by Hal Erickson
synopsis
The Selig company's "split-reel" release for the week of November 12, 1910 consisted of two short comedies. The first of these was Lady Barber, which revealed both its plot and its comedy content in its title. A rural village is thrown into a tizzy when a female barber takes over the local tonsorial parlor. Before long, every Zeke and Zeb in the region -- many of whom haven't gotten a shave in years -- is queuing up in front of the barber shop to catch a glimpse of the modern-day Delilah. Once the basic joke of the film is established, it is repeated over and over, and thus this 500-foot comedy seems to be twice its length. Lady Barber was released in tandem with Selig's The Bachelor.
