Mack Sennett: He Speculates in Comedy Thunder

 There are names that anyone familiar with silent comedy knows. Along with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, this definitely includes Mack Sennett. The legendary comedy producer not only brought us the likes of the Keystone Kops and the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties, but he also produced the earliest films of Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Mabel Normand and Harry Langdon. If it wasn't for him, film comedy probably would have never evolved thew way it did. 

The following is a 1916 article about Mack Sennett from Moving Picture Classic. If you have any trouble reading it click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen, click here.

The following comedy short, The Feathered Nest (1916), was produced by Mack Sennett and released the same year that article above was published. 

Now for a true masterpiece. This is a wonderful talkie short produced by Mack Sennett and starring the comedy legend W.C. Fields. Enjoy The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933). 

 

Silent Film of the Month: Sally of the Sawdust (1925)

 

Run Time:  104 minutes. Studio: D.W. Griffith Productions. Director: D.W. Griffith. Writer: Forrest Halsey. Based on a play by Dorothy Donnelly. Producer: D.W. Griffith. Main Cast: Carol Dempster, W.C. Fields, Alfred Lunt, Erville Alderson. Cinematographers: Harry Fischbeck, Harold S. Sintzenich. Editor: James Smith. Art Director: Charles M. Kirk. 

Two names you may not except to see on the same movie are D.W. Griffith and W.C. Feilds. D.W. Griffith is best known for such dramatic epics as Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916). However, most of his films are smaller intimate dramas. Those who have read or heard stories about Griffith's relationship with legendary comedy filmmaker Mack Sennett are aware that Griffith is not exactly known for his sense of humor or his understanding of film comedy. W.C. Feilds on the other hand is one of the most popular and beloved comedians of Hollywood's golden age. He would star in some of the most outrageous and wildest comedies of the 1930's and 40's. However, Griffith directed Feilds in two feature length silent movies, Sally of the Sawdust and That Royle Girl (1925). That Royle Girl is unfortunately a lost film, but Sally of the Sawdust is a delightful collaboration between two film giants. 

In this film, Judge Foster (Erville Alderson) casts his daughter out of the family because she married a circus. Much later before the daughter's death, she leaves her own small daughter, Sally (Carol Dempster), with her juggler friend McGargle (W. C. Fields). McGargle gets a job at a carnival company playing at Great Medows, where the Fosters live. As she grows up Peyton (Alfred Lunt), a friend of Foster falls in love with Sally. 

This is a great movie that deserves much more attention than it gets. What really makes this film work is how well it balances melodrama and comedy. The story itself is quite melodramatic, yet it does often work in some bits of Feilds-ian humor. Yet every bit of comedy here is perfectly worked into the story and plays a role in moving the story forward. There is never once simply comedy for the sake of comedy, and it never interrupts the flow of the more dramatic storyline. More than this, it is often times quite funny.

  The storyline may be melodramatic, but it works quite well. The relationship between Sally and her adoptive father is quite touching. This makes us care deeply about what happens to these characters. Because of this no matter how melodramatic the store gets; it feels real to us and can even tug on our heartstrings.  

Professor McGargle is a perfect role for W.C. Fields. This type of lovable conman is the kind of character that Feilds would play later in his career. There is a Dickensian quality to this character with his unsophisticated and unpretentious charm along with his loving heart. It is hard not to love this character, yet at the same time, the character perfectly allows for the type of comedy Feilds is best known for. Feilds is not the only standout from the cast though. Carol Dempster is fantastic here. She is simply magnetic, especially when she shares a performing stage with her adoptive father.  

The climax is a perfect mixture of Griffith and Feilds' styles. It is in many ways a typical Griffith chase to the rescue climax with all the suspense and excitement that one might expect. At the same time some great bits of slapstick humor are worked into it. Both the suspense and the comedy work together perfectly. 

