Charley Grapewin and Co.

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"Poughkeepsie" - Charley Grapewin plays a drummer who lives in Yonkers. Anna Chance plays the traveling salesman's wife. The husband is the victim of local gossips. The wife discovers he has a girl in every town. She meets him upon his return, telling him there is house cleaning to be done. He finally agrees to do his part in cleaning. When he is alone in the parlor he notices a bag of another drummer with the same initials as his own, which he had taken by mistake. The wife sends her husband into the dining room and decides to inspect his baggage for some clue as to what her husband has be doing while away. She discovers several pictures, one of which is from a taffee-headed milliner in Poughkeepsie. She has heard that the dame was a great friend of her husband's. She is set on revenge. He returns to the parlor and is greeted with some heated arguments and censored for his faithlessness. He tries to pass it off, but cannot get over it. He had telephoned his friend with the same initials to have a wire sent telling him the firm wanted Jed Harvey (Grapewin) to leave on special business to Poughkeepsie. The telegraph arrives. He hands it unopened to his wife and tells her to read it. This she does, then returns it. The wire says: "Stay home with your wife and help clean house." The finish shows a greatly disgusted Jed at home.
The audience was continually laughing.
There are few sketches that have the comedy worked out with the rapidity of this new vehicle of Grapewin's.
Source:
Variety 36:2 (09/11/1914)