Happy National Silent Movie Day

 Hello everybody. It is once again that wonderful holiday, National Silent Movie Day. 

Let us start this holiday themed post with the most famous name in silent movies, Charlie Chaplin. 

Charlie Chaplin is considered to be one of the big four of the silent film comedians. The other three are considered Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon. 

Of course there are other great silent movie comedians including Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Laurel and Hardy and of course the Keystone Cops. 

Of course there were some great dramatic filmmakers during the silent era such as D.W. Griffith, Lois Webber and F.W. Murnau. 

I am a big fan of J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt's book, Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney. 

Now for some of Walt Disney's silent films themselves. 

Of course I am an avid watcher of TCM's Silent Sunday Night. 

My favorite place to watch silent movies is Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, California, where all silent films are accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe organ. 

 

Howdy Doody and a Smith Named Bob

 Though I am too young to have grown up with the old kiddie TV shows, the fact that they introduced a whole generation of movie lovers to silent comedies and classic cartoons endears them to me in a way. Along with all the fun with popular puppet characters, a mute clown and more, Howdy Doody (one of the most popular of these shows often showed clips of various silent comedies. These comedies included those from silent comedy producers Mack Sennett, Joe Rock and Al and Charles Christie as well as some from Educational Pictures and elsewhere. Harry Langdon, Mickey McGuire (a series of comedy shorts starring Mickey Rooney). The Smith Family (a silent series from the Sennett studio) are among some of the silent comedy shorts that appeared on the show. 

The following is a short 1948 article from Radio and Television Mirror about Howdy Doody. If you have trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have touch screen, click here.

Here is an episode of the show dated March 8, 1949 and featuring a silent Mickey McGuire. 

Classic Short Film: The Shrimp (1930)

Silent Film of the Month: Ella Cinders (1926)

 

Run Time: 52 minutes. Studio: First National. Director: Alfred E. Green. Writers: Mervyn LeRoy, Frank Griffin. Titles: George Marion Jr. Based on a comic strip by William M. Conselman and Charles Plumb. Producer: John McCormick. Main Cast: Colleen Moore, Lloyd Hughes, Vera Lewis, Doris Baker, Emily Gerdes. Cinematographer: Arthur Martinelli. Editor: Robert Kern. Art Director: Edward Shulter. 

Today many movies are based off of comic books or popular TV shows. In a similar fashion, movies of the golden age of Hollywood (which certainly includes the 1920's) often adapted popular radio shows and newspaper comic strips of the time. Bill Conselman and Charles Plumb's (Conselman would write the strips, and Plumb would illustrate them) comic strip Ella Cinders debuted on June 1, 1925. Ella Cinders would be a satiric take-off of on the story of Cinderella, placing the classic fairy tale in the 1920's jazz age. The strip proved popular very quickly and would end up being a very long-lasting newspaper comic strip. The very last strip would appear in newspapers on December 2, 1961. Attesting to the popularity of this comic strip it received a movie adaption in only the second year of its run.  

The very first Ella Cinders strip, June 1, 1925

In this film adaption Ella (Colleen Moore) growing tired of being taking advantage of by her stepmother (Vera Lewis) and stepsisters (Doris Baker, Emily Gerdes), decides to enter a contest for a movie role in Hollywood. She wins the contest but upon arriving in Hollywood, she discovers that the contest was fraudulent. However not wanting to go back home a failure she decides to stay in Hollywood to become a star the hard way. 

Colleen Moore (Ella Cinders herself) when interviewed by historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill for their Hollywood TV series (a show about the history of silent film) would state that the type of fraudulent competitions to become a movie star that her character entered were very much real. Tragically many young small-town girls fell for these fraudulent competitions and wound up in Hollywood without the means to survive there or even return home. Because of this many became prostitutes simply to survive. 

There is a lot to love about this movie. It is a quick paced and very fun little film. There is not a single moment here that doesn't provide fast paced entertainment. Because of this the movie feels like it is over before you know it. The gags are often quite enjoyable and there are even a few laugh-out-loud moments. The story itself is quite simple and straightforward, which only adds to its charm. However, the main thing that makes this movie work is Colleen Moore herself. She is absolutely delightful here. She brings a real effortless charm to the role that works perfectly with the lighthearted feel of the picture. Some of the funniest moments of the film come directly from her performance. 

