman runs into an inoffensive old Irish woman, and, on her complaining, takes her into custody and loads her Into the cab also. The policeman is a poor driver, and ends the adventures of Cab 23 in a very unexpected manner. With great carelessness he manages to overturn the cab, ejecting all the occupants; the horse 195