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Reviews
The United States Steel Hour: Operation Three R's (1956)
A Young Robert Culp Dominates The Screen
For fans of the iconic television series, I Spy, it may come as no surprise that Robert Culp enjoyed a long and successful career from the stage to both large and small screens. This particular episode in the U S Steel Hour is memorable for Culp's realistic performance as a military man tasked to instruct other servicemen who cannot read or write.
It was in this episode that Culp met and became lifelong friends with Paul Mazursky who some thirteen years later would cast him in the popular comedy, "Bob& Carol & Ted & Alice". It also started his friendship with Warren Oates. Culp was not only a wonderful and sensitive actor, he would go on to write and direct. His presence in front of the public began in the 1940's and would continue through the decades, culminating with his recurring role as Debra Barone's Father in the CBS series, Everybody Loves Raymond. What a career!
This episode was broadcast Live on July 4th 1956 and was never seen again until it's repremiere on September 4th. 2023 at the Cinecon Classic Film Festival and was introduced by one of Robert's sons, Jason Culp. A print survives in the Culp Family Collection at the UCLA Film And Television Archive.
The Real Charlie Chaplin (2021)
New Footage and Audio add to the incredible Chaplin Story
Over 700 books worldwide have been written about him, thousands of stories and articles,
merchandise galore; anything and everything that could be marketed has been including
hundreds of documentaries. With all this information at hand, why would it be necessary to
produce another documentary on a man who was once considered to be the most famous
person on the globe? You would think that everything that has been discussed about him
has already been documented and its cache has been fully gleaned. The filmmakers of the
new documentary on Charles Chaplin were faced with this daunting task before they ever
started. They asked themselves if there could possibly be anything to add to the Chaplin
story. With the help of an amazing researcher and the Chaplin Office, they not only
found new elements to add to the story, they did it in a bravura style that sets a new high bar
in documentary film making.
"The Real Charlie Chaplin" is not a history of the films of the great Chaplin so get that out of
your head from the start. This is the story of the man who created brilliance in film, how he came
to create and nurture his craft and what his genius cost him both in his professional and personal life.
If you are a big fan of his work and have a wealth of knowledge about his films, consider yourselves
ahead of the curve. This is not a film by film in depth look at Charlie but an examination of his process and how
he carefully chose his stories. There are abundant clips from his early works but hardly a title of those
Keystone, Essanay, Mutual and First National films are uttered; only Sennett and Keystone are mentioned
by name. Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Henry Bergman and other members of the Chaplin stock company
are seen but never mentioned by name. Again, this film isn't about them. If you know all about these artisans,
you go to the head of the class. Remain seated, however, as there is more to ingest.
From the start, the film tries to uncover who the real Charlie Chaplin is. We are introduced to a vast majority
of Chaplin imitators; from the best remembered to simply fans. From Billy West, Billie Ritchie to Charlie
Aplin and in between, we are invited on an expedition to discover who The Little Fellow is and who is
the man who created him.
It is in the second half hour that we first get to see him in a fully developed sequence, albeit, slightly edited
from "A Dog's Life" (1918). It all leads up to his work on "The Kid" (1921) and the similarities to his own
upbringing at 3 Pownall Terrace in England. With each successive sequence from his films, we get to see how
the real world and Charlie's world commingle and why his work was influenced by the happenings surrounding
him. Through the use of footage of the England Charlie was raised in and by seeing the parallel in his own films,
the evidence is overwhelming. As is the advise given to countless creators, write what you know about.
Directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney engaged researcher Erin Sayder to scour the world for film
and audio elements, interviews and photographs and they couldn't have hired a better person for the job.
In my lifelong admiration for and archiving of everything Chaplin, I figured that I've seen virtually everything
connected to his career that was available. Was I incorrect on that score. Sayder tracked down a hitherto
thought to be forever lost complete recording of Chaplin's 1947 press conference at the Gotham Hotel in
New York City. Only a scant clip was known to survive but Sayder discovered the original wire recording in
a collection in San Francisco. It is one of the incredible revelations in this film. Using actors to recreate
the press conference and by having them lip sync to the actual recording, you get the feeling that you are
in the Gotham watching the press attack Chaplin as the Press conference became more of an inquisition.