The highlight of this film however is the cameo by comedian Harry Langdon. During this scene Ella is running around a movie studio trying to hide from a studio guard. She comes across Harry Langdon filming a scene, where he is supposedly keeping someone from getting through a door. She thinks this is real and tries to help Harry keep the door closed. She tells Harry that "they" are after her too and he helps hide her. What is wonderful about this scene is that it assumes that Harry Langdon is the same character he plays in the movies. When he sees her come to help him, he doesn't do any big take but rather looks at her and keeps doing what he is doing. When she tells him that she is hiding too, he immediately believes and trusts her. Even his ways of helping her are very childlike. Not only is Harry as funny as ever here but the idea that he is the same as his screen character is laugh out loud funny. Some sources state that this scene was directed by Frank Capra. Before becoming the infamous director, he would later, he wrote on the Harry Langdon films and directed two Harry Langdon features The Strong Man (1926) and Long Pants (1927). 

Colleen Moore and Harry Langdon

The only thing about this movie that doesn't work for me is the ending. Not only does it seem dated and a little sexist, but it also feels quite rushed and unsatisfying.   

Colleen Moore was born Katleen Morrison in Port Hurton, Michigan. However, she spent much of her childhood in Tampa, Florida. When she made a screen test at Essanay, it was due to a request from no less then D.W. Griffith. Griffith owed a favor to Colleen's uncle, Walter Howey, who was the managing editor of the Chicago American. Despite false publicity stating that she made her film debut as an extra in D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), her actual film debut was the Fine-Arts Triangle film, Bad Boy (1917). Making note of her comedic gifts she moved to a studio that specialized in comedy. Due to her grandmother's objection to the wild nature of the Mack Sennett shorts, she instead went to the Al Christie studio, where she made a series of two-reel comedy shorts and eventually moved into features. While there she was also loaned out to appear in various feature films including King Vidor's The Sky Pilot (1921) and The Lotus Eater (1921), which she co-starred with John Barrymore. However, her career really took off when she signed to First National in 1923, especially after her second film there, Flaming Youth (1923). This led to a string of successes. In the talkie era, she would appear in only a handful of movies, with her last film being a leading role in The Scarlet Letter (1934). She lived long enough to see revivals of her classic silent films, to talk to film historians and to writer her own memoir, 1968's Silent Star. She passed away on January 25, 1988, in Paso Robles, California. 

Motion Picture Magazine, 1929

Moore's love interest was played by Lloyd Hughes, who is probably best remembered for being Mary Pickford's leading lady in Tess of the Storm Country (1922). Ella Cinders marked the last time he played leading man to Colleen Moore. He had previous been her leading man in The Huntress (1923), Sally (1925), The Desert Flower (1925) and Irene (1926).

Ma Cinders was played by Vera Lewis. Though not well-known today Lewis had appeared in a wide variety of films ranging from the 1910's to the 1940's, sometimes in small and even uncredited roles. Her filmography includes Intolerance (1916), Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), Stella Dallas (1925), Ramona (1928), Night Nurse (1931), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939), The Roaring Twenties (1939) and It's a Joke, Son! (1947). 

Director Alfred E. Green was a filmmaker with a long and varied career. He began directing with some short two-reel comedies in the 1910's and by the 1920's he was directing features. During the 1920's he would direct movies with such major stars as Mary Pickford, Janet Gaynor, George Arliss (whom he would go on to direct in his Oscar winning roles in Disraeli (1929) and The Green Goddess (1930)), Thomas Meghan and of course Colleen Moore. His career continued quite well through the talkie era. Some of his talkie films include Smart Money (1931), Baby Face (1933), Dangerous (1935, for which Bette Davis would win an Oscar), Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), The Jolson Story (1946, for which Larry Parks and William Demerest would win Oscars), Sierra (1950), The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), The Eddie Cantor Story (1953) and Top Banana (1954). He also directed episodes of such TV shows as General Eletric Theater, The Lone Wolf and The Millionaire. In February of 1960 he would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He passed away on September 4, 1960.

Green has a small acting bit in Ella Cinders, appropriately as a director. 

Mervyn LeRoy, one of the writers for this film would later go on to be a very successful director. His directorial debut, No Place to Go (1927), would be released the year after this movie. LeRoy's directorial efforts include such classics as Little Ceaser (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Three on a Match (1932), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Johnny Eager (1941), Random Harvest (1942), Little Women (1949) and The Bad Seed (1956).

The film's other writer Frank Griffin had worked mostly in silent comedy shorts. He was a director and writer at the Mack Sennett Keystone studio, where he made comedy shorts featuring the likes of Louise Fazenda, Ford Sterling, Charley Chase and Fritz Schade. 

Cinematographer Arthur Martinelli also had a long and varied career, working on such films as Polly With a Past (1920), Alias Ladyfingers (1921), White Zombie (1932), Supernatural (1933), County Fair (1937), The Mad Empress (1939), Devil Bat (1940) and Cinderella Swings It (1943).

The following is an article from a 1926 issue of Motion Picture News.

