According to Al St. John

 If you are a fan of either silent comedy or B-westerns than you are probably familiar with Al St. John. As the nephew of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, he was a regular presence in the comic's classic comedy shorts, including those featuring Buster Keaton. In the talkie era, he would appear often in B-westerns as a comic-relief character named Fuzzy Q. Jones. As this character he would appear in films starring such B-western stars as Bob Livingston, Buster Crabbe, Bob Steele, Fred Scott, Jack Randall and Lash La Rue. 

The following is a 1920 article from Motion Picture Magazine about Al St. John. If you have trouble reading the following article, click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen click here. 

Here is a classic short film featuring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton and Al St. John, The Butcher Boy (1917)

Here is a classic B-western featuring Al St. John in the title role, Fuzzy Settles Down (1944), also starring Buster Crabbe. 

Cowboy Church #174

 Hello my friends and welcome back to another service of Cowboy Church. 

Today's musical selection begins with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans with a wonderful version of the classic hymn, How Great Thou Art. In the book, Happy Trails: Our Life Story, Roy tells of a story that had to do with this song. "I'll tell you about one time we nearly got into a real war with the promoters: at the World Championship Rodeo at Madison Square Garden in 1952. During the first rehearsal I started to practice 'How Great Thou Art,' a religious song I wanted to make the centerpiece of our musical act. There's a line in that song that goes, 'Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee...' Someone in the front office heard the rehearsal and came to me that night to tell me I wasn't allowed to mention Christ at the rodeo. 'It might work for the kids in Houston, Texas' he told me, 'But this is New York. You can't preach to kids here.' I told him I wasn't preaching but that the Savior was a part of the song and I fully intended to sing that song in New York or anywhere else we performed. They suggested that I could change the words of the song, so it didn't mention Him. I'm not one for grandstand plays but I told those fellas that if I couldn't sing 'How Great thou Art' just how it was written, Dale and I would pack up and leave town. The song stayed in the show. That year we did forty-three performances over twenty-six days and broke all Madison Square Garden attendance records."

Up next is Connie Smith with He Set Me Free. This song was written by Albert E. Brumley (I'll Fly Away, Turn Your Radio On) and first published in 1939. Many consider this song to be the inspiration for Hank William's I Saw the Light and anybody familiar with that song will surely notice the similarities. This recording of the song comes from Connie's 1966 gospel album, Connie Smith Sings Great Sacred Songs.

Afterwards is The Chuck Wagon Gang with their 1941 recording of I'll Be No Stranger There. 

Now for Anne Wilson with Southern Gospel. This recording comes from her 2023 album, Rebel.

This is followed by a very early recording for Bob Dylan. This is a 1960 recording of the Woody Guthrie song, Jesus Christ. As many of you know Woody Guthrie was one of Bob's heroes and his influence can be heard all over Bob Dylan's first few years as a singer. In this recording he is not only doing a Woody Guthrie song but is obviously trying to emulate the folk singers' singing and playing style. 

Then comes The Blue Sky Boys with their 1946 recording of When I Reach That City On The Hill.

Next comes George Jones singing Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. This hymn began with a man named Anthony Showalter. As a fan of gospel music and an elder in a Presbyterian church, he held many "singing schools" at various churches in the south. One day he received two letters from former students who were struggling after their wives had passed. To respond to these letters, Showalter consulted scripture. He came across Deuteronomy 33:27, "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." After reading this verse lyrics for a song chorus went through his head and he wrote down, "“Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.” After using this in the letters to his former students he sent this chorus to his friend hymnist, Elisha Hoffman. In the letter he also wrote, “Here is the chorus for a good hymn from Deuteronomy 33:27, but I can’t come up with the verses.” Hoffman then wrote the rest of the lyrics to which Showalter put to music. The hymn was published in 1887.

Today's musical selection ends with The Sons of the Pioneers with The Boss is Hanging Out a Rainbow. This song comes from their new 2024 gospel album, Campfire Spirituals.  

Today's movie is the Buster Crabbe B-western, Fuzzy Settles Down (1944). Comedic sidekicks were a staple for B-westerns. Every kid who watched these films knew Smiley Burnette, Gabby Hayes, Snub Pollard and Pat Buttram just as well as they knew the stars of the movie. Fuzzy Settles Down is a rare occasion when the sidekick takes center stage. This sidekick is Al St. John as Fuzzy Q. Jones. This was a character he played that not only served as a sidekick to Buster Crabbe but also to such B western stars as Bob Steele, Fred Scott and George Houston (The Lone Rider). Al St. John is a name that should be familiar to my fellow silent comedy fans as well. He was the nephew of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and got his start appearing in many of his uncle's best short films. This includes the Arbuckle shorts which featured Buster Keaton (just starting his movie career). 