The use of other audio recordings with recreations are included including Chaplin's childhood friend Effie Wisdom
speaking to Kevin Brownlow (also recreated by an actor) and the 1966 audio recording of Chaplin himself
during his Life Magazine interview offer new insight into this most complex man.
The film delves into the scandalous areas of his life with Joan Barry and Lita Grey Chaplin, letting us know
that while Barry's daughter wasn't biologically Charlie's and that he never mentions Lita by name in his
own autobiography, it was the cause of much concern in its day.
It's the rare film footage that frequently pops up throughout this 114 minute film that is a feast for fans.
The film takes the bold step to never become a "talking heads" documentary. Aside from the recreations,
each voice heard is from someone who knew Charlie personally; Geraldine, Eugene, Jane and Michael Chaplin,
Alastair Cooke, Georgia Hale, Virginia Cherrill (Lita Grey is seen in footage from a 1966 Merv Griffin Show and an
interview with Kevin Brownlow). Fragments from private home movies from a few sources show Chaplin at work
on "City Lights" (1931), at play and general clowning around for his own amusement. Footage of Charlie after he
was knighted by the Queen, traveling all over the world, making speeches, outtakes from his early works all makes
for exciting viewing. Among the rare audio is a snippet of Charlie delivering his final speech from "The Great Dictator"
at FDR's third inauguration in 1941.
Newly shot footage at the former Chaplin home in Vevey, Switzerland, now the museum, Chaplin's World, is used as
well as original footage shot in 1973 by Richard Patterson for his "The Gentleman Tramp" (1975) is bridged and offers
another glimpse at the private Chaplin. Part of the recreation of the 1966 Life interview was filmed in the living room.
While the film is focused on the drama in Charlie's life (his daughter Jane laments that she longed to have one conversation
with her father and her alone), there is joy to be found. His beloved Oona is eulogized by her daughter Geraldine in a
loving manner, the reaffirmation of his standing in the film community as he is honored by the Motion Picture Academy
and sprinkled throughout the film, we see the admiration of fans worldwide.
Richard Patterson's "The Gentleman Tramp, arguably the finest documentary ever made on Chaplin and with the
approval of his wife is more for the person who wants to know about the man and his films with important
information about his personal life. However, "The Real Charlie Chaplin" takes a bolder step by digging deeper into
the darker areas. There are some who discount Lita Grey's account of her life as wife #2 but Chaplin relegated his
biography without mentioning her by name and only referencing her in three sentences so he pretty much rolled
out the red carpet for her in penning her version of life as a Chaplin. The Joan Barry paternity trial is also a matter of
public record. Even though her daughter Carol Ann wasn't his child, they were in a relationship and he was ordered to
provide for the child. It's tough medicine to swallow for a Chaplin fan and Middleton and Spinney don't spare the viewer
the details. All of this as well as his speeches snowball into Chaplin's eventual blocking from returning to the
United States in 1952.
You won't see his funeral (it's never mentioned), the grave robbing incident or those sad final photographs of Charlie
in a wheelchair being pushed by his wife along Lake Geneva. That's not what this film is about. We all know Charlie
died and the directors wisely chose to steer clear of that. In this film, Charlie is alive and that's as it should be. When
archival footage does show him in a wheelchair, it's to augment a conversation Effie had with him in 1975 the last time
they were to see each other. It's one of the precious moments included in this film.
The technique Middleton and Spinney use to tell this latest incarnation is top tier film making. Their choice of
narrator, Pearl Mackie is as inspired as it is daring. Her delivery in the story sounds as if she is discovering what we are
discovering at the same time. I was able to see this film in a theater and I'm very glad I did as the quality of much of the
archival footage is crisp and clear. With the recreation sequences, it adds a cinematic touch that might become lost
when viewed on a television. The music contained in the film is virtually all Chaplin and much of it has been re recorded
by accomplished musicians. This is not one of those "quickie" documentaries relegated to public domain footage and
audio.
The Chaplin family and their representatives were very much involved in this project and the final result is a
film that will stand as an important addition to further understand the life of a remarkable man. Warts and all, Chaplin
is clearly shown as one of the great creative forces of the last century, a benchmark in cinema, at his peak, the most popular
individual who ever breathed oxygen but first and foremost, a man with human frailties and problems like all of us. We all have
things in our lives we would like to forget. I know Chaplin did too but being Chaplin, a public figure, an "influencer" and
a beloved figure of his time, it would be impossible to simply forget when your every word and movement is
documented and brought back to haunt you. Before the internet and modern communication, Chaplin had a tough
time avoiding his past as many public figures do today.