"A funny-face contest, conducted in connection with 'Ella Cinders,' put that picture over with a bang the Liberty Theatre, Seattle. The stunt was conducted by Manager Leroy V. Johnson with the aid of the Seattle Times and a number of local merchants. 

"Johnson induced the Times to name a committee, to select three of the funniest faces in Seattle, the winners of which would receive cash prizes of $25, $15 or $10. Ticket prizes were given to the next twelve. 

"Four big 2-column stories were given to the contest. The contestants were photographed free of charge by a local photographer. The judges selected 15 of the funniest pictures at the end of the run of 'Ella Cinders' and these were incorporated in a special film featured with explanatory titles. This film was shown to patrons of the Liberty who were asked to register their choice of the three winners by ballot. An usherette checked the ballots cast at each performance. 

"The contest proved unusually popular with the patronage of the Liberty as well as with readers of the Times. In all less than $50 was spent by Manager Johnson on this funny-face contest." 



 

Photoplay, 1926

Moving Picture World, 1926

For anyone interested in watching this delightful film, you can do so below on YouTube. 

Resources Used

A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glen Mitchell

https://moviessilently.com/2013/02/04/ella-cinders-1926-a-silent-film-review/

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

The Great Movie Shorts (1972)

 

Leonard Maltin's The Great Movie Shorts is a seminal book on classic short subjects. While this book is still incredibly enjoyable and informative today, to truly appreciate it, you must put into the context of the time it was written. At this time most writings about movie focused on "important" films, nearly all of which were feature length. A whole book long study of the live action short subject of the 1930's and 40's was something virtually unheard of. Today there have been many books written about classic short subjects (Leonard Maltin would even co-write another on (with Richard W. Bann), The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang). As such this could have been a very basic history and still been an important book. That this is such a well-researched and incredibly informative (even today) book at this time makes it all the more impressive. 

This book is broken up into multiple different sections. The first of these is brief history of each major (and some not so major) Hollywood studio and their output in the short subject field. The second is a survey of many of the classic short subject series. This section makes up the bulk of the book and as well as the surveys each series gets a filmography giving you a list of each film, acting and directing credits and a plot summary. This section includes the most popular and famous series such as Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Our Gang (AKA The Little Rascals), Joe McDoakes, Pete Smith (whose shorts play on TCM regularly) and Charley Chase. Also included are the sound shorts of the beloved silent comedians Buster Keaton and Harry Langdon (the talkie work of legendary silent comedy producer Mack Sennett is even chronicled in this book). Here you get a great picture of an overlooked part of the work of some true Hollywood legends. There are also many series here that even the most avid cinephiles will not have seen or maybe even heard of. Not all the series listed here are comedies as we also get a look at such series as Crime Does Not Pay, John Nesbit's Passing Parade and Screen Snapshots. After this comes surveys of various genres that were not talked about in depth elsewhere in this book (newsreels, travelogues, musicals and sports). 

With all this the book marks a perfect introduction to those who wish to get further into classic short subjects, letting you know all aspects of the classic live action short subject, so that whatever your interests may be, you will know when to start. Maltin's writing also often fully reflects his passion for the subject and will make you want to seek out many of the films he has written about. Yet this book is equally essential to seasoned movie buffs. It's in-depth filmographies, look at obscure films (as well as the better-known ones), surprisingly in-depth histories and especially its quotes from many of those who worked on these films (many of whom Maltin talked to firsthand) make this just as essential reading for true cinephiles. Beyond this the book is simply a lot of fun to read. 

This book would be reissued and updated in 2015, when it would be retitled Selected Short Subjects" From Spanky to the Three Stooges. 

This book should have a treasured place in every movie buff's library. It certainly has a very cherished place in mine. 

The Great Movie Comedians (1978)

 

Well written and well researched Leonard Maltin's 1978 book remains essential reading for all fans of classic movie comedy. 

The book starts with an introduction that discusses the work of silent film comedians that do not receive their own chapters later in this book. This introduction is just as much essential reading as what follows. Offering a brief history of some of these forgotten clowns and how they contributed to the broad history of screen comedy, while also explaining what keeps them from entering into the pantheon of "Great Movie Comedians" like those that receive their own chapters here makes for compelling reading. Quotes for those who worked with these comedians firsthand provide even greater insight to who these comedians were and what comedy filmmaking was like in the silent era. This is one of the rare books where I wish that the introduction had gone on longer. 

