Old Blackout Joe (1942)

27/08/1942

Overview

An air-raid warden in Harlem; everyone turns out their lights willingly. All except for one: A lantern, whose flame refuses to go out. Joe plays cat-and-mouse with the flame a while, blowing it toward a box of TNT; he quickly inhales, swallowing the flame. He coughs it back out. The flame hides on Joe's finger; he can't figure out where it's coming from, and scratches his head. The flame smoulders under his hat, engulfing him in a black cloud. The flame then migrates to his foot, giving him a hotfoot. He transfers the flame back to the lamp, then drops the lamp into a manhole, where it acts like a searchlight. The cover is no help, as it's got more holes than Joe can plug (especially since the light goes right through his ears). Finally, he's about to put out the light with TNT when the "all clear" is sounded, but too late; he still blows up the manhole covers, which all land right on Joe.