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Film: Hard Luck

Goodbye, cruel world.

Fired from his job, jilted by his girl, down on his luck...

— opening title

In this 1921 short, a despondent Buster Keaton decides to end it all, but then he gets a job, meets a girl (Virginia Fox) and his luck changes — or does it? Hilarity ensues.

"Hard Luck" can be seen at Google Video.

"Hard Luck" contains examples of

Alliterative Name: Lizard Lip Luke.
Anvil On Head: Averted. Buster tries to set this up with a safe being hoisted with a rope and pulley, but fails.
Beach Episode: Much of the action is set at a country club with a pool.
Bears Are Bad News
Black Comedy: Did I mention that Buster spends much of the film trying to die?
Bungled Suicide
Chase Scene
Cunning Like a Fox
Digging To China: Or in this case, diving to China.
Dragged By The Collar: Literally, and by the seat of his pants.
Drinking On Duty: A waiter.
Fanservice: The country club's pool is an excuse to put several actresses in bathing suits; later, Buster takes a dip and dresses accordingly.
Glove Slap
Horrible Camping Trip
Human Ladder: Actually, human mounting block.
I Have You Now, My Pretty
Improvised Weapon: Fishing rod versus handgun.
Incredibly Lame Pun: Some time after Buster tries to hang himself from a tree.
Safari sponsor: "Are you attached to a scientific organization?"
Buster: "I was attached to a branch of the zoo."
Interrupted Suicide: The first fourth of the film is a series of unsuccessful suicide attempts.
Large and in Charge: Joe Roberts as Lizard Lip Luke.
Love at First Sight
Love Triangle
The Man They Couldn't Hang
Nobody Here But Us Statues
Only in It for the Money: Why Buster hunts for an armadillo.
Outside Ride
Paper-Thin Disguise
Railroad Tracks of Doom: Subverted in Buster's suicide attempt involving a trolley.
Rule of Funny: How Buster survives his high dive.
Shot in the Ass
Slapstick
Slobs Versus Snobs: Buster wanders into a country club and joins a fox hunt.
Train Escape
Unsuspectingly Soused
Walk on Water: Subverted. Buster tries to mimic a man walking on the surface of a swimming pool — he turns out to be wearing stilts.
Wanted Poster