The actual chapters cover 22 of the best comedians (or comedy teams) to ever grace the silver screen. These are Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, Raymond Griffith, Marie Dressler, Laurel and Hardy, Will Rogers, Joe E. Brown, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Feilds, Mae West, The Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Red Skelton, Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen. Each of this chapters provides a brief history of the comic's career, some critical insight and a filmography. The critical insight truly shows Maltin's talent as a critic and a writer. He has great admiration for the talent of each of these performers, while also allowing himself to critique the flaws in some of their work. While I may not agree with all his critical opinions (I have a much higher opinion of Harry Langdon's self-directed efforts), they are all well written and insightful. Naturally the history may not be as in depth as what you might read in an entire book dedicated to one of these comics, but for the brevity of these chapters, they are surprisingly insightful. The quotes from those who worked with these comics are invaluable even to film buffs, who may know the majority of the information in this book. Though today, we may take the filmographies for granted it is important to remember how in the pre-internet days, how valuable a simple list of each of these performer's films was to any film buff. 

If I were to find fault with any of these chapters, it would be the one about Harry Langdon. This is the rare occurrence where Maltin gets his film history wrong. He gives too much credit to Frank Capra and too little to Langdon himself for the creation of Langdon's screen character. However, this is not completely Maltin's fault. One must remember that at the time this book was written there was still a lot of research to be done on Langdon, and his films were not easy to see. Because of this it is easy to have believed Frank Capra's claims to have been instrumental in the creation of Langdon's character. I can't say that I wouldn't have made the same mistake at the time. Today one can see that Langdon's character was already on his way to being formed by the time that Frank Capra began working on Langdon's films. Yet even with this, I am very grateful to Leonard for calling attention to Langdon at this time period. 

This is a truly excellent book.         

   

Madeline Hurlock - Vampire

 Some of the most overlooked actresses of Hollywood's golden age are those that played leading ladies to male comedians. However, to hold your own with some of the screen's best comedians is truly a talent. Madeline Hurlock was able to hold her own with the likes of Harry Langdon and Laurel and Hardy. Her films with Harry Langdon are personal favorites of mine. She also worked with some overlooked but talented comedians like Ben Turpin and Billy Bevan. She was one of the most popular and often used leading ladies at the Mack Sennett studio in the 1920's and appeared in many Sennett produced short comedies. 

The following is an article from a 1925 issue of Photoplay magazine. If you have trouble reading the following page click on the pages below and use your touch screen too zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen click here.




 

Here are a couple of her short films with Harry Langdon. 

Here is one of the shorts she made with comedian Ben Turpin.

She would appear in the first film in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy truly work as a team, Duck Soup (1927). 

Madline was born on December 12, 1897, in Federalsburg, Maryland and passed away on April 4, 1989, at the age of 91. She was married three times. First to army sergeant John S. McGovern, then to playwright Marc Connelly and finally to playwright and critic, Robert B. Sherwood. The final marriage would last to his death in 1955 (at the age of 59). 

Bathing Beauties in Action

 Since this blog has been taking a look at the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties, I felt that it is only right to have a post that is simply a collection of their films. 


I am a huge fan of silent film comedian Harry Langdon. So let's start off this post with two short films featuring both Harry and the Bathing Beauties. 

Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle take center stage in short, Mabel's New Hero (1913). This short film would later be rereleased under the title, Fatty and the Bathing Beauties. As well as the Bathing Beauties, this film also features the Keystone Kops. 

The Bathing Beauties found themselves in more comedies than just those that took place at the beach. The Ben Turpin comedy, A Harem Knight (1926) features our hero saving a harem girl. The harem naturally consists of the Bathing Beauties and a pool for them to swim in. Here are the scenes from that picture that involving the Bathing Beauties looking as beautiful as always. 

Now for a short film featuring Louise Fazenda, Ford Sterling, Phillis Haver and of course the Bathing Beauties, Hearts and Flowers (1919). 

Let us end this post with a video showing the Bathing Beauties at their sexiest. No drooling gentlemen. 

 

Classic Movie Comedians Tackle Football

 For some reason or another, many people seem to be talking about football today. Personally, I couldn't care less about football (or any sport for that matter). I do however love classic comedy. So, I feel this is a great reason to look at some of the great movie comedians takes on this popular sport. 

Probably the most famous example of a classic movie comedian playing football is the classic Harold Lloyd film, The Freshman (1925). 

A close second is The Marx Brothers take on the sport in their classic feature film, Horse Feathers (1932). 

Football based comedy also appeared often in short films. Harry Langdon and The Three Stooges have two of my personal favorite football themed shorts. 

I also enjoy the Our Gang (or Little Rascals) short, The Pigskin Palooka (1937) very much. 

Speaking of the Our Gang kids, once Oliver Hardy got into trouble when he kicked Tommy Bond's football. This clip comes from the feature length movie, Block-Heads (1938). 

Football would later play a major role in the Laurel and Hardy feature, Nothing but Trouble (1944). 

Let us close this post with a couple classic Disney cartoons about football. 

