The Cook (1918)

“The Cook” is a 1918 American silent comedy film consisting of two reels. It was written, directed, and stars Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, with Buster Keaton and Al St. John also featuring in the cast. The storyline revolves around the humorous events unfolding in a high-end restaurant, portraying Arbuckle as the Cook and Keaton as the Waiter.

One noteworthy scene in the film parodies Theda Bara’s 1918 movie “Salomé,” showcasing Arbuckle dancing playfully with sausage links, pots, and pans. The movie includes Arbuckle’s signature food-related gags and highlights Keaton’s well-received performance. “The Cook” was shot at The Pike and the Balboa Amusement Producing Company.

You can watch the full movie by pressing the “play” button below:

Cast

• Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle – Occupies the role of Chef.
• Buster Keaton – Functions as the Assistant Chef.
• Al St. John – Portrays the character of a Holdup Man.
• Alice Lake – Serves as both a Waitress and Cashier.
• Glen Cavender – Plays a role in the production.
• Luke the Dog – Features as a character in the film.

The Cook (1918) – Story line

At the “Bull Pup” restaurant, Fatty serves as the head chef, while Keaton takes on the role of head waiter. During a bustling evening of service, Fatty and Keaton delight the diners with their impromptu dance performance, despite accidentally breaking numerous plates and bottles. The joyous atmosphere takes a turn for the worse when an unwelcome vagrant, referred to as the “Holdup Man” in the film credits, disrupts the festivities by forcibly dancing with the waitress, Alice Lake. Fatty, Keaton, and the manager find themselves powerless against the Holdup Man’s antics, but fortunately, Luke, Fatty’s loyal dog, scares him away. Later on, Fatty and Keaton share a meal of spaghetti with two gentlemen at the restaurant, struggling to eat it conventionally and resorting to their unique methods of consuming it, one strand at a time and even using scissors to cut it shorter.

The following day, Fatty plans a fishing trip with Luke, while Keaton takes the waitress on a date to the amusement park. As Fatty takes a shortcut through the park with his unusually long fishing rod, he accidentally knocks several people down before reaching the beach. Meanwhile, the waitress becomes separated from Keaton and is pursued around the park by the persistent Holdup Man. She eventually plummets from the top of a roller coaster into the sea. Luke once again chases off the Holdup Man, and Fatty and Keaton rush to rescue the waitress. Unfortunately, they discover that the key to a flotation device is located “in a courthouse one mile east.” Thinking quickly, they grab a rope to toss to the waitress, but Keaton accidentally falls off the pier while holding the rope, pulling Fatty into the water with him.

The Cook (1918) – Rediscovery and preservation

According to IMDB Trivia, The cook (1918) film was considered lost for several years. A surviving print was found and shown, for the first time in over 70 years, in Venice 1999. The surviving print was found in the attic of a former hospital in Norway. Apparently, the director of the hospital in the 1920s and 30s felt that laughter and comedy helped soothe mentally challenged patients and kept a collection of short films by Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin on hand. None of the other short films found were considered lost.