Now for a message from the Rev. Billy Graham.

 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for another service of Cowboy Church. Happy trails to you until we meet again. 

    

Movie Review: The Cold Blue

Michael's Movie Grade: A

Review: This incredible documentary takes vintage footage of World War Two pilots in action shot by William Wyler and his crew, restores it and adds a new soundtrack. This footage was original shot completely silently, so to make the film feel more real, the sound effects were created by a real B-17 plane and the effect makes one feel like they are right there. Also added to the soundtrack is audio of the surviving men talking about their lives back then. This makes it feel so much more real and personal than anything even the most knowledgeable historian could bring to the table. There was also a breathtaking new score by Richard Thomson. Though this is a folk rock score it does not feel out of place with the 1940's footage. There is an air of looking back and reembrace all throughout this music that truly enhances the feel of the film though. More important than any of the audio though is the actual vintage footage from William Wyler and his crew. It is obvious that the crew truly put themselves in harm's way to get this footage. The effect can be felt and truly highlights the heroics of the men who flew these planes and fought in the war. I don't think its possible to look at this footage and not gain at least a little more respect for young men who fought in this war. There is a completely a reason they are called the greatest generation and if anyone who fought in World War 2 is reading this, thank you for everything. This is all even highlighted greater than it has been in a long time due to some incredible restoration work. If you are like me you have seen some of this footage before, but it was faded and in poor quality. Looking at the footage as it appears in this film is a new revelation. It does not even look like the same footage.

As the film ends we see some now 90-something year old veterans viewing this newly restored footage, and giving their thoughts and insights to the experience. This is indispensable and powerful documentary filmmaking at its best. It made me feeling like I was watching this footage with them and that was an incredible experience.

If you have any interest at all in World War 2 history, this film is a must watch.

-Michael J. Ruhland.

Silent Film of the Month: Fatty and Mabel's Simple Life (1915)

Run Time: 24 minutes. Studio: Keystone. Director: Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Main Cast: Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Al St. John. Producer: Mack Sennett.

In 1915 probably the two biggest stars at the Keystone studio were Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Not surprisingly the two were teamed up for multiple shorts. Though charming is not a word most people would use to describe Keystone shorts, these films were extremely charming heavily due to the great chemistry between the two stars.

The storyline of Fatty and Mabel's Simple Life is typical Keystone in that it uses a stereotypical melodramatic plot (one that was already considered old fashioned in the 1910's) as an excuse for comedy. The plot is that Fatty and Mabel are young country folk very much in love. However to help pay for the farm's mortgage, Mabel's dad (Josef Swickward) arranges for Mabel to marry a stranger (Al St. John).

This film manages to be both a very funny slapstick comedy and completely adorable at the same time. The way this is done is extremely effective. The adorableness comes out of the characters while the comedy comes out of the situations. For instance Mabel and Fatty's playfulness with each other as they are doing the farm chores is adorable and when they two meaning to playfully squirt each other get Mabel's father all wet that is funny. Just because this film has a sweet and charming side does not mean the comedy department is at all lacking. The climax with an out of control car is as funny as anything Keystone ever did. It is often remarked upon about how great Charlie Chaplin was at combining slapstick and sentimentality. However in his self directed films like this or Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916), Arbuckle showed a real remarkable talent for combining sweetness and slapstick. Yet this is little remarked upon by silent comedy fans.

One interesting thing about this film for silent comedy fans is Al St. John's role. Al is often an actor whose face will be better recognized by silent film fans than his name. He appeared in many of Arbuckle's best short subjects (including those with Buster Keaton). Like he does in this film, he often plays the romantic rival for Arbuckle. However his appearance is much different here. Often Al has an extremely over the top and cartoony look to him. Yet in this film he is a regular looking guy.

The film is in the public domain and is able to be seen via YouTube. Watch it below.



    -Michael J. Ruhland 

Silent Films on TCM for May

Hello again my friends. As I am sure many of you like me are fans of silent movies and TCM, here is a list of every silent film to be on TCM this May.

Friday May 3rd

The Scarecrow (1920) Directors: Buster Keaton, Eddie Cline. Starring Buster Keaton and Luke the Dog. 4:30am Pacific, 7:30am Eastern.