Classic Short Film: The Big Flash (1932)

Loves Finds Loyal Underwood

 Though his name may not be known to a lot of you, if you are a Charlie Chaplin fan you have probably seen Loyal Underwood. He was briefly a member of Charlie Chaplin's stock company and appeared in numerous of the great comedian's silent films, including The Count (1916), Easy Street (1917), The Cure (1917), The Immigrant (1917), Shoulder Arms (1918), Sunnyside (1919), Pay Day (1922), The Pilgrim (1923). He would later return to Charlie Chaplin to play a brief role in Charlie's talkie feature film, Limelight (1952). After his original stint with Charlie Chaplin, he would work for the radio station, KNX. This following article fills in some other parts of his career. If you have any trouble reading it click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom in. Also, his favorite movie actor in the talkies was Rin-Tin-Tin, of course. It is of course always worth noting that magazine articles like these should be taken with a grain of salt. 

Radio Doings, 1930


The following article tells a love story involving Loyal Underwood. Again things you read in these articles should be taken with a grain of salt. Also I disagree heavily with the author's view that even the serious films of the silent era were laughable. Click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in, if you have trouble reading. 

Radio Doings, 1931

The following article about silent film comedian Harry Langdon, mentions a Loyal Underwood from KNX. HMMMM.... 

Exhibitors Herald, 1926

Here is an example of Loyal Underwood in a Charlie Chaplin film. Loyal has a dual role in this picture. He plays the small father of the big brood and one of the policemen. 

Saps at Sea (1940)

 

Saps at Sea was the last film Laurel and Hardy made at the Hal Roach Studios and the last one with Harry Langdon (who was one of the great silent movie comedians and worked as a writer on the Laurel and Hardy features The Flying Deuces (1939), A Chump at Oxford (1939) and Blockheads (1938)  as one of the writers and the last one where they would appear with frequent co-stars Charlie Hall and James Finlayson. With this was also the last film from the duo in which the supporting cast would be providing the laughs just as much as our two stars. In the post-Hal Roach films, Stan and Babe would provide the laughs while all the other actors played it very straight. Almost as if the filmmakers knew this was ending, this movie has some of the nuttiest supporting characters in the history of Laurel and Hardy. This is especially true of Eddie Conrad as Stan’s music teacher. The very way he looks in this film is over the top and silly. 

 This movie begins with our boys working in a horn factory. However, the constant noise stresses Ollie to the point where he has a mental break down (“Horns to the right of me. Horns to the left of me”). Ollie is then diagnosed with “hornaphobia” and is sent home. A doctor (James Finlayson) tells Ollie the only cure is sea air. Ollie is afraid of sailing, but Stan has an answer, they can rent a boat and sit out in it without sailing. However, one day while the boys are sleeping on the boat an escaped murderer named Nick (Richard Cramer) stows away on the boat and the boat accidently sets sail. 

 This is an excellent film that resembles the duo’s best shorts. The gags come fast and furious and all of them are very funny. This film goes by so fast that it seems to end before you know it, leaving the audience wanting more.

 One delightful sequence involves a cameo from Ben Turpin. During the silent era, many comedians were known for looking unusual. Often this was done through a fake mustache. However, Ben Turpin had probably the most unique physical trait of the silent comedians. He had very crossed eyes. This was obviously used as joke material in plenty of silent comedies. Though he was much less prolific in the sound era, he could sometimes make gag appearances in sound comedies, such as Wheeler and Woolsey's Cracked Nuts (1931). However, Saps at Seas uses these crossed eyes for one of the cleverest jokes the trait was ever given. The legendary director D.W. Griffith was working as a techincal advisor on One Million B.C., which was made at Hal Roach studios. One day he visited the set of Saps at Sea. As soon as he got there he called out, "Where is the great Ben Turpin." D.W. Griffith and Ben Turpin spent quite a while just talking. Griffith then watched the boys film and told them, "You two are greater pantomime artists than Charlie Chaplin." Director Gordon Douglas would later state about this remark, "I think he genuinely believed that too." 

Gordon Douglas had just recently directed Oliver Hardy (without Stan Laurel) in Zenobia (1939). That film also featured Harry Langdon in the cast by the way. About making Saps at Sea Douglas said, "After Zenobia which was an expensive picture with some big names in it, the Saps at Sea film was done a lot faster, but that's because Stan was pretty much determined to show Roach, we could do a film efficiently and on schedule. Yes, I directed the film, but Stan was very much in charge. He knew what he wanted, and I had enough sense not to interfere with him. He was giving me an education in directing."

A review in the Hollywood Motion Picture Review stated “Here is one that will drag them in, and they will really enjoy the slapstick. Why doesn’t Universal or Warners grab this pair and give them some decent stories ad a little dough to work with.”