The most ardent Chaplin fans may object to classic sequences being trimmed but again, if you want to see full clips of
Chaplin films, see "The Gentleman Tramp" or watch the complete films the sequences come from.
Here, we get the taste, the gist, the flavor. If anything, this film should whet the appetites of viewers who will want to
seek out the treasures that await them. Charlie's story needs to be told and retold. When in the capable hands of
Middleton and Spinney, In the case of "The Real Charlie Chaplin", you'll be glad they did.
The Dick Powell Show: Thunder in a Forgotten Town (1963)
An All Star Cast supports Jackie Cooper
This episode was one of the handful of programs that aired after Dick Powell's passing. A galaxy of celebrities appear. This episode was introduced by Steve McQueen.
Stan & Ollie (2018)
Another Nice Mess is Anything But
(No Spoilers here)
When fans of the iconic team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy think of them, it is primarily their work that came out of the Hal Roach Studios that comes to mind. Whether in films from the waning days of the silent film period or through their work in short subjects and features through the 1930's, their often hilarious predicaments have burned a definite series of images in the minds and hearts of fans for over ninety years.
In the new film directed by John S. Baird, viewers are treated to that era in time but only briefly. The story of "Stan & Ollie" concerns itself with the least documented period of their careers; their British Tour of 1953. By this time, "The Boys" are years removed from their halcyon days as the top comedians in motion pictures. Away from the cameras, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy perform on the stage for fans who grew up with them and still love them.
"At the end of the day we could have tried to do exactly what they did", John C Reilly (Oliver Hardy) explained to Ross Owen who was one of the consultants on the film, "but I don't think it would've been as satisfying as what we've done which is provide a human glimpse at these two performers". I am happy to report that this is exactly what they've done.
As Laurel and Hardy, Coogan and Reilly are wonderful whether playing the men off the stage or when recreating genuine Laurel and Hardy routines. The vocal interpretations are excellent; at times you may forget when Ollie yells, it is really Reilly!
As Stan Laurel, Steve Coogan has the difficult task of going from Laurel, the creative craft-smith and business man to Stan, the thin half of the comedy duo. Stan Laurel who Dick Van Dyke once said that while the great comedians always showed their "technique", Laurel never showed his; you actually believe he is that guy.
Coogan's Laurel, an older, more weathered man is still as brilliant at coming up with material, going through the paces and rigors of his work behind the scenes yet when he is Stan on stage with Hardy, the transformation is deft and lovely. You can hardly imagine that this simple comedian is the brains behind the creating of their material.
For John C. Reilly, the moments are even more subtle. There are times during the ninety eight minutes we spend with them that you forget you are watching an actor portraying Hardy. The final years of Oliver's life were beset with illness, an image few of his fans got to see which makes this portrayal more intense and riveting. The prosthetic make up created by Mark Coulier is so well done, you will lose yourself in the performance and believe you are seeing Oliver Hardy four years before his passing.
Equally as captivating are the performances of Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson as Ida Laurel and Lucille Hardy. These talented actresses worked so well together, at times it's as if we are seeing another comedy team, reminiscent of another Hal Roach duo, Anita Garvin and Marion Byron. Arianda was afforded the opportunity of hearing Ida's voice from a recording made by longtime Laurel and Hardy fan, George Mazzey; Henderson had many tapes of Lucille to work with. Both women convey the same love and protection for their respective spouses.
Rufus Jones, a self proclaimed lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy (he was a member of The Sons Of The Desert) is Stan and Babe's producer of the tour, Bernard Delfont and he's a riot as the promoter who get The Boys to do things they may not want to do with the skill of a surgeon.
While the most ardent fans of the real Laurel and Hardy will notice certain aspects of the film that don't hold to actual events as they may or may not have occurred, writer Jeff Pope has been able to condense separate events and place them together, telling the story without making the film a three hour affair.
Chock full with references that harken back to some of the classic films Stan and Babe made, these "easter eggs" do not detract the casual viewer from the proceedings. In fact, this is the perfect introduction to new viewers who may wish to seek out the treasure chest that awaits them in the Laurel and Hardy canon.
