 The film 's themes and its relationship to later works have been the subject of critical analysis . A Cure for Pokeritis may be the first depiction of poker in film , and provides insight into the public 's perception of the game at the time as a male @-@ dominated societal ill . This attitude , and a scene similar to the film 's plot , is also present in Cassius Marcellus Coolidge 's painting Sitting up with a Sick Friend , part of the Dogs Playing Poker series commissioned in 1903 . A Cure for Pokeritis has been compared to sitcoms of both the 1940s and the end of the 20th century . Film historian Wes Gehring of Ball State University considers George to be a forerunner of the modern antihero archetype and compares the Browns to Laurel and Hardy . Other authors have examined the film 's gender issues . Gerald Mast wrote that the comedic aspects overlaid a conflict between masculinity and moralist or feminist values . Brunel University lecturer Geoff King viewed the male lead 's efforts to escape from an " imprisoning " wife to be a recurring theme in silent comedy , and film reviewer Peter Nash found the " fastidious and effeminate " Freddie an example of a contemporary gay stock character . 