The following is an exhibitor’s review in the Motion Picture Herald dated March 8, 1941. 

“Saps at Sea: Laurel and Hardy – I for one regret that these comedy stars comedy stars stopped making pictures. At least there are none in sight and none announced in the trade press. All their pictures have done well at this theater and ‘Saps at Sea’ is no exception to this rule. This picture was filled with the usual L. and H. funnyisms, which brings out gales of laughter. This was doubled with ‘Marines Fly High’ RKO – J. E. Stocker, Myrtle Theatre, Detroit, Mich. Neighborhood patronage.”    

The Independent Film Journal had an article about Cleone Cloe Baker the manager of The Raleigh N. C. Varsity Theater, this article stated “Somehow or another she manages to turn a stinkeroo into something less than a complete flop and often times into an overwhelming success. Her recent handling of ‘Saps at Sea’ a Laurel and Hardy comedy- a success by the way that brought her a letter of congratulations from the president of her chain- is one of the best examples of Mrs. Baker in action. When informed that the Varsity must run ‘Saps at Sea’ Mrs. Baker was in despair – She knew it was the kind of show her customers would stay away from in droves. Putting on her thinking cap, she hit upon an ‘All Comedy Night.’ At once she went to work putting out lots and lots of strategic advertising and getting some comedy shorts to fill out the bill. Result: A capacity house that broke the all-time record.” This shows that by this time Laurel and Hardy films where no longer the guaranteed box office successes they had been during the 1920’s and 30’s.       

Resources Used

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skretvedt

Harry Langdon: The Hal Roach Talkies

After buying and watching the new DVD set of Harry Langdon’s talkie shorts for the Hal Roach Studios, I was impressed with just how much I enjoyed them. After all these films have a horrible reputation and many film historians have had little nice to say about them. Leonard Maltin even called them “undeniably the worst two-reelers ever made.” As much as I respect and appreciate Leonard (I am a huge fan of Leonard and he was a huge influence on me creating this blog) I couldn’t disagree with him more on this. Not only do I think these are not “the worst two-reelers ever made” but I think the best of them are pretty darn good. There are many moments that are completely delightful. For instance his energetic performance of Frankie and Johnny in The Fighting Parson (1930) or his brave capturing of dummies in The Big Kick (1930). A film like The Shrimp (1930) (where a science experiment  gives him the courage of a bulldog) is incredibly clever in both premise and execution. The very funny The Big Kick has Harry remain silent for the first half of the movie, letting his beautiful pantomime skills shine. Even when the character first speaks, we can’t hear it as it is drowned out by a noisy car engine for the purpose of a great gag. In the films where Harry gets to speak a great deal of his dialogue will be very funny to some while alienating others (I personally find it very funny). The reason is that it is very rambling and repetitive showing how his character’s not too bright mind tries to make sense of the world around him (something he could never do). I can hardly think of another comedian who would dare to do this to the extent Harry does. This is as risky and experimental as you can get in a two-reel comedy. Not only does it make me laugh but I completely respect Harry for having the audacity to even attempt it. None of this is to any way suggest that these films are completely carried by Harry. The supporting casts are often excellent. Included in some of these movies are two actors who are rightfully treasured by many comedy fans, Thelma Todd and Edgar Kennedy. They are of course delightful here as always. Nancy Dover is however just as delightful. She proves to be the perfect co-star for Harry and the two are just a joy to watch together. Now keep in mind that these are still not perfect films and are not as great as his best work at Mack Sennett or First National, but they are certainly a lot better than they are often given credit for and are often pretty darn good on their own merits.

The DVD set includes two shorts in which the soundtrack was unfortunately lost to make up for this, the movies have subtitles. While this is certainly not the perfect way to watch them (Too Hot To Handle (1929) is definitely too dialogue heavy to have a full effect without the sound of voices)), it makes you appreciate that you are able to see them at all. Also included are some commentaries by Richard M. Roberts and a Spanish language version of The Big Kick. I highly recommend this set to all movie fans and remember to make up your own minds about these films instead of instantly buying into their bad reputation. You can purchase it here.

-Michael J. Ruhland

The Film Daily Goes All Out For Harry Langdon in "Tramp Tramp Tramp"

As anyone who reads this blog knows, I adore Harry Langdon. He is one of my favorite screen comedians as his films never fail to make me laugh. That is why I always love to look around old movie magazines to see how much I can find on Harry. Today I have found that The Film Daily didn't just have a brief advertisement for this film but went all out to promote it in a 1926 issue. These following pages are from that issue. If you have trouble reading any of these pages click on them and zoom in with your touch screen.

