Silent Comedy Show
A word of introduction about tonight's program. The program is compiled
mainly from items that didn't make it on to previous all-comedy shows -- not
because they were inferior, but because they were a little off-beat -- "odd",
if you like - and would have upset the pacing of those programs. It seemed
like an interesting idea to collect these little oddities into one show.
You won't find, in tonight's compilation, the sustained belly-laughs of some
of our previous shows -- but we think you'll find them all interesting, amusing
and worthwhile for one reason or another. In the interests of variety, we've
added two or three items to the program as announced, and dropped one -- the
Charlie Chase "A Treat for the Boys", amusing, but very much of a lesser Chase.
Somehow the show seemed to play better with just the one, first-class Charlie
Chase ("Limousine Love"), and thus the other one has been held over for another
time. Since an additional Laurel and Hardy has been added, we think you'll
find the new schedule to your liking.
Program, in order of screening:
DO DETECTIVES THINK? (Pathe-Hal Roach, 1927) 2 reels; dir: Fred Guiol.
With Laurel & Hardy, James Finlayson, Edna Marion.
For a long time we've felt that this one, and "Flying Elephants", were just
about the weakest of the Laurel & Hardy silents. Yet when we played "Flying
Elephants" not too long ago, it was a huge success! Audience response helps
a great deal of course -- and we do have a solid backing of Laurel & Hardy
devotees - so we suspect that "Do Detectives Think?" will seem better and
funnier here than under almost any other circumstances! And it does have some
very funny moments, and a nice "sick" sense of humor - ranging from Judge
Finlayson sentencing a murderer to the gallows with "...and I hope you chokes"
to Laurel running around apparently beheaded. Photographically, it is much
more polished than most of the Laurel and Hardy comedies, and our print is a
good toned original.
CAPTAIN KIDD'S KITTENS (Fox, 1927) Dir: Clyde Carruth; supervised by
George Marshall. 2 reels
Although Fox billed this series as "Animal Comedies" (and indeed animals
did figure prominently in them) they were really kid comedies very much in
the mould of Roach's "Our Gang" and often far superior to them. We hope
to show one or two others shortly. This is a good specimen of the series;
there are a number of very good sight gags, but most of it is carried along
by the high-spirited adventures of the kids. Do kids today, I wonder, ever
manage to tear themselves away from their tv (and their rumbles) to have
fun like this?
FROM HAND TO MOUTH (Paths, 1920) Director unidentified, Starring Harold
Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Snub Pollard, Peggy Courtwright.
2 reels.
Since it is comparatively early in the post-Lonesome Luke period, one can
forgive "From Hand to Mouth" for not having the polish and speed of "Never
Weaken" and "Get Out and Get Under". In spirit, it more resembles the
Lonesome Lukes that Lloyd had put behind him with some unexpected Chaplin-
esque pathos here and there. And the climax, surely, must have given Keaton
the inspiration for his subsequent "Cops"? The print is only of fair quality,
but appears reasonably complete.
(Reel Change: Not an intermission)
TROLLEY TROUBLES (Pathe-Roach-Rollin, 1921) Starring Gaylord Lloyd. 1 reel.
"Trolley Troubles" is a strange little comedy, which we are showing for two
reasons. The lesser reason is the purely nostalgic one of its plethora of
shots of old Los Angeles streets. The main reason is that we're way overdue
to show a Gaylord Lloyd comedy, and although there are dull spots, there are
some good gags in it. Gaylord - Harold's brother - is a most curiously
unattractive comedian, with some of his brother's mannerisms, but a most
unsympathetic personality not unlike the Chaplin of "Tillie's Punctured
Romance".
THE LIFE OF REILLY (C.C.Burr Production for W.W.Hodkinson release, 1923)
Directed by Gregory La Cava; with Charlie Murray,
Raymond McKee, Dorothy Walters, 2 reels.
It's interesting that Gregory La Cava, that erratic director who made some
wonderfully wacky sound comedies, should be behind this bizarre little work.
