Name: Bashful Jim
Director: Edward F. Cline
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1925-03-07
Duration: 20 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Ralph Graves, Alice Day, William McCall, Marvin Loback, Sunshine Hart

A coward finds courage through cinema — 1925 style, with actual pie fights probably.

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Overview

Comedy

Shy Ralph Graves is inspired by a movie hero to go after the girl he loves (Alice Day). A Mack Sennett slapstick comedy short.

Content warning

slapstick comedy

art imitating lifeself-delusion as empowermentclass anxietyperformance of masculinity

Standout Aspects

Practical Effects

Mack Sennett's legendary slapstick: real stunts, real danger, real laughs.

Direction

Edward F. Cline keeps chaos coherent — barely.

Acting

Ralph Graves commits 110% to cowardice; it's genuinely impressive.

Best for:Solo·Background·Friends

Director

Edward F. Cline

ReleasedMar 7, 1925

Runtime20m

StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast

Intensitylow

Tonelight

Feellight

Mack Sennett Comedies

Top Cast

Ralph Graves

Jim Meeker

Alice Day

Alice Barnes

William McCall

Henry Barnes

Sunshine Hart

Theatregoer

Roger Moore

Jack Filbert (Actor in film)

Ask about Bashful Jim

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios churned out hundreds of shorts like this; most are lost, making surviving prints precious time capsules of pre-Hays Code chaos.

Cultural

This basically invented the 'movie inspires real-life transformation' trope that everything from The Purple Rose of Cairo to Last Action Hero would later steal.