His Jonah Day

Jimmy, at a fashionable beach, uses binoculars to watch women and falls for a beautiful nursemaid after slipping on a banana peel. His clumsy attempts at romance and subsequent accidents, including falling off the pier and accidentally drenching and injuring a spinster, lead to continuous trouble. The situation escalates into a bizarre chase involving robbers, a whale that swallows him, and an octopus. He awakens to find the high-stakes battle was a dream (or caused by a tangled rope). His real-life efforts to win the nursemaid from a life saver are ultimately thwarted, leaving him stranded in the water once again.

Directed by Jess Robbins, His Jonah Day leans on a strong ensemble — Jimmy Aubrey, Oliver Hardy, Evelyn Nelson — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1920.