When making this film, Griffith was going through a change of pace with his career. Who had once been one of the most prestigious film directors had now found himself working as a contract director. On Tuesday June 10, 1924, Griffith (due to financial difficulties) began a contract with Famous Players-Lasky (the producing arm of Paramount Pictures). This contract required Griffith to make three films for the studio, while the studio would give a $250,000 loan for Griffith's company. 

On the other hand, W. C. Feild's career was on the upswing. On Monday, September 3, 1923, Dorthy Donnelly's musical comedy play, Poppy premiered on Broadway. It opened at the Apollo Theatre with Madge Kennedy as Poppy and W.C. Feilds as McGargle. Also in the cast was Robert Woosley, later of the comedy team Wheeler and Woosley. The play was a massive hit providing Feilds with the biggest hit of his career at the time. The play would have a very long run with Feilds as the main character. 

In early 1925, Famous Players-Lasky brought the screen rights for Poppy for $15,000. The studio soon decided to make the film version of the popular play, one of the three that Griffith would make for the studio. Griffith would later claim that this was the only of the three films he made for the studio (the others being That Royle Girl and The Sorrows of Satan (1926)), that he actually wanted to make. 

The film began shooting on Monday March 9. That morning was spent with lighting test and rehearsals and that after the prologue with Poppy's mother being turned out of her home for marrying a circus man were shot. On Tuesday March 10, these scenes were finished and a scene in a bedroom set involving actress Elfie Shannon were filmed. On Wednesday March 11, Feilds films his first scene, where his character adopts Sally, was filmed in the morning. The scene was wrapped up in time for Feilds to appear in a matinee performance of the Ziegfield Follies at the New Amsterdam Theatre. That night a giant circus tent is put up. On Thursday March 12, crowd scenes were shot around that circus tent. 200 extras were signed for that day. On Friday March 13 scenes involving a lion tamer, Carol Dempster (on her first day of shooting) and Feilds performing his famous juggling act (for the first time in front of a camera). Saturday March 14 including shooting close-ups of Carol Dempster and her act with Feilds (again Feilds' scenes needed to be shot early enough that he could appear on stage the same day), close-ups of Glenn Anders (the acrobat) and the scenes with Carol Dempster and the elephant. On Sunday March 15 W.C. Feilds shot a fight scene and his shell game (another famous Feilds sketch). On Monday March 16 and Tuesday March 17, scenes were shot in Carol Dempster's tent. On Wednesday March 18, Thursday March 19 and Friday March 20, the bootleggers scene was shot. On Saturday March 21 and Sunday March 22 the bakery scenes were shot. On Monday March 23 scenes in the judge's home were shot. On Wednesday March 25 and Thursday March 26 the ball scenes were shot. From Friday March 27 to Sunday March 29 scenes were shot in the Foster home. From Monday March 30 through Thursday April 9, carnival scenes were shot. From Friday April 10 to Monday April 13 the courtroom scenes were shot. Tuesday April 14 through Friday April 17 retakes and location shots were filmed.  

Exhibitor's Trade Review, 1925

Exhibitors Hearld, 1925

Moving Picture World, 1925

A review in The Moving Picture World stated, "In a word, Mr. Griffith has produced in 'Sally of the Sawdust' a picture that is filled with sure-fire stuff that will thoroughly entertain the majority. It has an abundance of rattling good comedy, pathos, drama, sympathy and suspense and should prove a big box office attraction." 

The following review comes from an issue of The Moving Picture World dated June 27, 1925. 

"Through the kindness of one of our dependable scouts, we are privileged to hand you a tip that will silence somewhat, the cry that our tips are not up to date enough. Needn't say anymore just read it!

"'Dear Van, 

"'Just finished preview showing of D.W. Griffith's newest production of 'Sally of the Sawdust'; despite terrific heat, we played to capacity, which alone is great tribute to Mr. Griffith and his splendid production. 

"'The featured roles are played by Carol Dempster and W.C. Feilds, the Ziegfield Follies comic.