His silent dramatic work (like "The New Schoolteacher") was often stodgy and
dull, but this film certainly shows that he had a keen sense of humor insofar
as the comedy of outrage is concerned. Who else but La Cava - or Preston
Sturges - could build a whole comedy around the basically tasteless idea of
a man trying to assassinate a perfectly adorable little dog by the foullest
means available? Thanks to La Cava, Charlie Murray (who, incidentally, does
not get star billing) and a wonderful little dog that seems to know all about
the art of silent comedy, this tasteless idea pays off quite well.
LIMOUSINE LOVE (MGM-Hal Roach, 1928) Dir: Fred Guiol; supervised by Leo
McCarey; 2 reels; with Charlie Chase, Edgar Kennedy, Edna
Marion, Bull Montana, Viola Richards.
This excellent Chase comedy has, alas only flash titles -- few of which can
be read, some of which are quite funny, but none of which, luckily, are
necessary to an understanding of the plot once you know the basic situation --
Charlie, on the way to his wedding, accidentally picks up (quite innocently)
a nude lady passenger -- who is also the wife of very jealous Edgar Kennedy.
It's a completely visual comedy which builds beautifully, and is one of the
most unusual Chases we've come across.
**INTERMISSION**
THE CLOUD HOPPER (E.W.Hammons-Educational, 1925) Written and directed by
Larry Semon, Norman Taurog and Steve Roberts; with Larry
Semon, Dorothy Dwan, Mickey McBann, Frank Alexander. 2 reels.
Those of you who remember "Kid Speed" from a few months ago will need no
additional notes on this one. It's a typical Larry Semon, with his usual
mixture of dull and obvious gags, and fast and inventive ones. And of course
it has outsized Frank Alexander on hand for those messy and violent gags
that Semon liked so much. (Well, a fat man covered with goo is pretty funny
at that!) It all winds up with a fast and furious road, locomotive and
aeroplane chase, with some breathless stunt work and some interesting trick
effects where Semon, in closeup, is apparently wing-walking and doing other
daredevil stunts high in the clouds. Look closely, however, and you'll see
that the landscape far below is not really moving, except for a gentle forward
and backward motion. Semon just planted a dummy plane atop a high hill and
did his wing walking there -- but the illusion is fine, and he almost gets away
with it!
THE CIRCUS (Chaplin-UA, 1927/28) Excerpt only.
With the current Chaplin revivals, legal and illegal, around town at the
moment, our program would hardly be complete without a passing reference to
his work. Since it is some 2½ years since we showed "The Circus", it seemed
that an excerpt from that would not be inappropriate -- and so here is the
very funny sequence with the baby and the hot-dog, and the chase through
the hail of mirrors.
YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN' (Hal Roach-MGM, 1918) Dir: Edgar Kennedy; supervised by
Leo McCarey; starring Laurel & Hardy, 2 reels.
Perhaps it is a little unfair to accuse "You're Darn Tootin'" of being slow
and spotty since we are, after all, seeing the silent version of a sound
comedy. The methodical pacing, the foot-stamping routine in the street when
L & H can't get started on their music, and of course the band-stand routine
at the beginning, all may have seemed much funnier when allied with music,
sound effects and dialogue. All-in-all, for a sound comedy of that period,
it is remarkably good -- and of course the climactic shin-kicking and pants-
ripping routine is one of the funniest pieces of mayhem that the boys were
ever involved in. You may recall this sequence as being one of the highlights
of "The Golden Age of Comedy". As a director, Edgar Kennedy seemed very much
in tune with what Laurel and Hardy were trying to do.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Program Notes & enquiries: Wm, K. Everson, Hotel Bradford, 210 W. 70th St. NYC
Committee: Edward Gorey, Sandra Everson, Charles Shibuk, Dorothy Lovell
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Next program - next Tuesday, room 10-C, 7.30.
"THE DROP KICK" (1927) with Richard Barthelmess, Hedda Hopper, Dorothy Revier
"CONCEIT" (1922) with Wm. Davidson, Hedda Hopper, Maurice Costello.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|