If you would like to watch the movie it is on YouTube.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Silent Film of the Month: His First Flame (1927)

Run Time: 48 minutes. Studio:  Mack Sennett Studios. Director: Harry Edwards. Writers: Frank Capra, Arthur Ripley. Titles: Al Giebler. Producers: Mack Sennett, John A. Waldron.  Main Cast: Harry Langdon, Natalie Kingston, Ruth Hiatt, Vernon Dent. Cinematographers: Ernie Crockett, William Williams. Editor: William Hornbeck.

Many film historians, critics and fans have stated that when it comes to silent film comedy there are four comedians who stand as the best of the best. They have become affectionately known as the big four. These are Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Harry Langdon. Perhaps no silent feature film from any of these four is as little remembered or commented on as His First Flame.

This movie has a very loose story. Harry (Harry Langdon) has just graduated from college and has fallen deeply for his girlfriend Ethel (Natalie Kingston). Ethel in reality is actually a gold digger who just wants Harry’s money. However her sister Mary (Ruth Hiatt) is actually in love with Harry. This story honestly serves as little more than a framework for great comic skits. However these comic skits are hilarious making this film utterly delightful.

For those not familiar with Harry Langdon’s character, he is a simple, not too bright, innocent and childlike man, who simply can’t comprehend the cruelty of the world around him. This can cause an uncomfortableness to his comedy that is not often seen in Chaplin, Keaton or Lloyd. This is because unlike any of them he is incapable of defending himself. Frank Capra (who worked as a writer on this film) stated that “God was his only ally.”

Harry’s innocence can perfectly be seen in the scene in which Harry is in a couple’s (his friend (Bud Jamison) and his friend’s wife (Dot Fraley)) apartment as they are physically fighting and the couple across the street (whom can be seen through the window) are doing the same and Harry is unable to comprehend. He is also fascinated by the couple across the way as he watches them carefully. He tries to alert the husband of the apartment that something is going on, but the man has been knocked out. Harry thinks he is drunk, picks him up and hides a flask that is in the house.

One of my favorite scenes in this movie is Harry getting candy and flowers for his girlfriend. His uncle (Vernon Dent) is very against Harry seeing this woman and Harry sneaks with the candy and flowers like a little kid sneaking out of the house, hoping his uncle won’t see him. After seeing that his uncle isn’t around he walks very carefully to the cab. When he enters the cab the door shuts on his flowers and takes the tops off of them. He rides in the car for a while until he decides to smell the flowers. He takes a big whiff and sighs because the smell he pictures in his mind is so good. After he is done sighing he looks down. He notices something is wrong with the flowers but doesn’t know what that is yet. He picks them up to smell them again. He notices the scent isn’t there. He takes a few seconds to put this together. He then finally realizes what has happened and looks for the tops. When he can’t find them he decides to throw the stems out the window. He leans back to throw them and almost does but then sees the window is closed. He puts both the stems and the candy down to open the window. After he opens it not looking at what he is picking up he throws the candy out the window. He then picks up the stems. He sits looking straight forward for a little bit until he looks down and sees that he is holding the stems. He gets out of the cab to get the candy and excitedly at first runs the wrong way. He then realizes this and turns around. By the time he gets to the candy it has been run over. He then stares at it for a little bit. He debates whether or not to pick it up, leaning over and reaching towards it, but then coming back up. He then stares at it some more before walking away. This is not only laugh out loud funny, but it is also a perfect example of how Harry’s mind works. He takes moments to realize anything happening around him and his mind only comprehends one thing at a time. This may be one of my favorite moments in the history of silent comedy. 



Film critic Mordaunt Hall for the New York Times wrote "Mr. Sennett and Mr. Langdon do their parts in this nice mile of fun. Mr. Sennett, who failed as a blacksmith and amassed millions as a maker of film humor, deserves no little credit for the hilarious situations in this picture. And Mr. Langdon is to be congratulated on a generous supply of sad smiles and wide-eyed effects...Mr. Langdon is at his best in this humorous piece of work. The heroine is impersonated by Natalie Kingston, who, while she does not appreciate Harry's wisdom, is attractive."
  

The following is a short article from the Exhibitors Herald (dated May 9, 1925).



"Coincident with reports that Harry Langdon is going over to only feature length productions, the Pathe comedian has his entire staff working with him on his most ambitious picture carrying the working title 'His First Flame.' The same technical force is in harness and Ruth Hiatt shares honors with Natalie Kingston as the only change in cast. Harry Edwards is directing and Arthur Ripley has charge of scenario duties.



"Langdon has called on his own fund of experiences as a trouper in suggesting most of the story itself. As a professional for many years he covered almost ever branch of showdom in playing virtually every city of any size in the nation. Hence he is abundantly supplied with material for original stories for the company, with the comedy angle predominating.