"'In other reports I have claimed Miss Dempster as a comer; in 'Sally of the Sawdust' I claim she has arrived. Her portrayal as Sally will go down in screen history as one of the finest bits of acting ever done upon the screen. In W.C. Feilds, Mr. Griffith has brought to the screen a new star, who, in the role of McGargle is a 'wow.' The juvenile lead is played by Arthur Lunt; other fine character bits were played by Glen Anders, Elfie Shannon and Ervillie Alderson. 

"'In this production Mr. Griffith has placed some of the most delightful scenes ever shown upon the screen. The scenes get hold of the audience, and it cries and laughs just as Mr. Griffith has willed. [Spoiler Alert] When the girl is reunited with her grandmother one reaches for a handkerchief with the same rapidity as in the old days of 'East Lynn.' [End Spoiler Alert] When Feilds as McGargle begins his idiosyncrasies, roars of laughter greet his antics, and when [Spoiler Alert] he walks off lonesome at the end, you feel a cheerful friend has gone out of your life. [End Spoiler Alert]

"'I predict 'Sally of the Sawdust' will be one of the coming season's outstanding hits.' - Al Hamiliton, Rialto Theatre, So. Norwalk, Connecticut."
  
If you are interested in watching this great movie, you can watch a YouTube version below.

Resources Used

Kaufman at the Movies: Articles & Essays 1987–2021, Volume 2 by J.B. Kaufman

https://mediahistoryproject.org/

https://www.imdb.com/

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.         

   

Cinecon Pop-up Day at Old Town Music Hall

 

Hello, my friends, for any of you living in Southern California, I have wonderful news. On April 6th, the Cinecon Film Festival is having a pop-up fundraiser day at my favorite place in the world, Old Town Music Hall.

Old Town Music Hall is a wonderful movie theater in downtown El Segundo that shows wonderful classic movies ranging from the silent era to the early 2000's as well as jazz and ragtime concerts. It is also the home of a 1925 Might Wurlitzer Pipe organ, which is played at the start of every show and is used to accompany silent films. It is one of the true jewels of Souther California. 

For those unfamiliar with the Cinecon Film Festival, it is a film festival dedicated to little known and overlooked films and TV shows. For film and TV lovers, this festival is a yearly essential.

This fundraising event begins at 9:30am and runs until 9pm (with a two-hour lunch break) and is located at 140 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90245 (Old Town Music Hall), you can get your tickets on Cinecon's website. 

The day will start off with the Paramount Varieties and Novelties short, Broadway Highlights (1936). That is followed by a new restoration of the feature film, Song of the Open Road (1944) with an all-star cast including Jane Powell, Edgar Bergan, Bonita Granville, W.C. Feilds and Sammy Kaye and his Orchestra. Then comes the documentary short Zukor: A Man of Our Century (1973). After a lunch break will be an organ solo by Sterlin Yearlian, rare French rom com, The Seamstress (1929) and the color TV special The Fantasticks (1964) which stars Ricardo Montalban, Bert Lahr and Stanley Hollaway. The last two movies of the day will be Pavement Butterfly (1929), Anna May Wong's last silent film and a new restoration of The Mountain (1956) starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner and Claire Trevor. 

 

Song of the Open Road, 1944

Alison Skipworth AKA Crosspatch

 Alison Skipworth is a too often overlooked character actress of the 1930's. Though her name may not be known by many of you, if you are a fan of old movies, you have most likely seen her. She was in Raffles (1930) with Roland Colman and Kay Francis, Dangerous (1935), The Girl From 5th Avenue (1935) and Satan Met a Lady (1936) with Bette Davis, Doubting Thomas (1935) with Will Rogers, Here is my Heart (1934) with Bing Crosby and the Josef Van Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich film, The Devil Is a Woman (1935). However she is best remembered for the movies in which she worked with W.C. Fields, If I Had a Million (1932), Tillie and Gus (1933), Alice in Wonderland (1933), and Six of a Kind (1934). She proved to be a great foil for the great comedian in the same way that Margaret Dumont was for The Marx Brothers.  Though she was an older woman at the time she made these films and the parts she played were hardly glamorous ones, in her younger days on the stage, she was considered a great beauty when she had worked on the stage in her younger days. 

