Coming Down (1916)

• 68%
• 1916
• Comedy
• Louis Myll
• Harry Watson
• George Bickel
• Dan Crimmins

Musty holds down a job as general factotum at the Busy Bee Amusement Arcade, one of his chief duties being that of taking tickets at the entrance to the moving stairway which leads to the cinema theater on the second floor. A "tough guy" slips Musty a milk ticket and starts up the stairway, but Musty proves himself equal to the occasion by reversing the escalator which causes the miscreant to lose his footing and make a hasty exit head over heels. The boss introduces Musty to Woof-Woof, the wild man, and Leonardo the Lion, who share a cage in the museum of the arcade. "If they get rough, slip 'em one of these magic crackers and they'll be as peaceful as two lambs," he informs Musty as he presents him with several of the wonderful bits of pastry. The boss departs and Musty hugely enjoys teasing the occupants of the cage. Then he passes on to a music box, which he succeeds in putting out of order. Woof-Woof and Leonardo, much peeved at the teasing Musty has given them, escape from the cage and chase the patrons and employees through the various rooms of the arcade until Musty subdues them with one of the magic crackers and lures them back into their cage. While cleaning the hat of a patron, Musty carelessly covers the headpiece, which is whirling on the electric drier, with shoe blacking instead of cleaner. The whirling drier covers the unfortunate patron from head to foot with the blacking. In this emergency Musty calls upon the Hindoo Spot Remover for aid. While trying to explain to the Hindoo how the accident occurred, he splatters the Indian's white robe with the remaining contents of the blacking bottle. Unperturbed, the Asiatic waves his magic handkerchief over the spots and they disappear. Musty seizes the handkerchief and hurries back to the disgruntled patron. He waves the handkerchief before the blacking-stained victim, and lo, the latter appears clad in a new suit of clothes. Flossie, the ticket-seller, attempts to steal a tune from the music box which Musty has broken, and finding it out of order hangs upon it a sign reading "Out of Order" and calls upon Musty for aid. Musty fixes it so well that it explodes. Then he hangs a sign reading "Now it is" beside the original sign of "Out of Order." The escalator or moving stairway is operated by power which the human dynamo generates by riding a stationary bicycle, and when the fat boy from the freak room steps on the slanting lift, the human dynamo breaks down. Musty has to oil him in order to start the escalator again. Later Musty takes his place but tiring of the work, uses a magic cracker to coax Leonardo the lion to ride the stationary wheel. Leonardo does beautifully until his tail catches in the mechanism, when Musty has to hurry to the rescue. Musty's boss sets him to operating the old prize package game in front of the box office, and Musty's spiel hugely interests a large crowd consisting of two children until the spieler spies a copper and beats a hasty retreat. Once more taking tickets at the escalator another "tough" tries to enter without the formality of presenting his credentials, but Musty once more proves equal to the occasion. He pulls the cord connecting with the trick doors at the head of the stairs, and the "tough" loses no time in "coming down.