Two Arabian Knights (1927) Director: Lewis Milestone. Starring William Boyd and Mary Astor. 5:00am Pacific, 8:00am Eastern.

Sunday May 5th

The Noise of Bombs (1914) Director: Mack Sennett (?). Starring Josef Swickard and Harry McCoy. 9:30pm Pacific. 12:30am Eastern.

Shot in the Excitement (1914) Director: Rube Miller (?). Starring Alice Howell and Al St. John. 9:40pm Pacific. 12:40am Eastern.

A Life in the Balance (1913) Director: Mack Sennett. Starring Ford Sterling and Dot Farley. 9:55pm Pacific. 12:55am Eastern.

His Bitter Pill (1916) Director: Fred Hibler. Starring Mack Sennett and Mack Swain. 10:05pm Pacific. 1:05am Eastern.

Comrades (1911) Director: Mack Sennett. Starring Mack Sennett and Del Henderson. 10:25pm Pacific. 1:25am Eastern.

The Great Toe Mystery (1914). Director: Charles Avery (?). Starring Charley Chase and Alice Howell. !0:36pm Pacific. 1:36am Eastern.

Tuesday May 7th

 Within Our Gates (1920). Director: Oscar Micheaux. Starring Evelyn Peer and Flo Clements. 1:00am Pacific. 4:00am Eastern.

Sunday May 12, 2019

Gribiche (1925). Director: Jacques Feyder. Starring Jean Forrest and Franoise Rosay. 9:30pm Pacific. 12:30am Eastern.

Sunday May 19th

Bobby Bumps Starts For School (1917) Director: Earl Hurd. 9:30 pm Pacific. 12:30am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps and Fido's Birthday Party (1917) Director: Earl Hurd. 9:35pm Pacific. 12:35am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps Adopts a Turtle (1917) Director: Earl Hurd. 9:41pm Pacific. 12:41am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps' Fly Swatter (1916) Director: Earl Hurd. 9:45pm Pacific. 12:45am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps in Their Master's Voice (1921) Director: Earl Hurd. 9:49pm Pacific. 12:49am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps Helps out a Book Agent (1916). Director: Earl Hurd. 9:55pm Pacific. 12:55am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps' Last Smoke (1919) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:02pm Pacific. 1:02am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps at the Dentist (1918) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:06pm Pacific. 1:06am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps Caught in the Jamb (1918) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:10pm Pacific. 1:10am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps Gets a Substitute (1916) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:15pm Pacific. 1:15am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps and His Pointer Pup (1916) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:21pm Pacific. 1:21am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps in Hunting and Fishing (1921) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:28pm Pacific. 1:28am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps, Surf Rider (1917) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:32pm Pacific. 1:32am Eastern.

Bobby Bumps, Chef (1917) Director: Earl Hurd. 10:36pm Pacific. 1:36am Eastern.


Monday May, 20th

The Trail of '98 (1928) Director: Clarence Brown. Starring Dolores Del Rio and Ralph Forbes. 11:45pm Pacific. 2:45am Eastern.

Sunday May 26th

A Bird's A Bird (1915) Director: Walter Wright. Starring Grover Ligon and Harry Ward. 9:00pm Pacific. 12:00am Eastern.

Gussle's Day of Rest (1915) Director: F. Richard Jones. Starring Slim Summerville and Cecile Arnold. 9:13pm Pacific. 12:13am Eastern.
 
Dirty Work in a Laundry (1915) Director: Ford Sterling. Starring Ford Sterling and Dan Albert. 9:35pm Pacific. 12:35am Eastern.

A Lover's Lost Control (1915) Director: Charles Avery. Starring Frank Alexander and Joy Lewis. 9:53pm Pacific. 12:53am Eastern.

Dizzy Heights and Daring Hearts (1915) Director: Walter Wright. Starring Dave Anderson and Claire Anderson. 10:15pm Pacific. 1:15am Eastern.

Do-Re-Mi-Boom (1915) Director: Walter Wright. Starring Charles Larkin and Charles Arling. 10:36pm Pacific. 1:36am Eastern.

Monday May 27th

The Big Parade (1925) Director: King Vidor. Starring John Gilbert and Reene Adoree. 8:45pm Pacific. 11:45pm Eastern.

-Michael J. Ruhland.  
   

Silent Film of the Month: Shot in the Excitement (1914)

Run Time: 15 Minutes. Studio: Keystone. Director: Rube Miller (most likely). Producer: Mack Sennett. Cast: Al St. John, Alice Howell, Rube Miller, Josef Sickward, Edwin Frazee, Grover Ligon. Release Date: October 26, 1914.