The following is a 1933 article from The New Movie Magazine. If you have any trouble reading it click on the pages and use your touch screen to zoom in. 

Here is the trailer for a delightful comedy movie she was in. 

  

Old Town Music Hall New Years Eve Show

I have talked quite a bit on this blog about the Old Town Musical Hall in El Segundo, California.  This is one of the best places to see old movies and I think that all my fellow movie lovers should go there when they are in Southern California. Last night was their special New Years Eve show. Each year this show runs from 8:30pm to midnight and what is shown is always a complete surprise.

Like always before the films there was some live musical entertainment. This entertainment was on the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, a huge 1925 pipe organ created to accompany silent movies. First was the talented young Edward Torres doing a highly entertaining duet with a player piano. He then followed this with a great performance of The Lady is a Tramp. After this the one and only Bill Field took over the organ and played a large selection of songs dating from the early 20th century to the late 1940's. After this there was a delightful sing along which included such old standards as Down By the Old Mill Stream, When the Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbing Along, My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, Smiles and Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Do.

After this we started the films. First up was The Battle of the Century (1927) with Laurel and Hardy. This is one of the greatest Laurel and Hardy shorts and one of the best silent comedies ever created. This film is famous for having the largest and funniest pie fight ever created for films. This film shows what Laurel and Hardy do best. It takes a simple and small little idea and gradually brings it to something unbelievably over the top and massive. No short shows this better than this. The lengths this pie fight goes to is truly a sight to behold. I have seen and loved this film plenty of times before but I had never seen it before with a live audience. This made the film feel so fresh and new, as well as even funnier than ever before. For those of you who have never watched a Laurel and Hardy film in this context, there is probably no better audience pleasers than Laurel and Hardy. You rarely hear an audience laugh the way at any comedy (old or new) as they do at Laurel and Hardy. Because this was a silent film, it was accompanied live by Bill Field on the Mighty Wurlitzer organ. To see a silent film with live musical accompaniment is something I believe everybody should do in their lives, it is like no other experience in the world. This was followed by a cartoon, Betty Boop's Penthouse (1933). This is a typically great Betty Boop cartoon of this era. Like all the best Betty Boop cartoons, the best word to describe this film is imaginative. There is so much clever imagination and surreal humor in this cartoon that I and the rest of the audience found irresistible. After this came an enjoyable Charley Chase short, Arabian Tights (1933). Charley is one of the great screen comedians of his day, but rarely gets the appreciation he deserves. To be honest this is not his best short film, but it is highly entertaining regardless. It also is a great showcase for Chase's singing talents.

After an intermission filled with free cookies and hot apple cider, we got our feature film of the night. This was The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), staring the one and only W. C. Fields. This is a hilarious feature film and the perfect way to finish our watching. There is not much of a story in this movie, but that is not important. What is important is just how funny this film is. This movie features Fields in one of his put upon man roles. This means he plays a character who is good hearted but keeps finding himself in more trouble. The crazy extant these troubles go to is hilarious and a sight to behold. Just when you think things can't get worse for him or funnier for us they do. This all leads up to an extremely satisficing ending, that is impossible not to like.

After the feature it was exactly a minute to midnight. We all had our countdown with an animated ball dropping on the screen. Then we all sang Auld Lang Syne together. What better way to ring in the new year can there be.

This is done each year (except with different films) and if you are able to go next year, I could not recommend it more. Also just drop into the Old Town Music Hall for any show (there is one almost every week). To look at a schedule click here. 

Happy New Year and God Bless.

-Michael J. Ruhland