Lay Zee works on a farm and has won the heart of the farmer's daughter. There is oil on the farmland, and some swindlers are determined to get their hands on the property, by force if necessary. Lay Zee, who knows that oil has been found on nearby farms, convinces the farmer not to sell, and the swindlers enlist the help of another farmhand, who is jealous of Lay Zee's relationship with the girl.
Practical Effects
Larry Semon's elaborate farm-destruction gags before safety regulations existed.
Acting
Early Oliver Hardy being a magnificent petty villain.
Director
Larry Semon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was one of Larry Semon's last successful shorts before his disastrous 1925 Wizard of Oz adaptation bankrupted him.
1923's oil-rush comedies reflected real California land speculation fever; audiences laughed at swindlers they actually feared.
US