"Harry Langdon's style has been described as 'very scarce yet very necessary' with pathos and humor mingling in an unusual technique, making his name a byword in the comedy field. Furthermore his rise to a place among the elect has been accomplished in only one and one-half years of appearing in motion pictures."

This is not quite true. This was certainly the first feature Harry Langdon made, but it was not the first released. After completion in 1925, producer Mack Sennett put the film on the shelf and Harry returned to only making short films. After Harry moved away from Mack Sennett studios to First National, he would make three feature films (Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926), The Strong Man (1926) and Long Pants (1927)). After these feature films Sennett finally released this movie.     

Also my fellow Three Stooges fans might notice that two of the Stooges’ most common supporting players appear here, Bud Jamison and Vernon Dent. Dent appeared in many of Harry Langdon’s films and would continue to do so into the sound era.

This film is on YouTube and you can watch it below.

















-Michael J. Ruhland 

Silent Film of the Month: The Chaser (1928)

Run Time: 60 minutes. Studio: Harry Langdon Corporation. Director: Harry Langdon. Writers: Robert Eddy, Al Giebler, Clearance Hennecke, Harry McCoy, Arthur Ripley. Cinematographers: Frank Evans, Elgin Lessley. Main Cast: Harry Langdon, Gladys McConnell, Helen Hayward, Bud Jamison. Editor: Alfred DeGaetano.

Probably no silent movies have worse reputations than Harry Langdon's self directed films. The common belief among silent film fans is that Harry Langdon was a very talented comedian making excellent films but when he got power hungry and decided to direct the films himself the quality quickly fell and the films just became weird. However I would argue that the two self directed movies that can be seen today (Heart Trouble is currently a lost film) are actually excellent films. While Three's a Crowd (1927) is my favorite of the two, I do have a strong fondness for The Chaser as well.

The Chaser was quite a change of pace after Three's a Crowd. Three's a Crowd had more pathos than any Charlie Chaplin movie. Three's a Crowd is while a comedy a profoundly sad one. The Chaser however eschews such sadness for more pure comedy. True this comedy is very dark but so had been the comedy for many of Harry's most popular films. So one could easily argue that this movie was a return to that.

The film's storyline is very simple. Harry (Harry Langdon) spends much of his time away from home much to the annoyance of his wife (Gladys McConnell). His wife decides to sue him for divorce. However a judge (Charles Thurston) with a twisted sense of humor decides to instead have the two switch places. The wife will go to work, while the husband stays at home and takes care of all of the chores there, as well as wearing a dress of course.

Unlike Three's a Crowd with its more dramatic storyline, a film like The Chaser is a film that depends heavily on the humor. Luckily for us this movie is really funny. The scene where Harry tries to get a chicken to lay an egg shows Harry doing what he does best and getting plenty of laughs doing it. I also love the absurdity of everyone thinking Harry is a woman simply because of the dress, despite there being nothing else feminine about his appearance or actions. Any other silent film comedian would have made the character act more traditionally feminine (think of Fatty Arbuckle's many drag scenes), but Harry being a subversive comic and playing a character who would never do this, Harry gets just as many laughs by not doing the usual gag, but by instead turning it on its head. The suicide note contains some absolutely brilliant dark humor. To be fair the scene involving Harry's ability to kiss women and make them faint goes on a bit too long and the idea was funnier when done in the Harry Langdon short, Soldier Man (1926). Still the majority of the humor is really funny and the film is a delight.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph this movie borrowed a gag from Solider Man. This was not the only one of Langdon's classic shorts borrowed from here. Also borrowed from is one of Harry's most famous short films, Saturday Afternoon (1926). In that short, Harry is a henpecked husband whose "friend" (Vernon Dent) convinces Harry to go along on a night out on a double date behind his wife's (Alice Ward) back. The same basic storyline becomes the third act of The Chaser. In The Chaser the friend was played by Bud Jamison. Interestingly in the talkie era Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison would be The Three Stooges' most common costars both playing similar roles where they would get the worst consequences from the Stooges' actions. Dent was Harry's most common costar appearing in many many Harry Langdon shorts and features. Bud Jamison appeared in less Harry Langdon films than Dent, but he had previously been in Harry's feature film His First Flame (1927) and would later be in the lost Harry feature Heart Trouble (1928).

An advertisement for the film in Variety.

You can see two great ways showings of this movie was advertised in the below page of First National News.

The Chaser may not be my favorite Harry Langdon feature, but I still think it is much better than its reputation and certainly deserves more positive attention. This is a fun and often hilarious comedy that I really enjoy and I hope you might like it as well.

This movie is on YouTube so you can watch it below. Enjoy.



-Michael J. Ruhland