With the sheer amount of short films put out by Keystone studios in the 1910's, it is no surprise that some of these films are completely overlooked today, even one as funny as Shot in the Excitement. It is even less surprising that this forgotten film is from the same year Charlie Chaplin was working at Keystone, since not surprisingly the Chaplin films get more attention than one with much less remembered stars (this film had the same release date as Charlie Chaplin's fantastic Dough and Dynamite).

As the film starts Alice (Alice Howell) is painting a fence when her two suiters (Al St. John, Rube Miller) see her. The two suiters get into a slapstick fight over her involving paint, cannon balls and a fake spider. There is not much more to the story but when a comedy is funny what else does it need?

I would imagine a person who has read or heard about Keystone films but haven't seen many will find this to be exactly what they expect. This film is full of over the top acting, fast paced slapstick and impossible gags. Though this is what you mostly hear about Keystone comedies it is not always the case. Some of them are slower moving than you'd except from that description and deal more with farce than slapstick. In fact many of the Keystone shorts of this era would be lost on a modern audience as they parody melodramatic conventions that are no longer in vouge. Not so with this film. Shot in the Excitement is a live action cartoon in every respect. In fact I would dare a cartoon fan to look at a scene involving a bobby-trapped bench and not think of so many classic cartoons of the 1940's and 50's. It is for one to look at a film like this today and think that the acting is simply over the top because the movie is over 100 years old and very primitive. However that is not the case here. Watch most silent dramas and you will not see any acting as over the top as this. Similarly watch some of the lighter less slapstick orientated light comedies of this era and you will also see more subtle acting. The over the top acting is part of the humor of this film. Think of how in a Tex Avery cartoon, who will see over the top exaggerated takes but if you watch a superhero cartoon the reactions will be much more subdued. The reason for this is simply a matter of style. No one criticizes a Tex Avery cartoon for being over the top, but rather enjoy it for being so over the top and unsubtle. So why not just look at this film as a live action Tex Avery cartoon? If you choose to look at it that way this is a delightful short. In fact this is one of my favorite non-Chaplin, non-Mabel shorts from Keystone during the 1910's.


Though they may not know him by name, fans of silent comedy shorts, will probably recognize Al St. John. Al St. John was the nephew of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and appeared in many of Arbuckle's best shorts. He would often play a similar role in those shorts as he played here, often being a romantic rival for Arbuckle. St. John was in many ways the king of over the top cartoony acting. While there were quite a few comedians who made a living mugging to a camera, few did it as well as St. John, and his work never fails to make me smile. In Billy Wilder's brilliant Sunset Boulevard (1950), Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) would say "We didn't need dialogue we had faces." This is certainly true of Al St. John, he had a very memorable and recognizable face and could make one laugh simply by using it. Fans of talkie B westerns may recognize him as well. He played a character named Fuzzy Q. Jones in a large number of the Billy the Kid B-Westerns starring Buster Crabbe as the outlaw. For many of those westerns he was credited as Al 'Fuzzy' St. John.


It is often thought that during the silent era, women did not engage in the rough and tumble stuff. Those who don't watch much silent films may think of women during that era only playing the kind of image of purity that Lillian Gish played in Broken Blossoms (1919) or Edna Purviance played in so many Chaplin films. This was not so though. Female comedians played just as much over the top slapstick as the men. Alice Howell is a great example of this. This film was made during the actress' time at Keystone. During this period she was mostly playing supporting roles to the more famous comics (most famously she was the dentist's wife in the Chaplin Keystone, Laughing Gas (1914)). Still even in these years she tended to steal the show. One may notice something looking at the picture at the top of this article. Alice looks anything but glamorous. Truth be told she was definitely a beautiful woman, but she had no trouble making herself look less attractive for comic reasons. This can also be said of the over the top acting she does in this short, which involves quite a bit of mugging. She is just as much a rough and tumble comedian as any of the men at this time, and at the top of her game (which she is here), she can hold her own with the majority of them. In later years Alice would get bigger roles than most of her Keystone films, but unfortunately the majority of those are lost. Still what we have in these Keystone films is a talented woman who can steal the scene from the scene-stealers themselves.  


The following is a review of the short from Moving Picture World (dated October 31, 1914).


"Eccentric rube characters appear in diverting number. The humor is all of the slapstick sort, varied by amusing tricks and antics. The photography is good and the close is especially amusing for this type of film."


Watch the short below.




-Michael J. Ruhland