Inspired by the book about the British touring years by A.J. Marriot, the film is a genuine love story. Filled with heart, it is the little told account of the final performing years of Stan and Ollie and the wives and fans who loved them unconditionally. For people who will come to this story as newbies, they will understand the friendship and caring these men had for each other. For those who watch as lifelong fans, bring your handkerchief because this is one love story with the happy ending we've wanted to know.
Screen Snapshots Series 21, No. 1 (1941)
Buster Keaton Billy Gilbert Milton Berle and The Andrew Sisters
Talk about a Hollywood party. This film, hosted by Ken Murray, happens to be one of the best in the entire Screen Snapshots series. The premise is a Keystone party hosted by Milton Berle in which all of the guests are dressed like they are from an old Mack Sennet comedy. Usually the Screen Snapshots department would dig up film from several sources to tell it's story but here the footage is all shot for this film.
Highlights include Patty, Maxine and LaVerne Andrews singing, stars swimming and eating and Billy Gilbert, Polly Moran and Berle attempting a barbershop harmony.
The big thrill is when Buster Keaton teaches the art of pie throwing. One thing leads to another and before the film ends, everyone is covered in pie.
This film was released in Super 8mm by Columbia for home movie collectors so it is easier to see than most of the other entries in the series. Perhaps one day we will see some of these wonderful short subjects make their debut on DVD. They are great viewing and should be seen by modern audiences.
Screen Snapshots: Memories of Famous Hollywood Comedians (1952)
Four Decades of a Who Was Who in American Screen Comedy
From the moment Joe E Brown is heard narrating, the viewer is in store for a real treat. Scenes from classic silent films are seen with some of the most famous names in motion picture comedy. Chaplin is one of the first followed by Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Murray, Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase who is seen in rare footage with his wife and two daughters and the list goes on.
The sound era is represented by the likes of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Joe E Brown, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny and so many more.
This ten minute entry in the Screen Snapshots series was released in Super 8mm by Columbia in 1973 so there are many prints out there for home movie collectors. It is a wonderful way to start off an evening of classic movie comedy.
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stars to Remember (1954)
A celebration of the first twenty five years of Screen Snapshots - a re release
During the 1950's, Ralph Staub re released several of his films in this series from a financial point of view. However the footage wasn't available for viewing as easily as we can do today so sending the films out again to theaters was most welcome to audiences. As a bonus, Staub would film a few wrap around sequences to make the film seem fresh. In this case, he recalls the twenty fifth anniversary of the Screen Snapshots series, eight years later, for newcomer John Derek who asks to see these films which he was too young to view the first time around.
Stars seen from actual film sequences and off the set include the Hall Room Boys, Hobart Bosworth, Beverly Baine, Francis X. Bushman, Anita Stewart, Norma Talmadge, Hope Hamilton, Frank Clark, Jackie Coogan, as a child star, Clara Kimball Young, Lon Chaney,Sr., Douglas Fairbanks, Tom Mix, Jean Harlow, Leslie Howard, Fred Astaire, and Rosalind Russell. Cecil B. DeMille, Louella Parsons and Walt Disney film special remarks congratulating the series on its silver anniversary.
There is a section dedicated in tribute to the stars who have passed on including Charley Chase in rare private footage, Thelma Todd, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, John Barrymore and many more.
This ten minute film contains so many clips, it's amazing it fits into the short time frame. One hopes that a collection of this series will be made available to the public some day.
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Pair of Jacks (1953)
A rare glimpse of Jack Benny's Radio Show
This re release of an earlier entry in the series features new footage of Ralph Staub and Jack Carson recalling the days when Jack Benny had his popular radio show. Screen Snapshots filmed an actual Jack Benny Radio Broadcast. Appearing with Jack are Mary Livingston, Eddie Anderson, Phil Harris, Don Wilson, Dennis Day and more. It is a rare look at how the radio show was broadcast and performed.
The Jack Carson footage contains moments of him clowning around with series creator Ralph Staub. Carson shows off his ability to do impressions.
A wonderful piece of history.
The City of Stars (1924)
A Rare ALL STAR CAST Behind The Scenes Tour AND Promotional Film for Universal Pictures from 1925
Thank goodness "Uncle" Carl Laemmle was around near the beginning of the Motion Picture Industry as he was as great a showman and promoter as anyone today. This truly fascinating glimpse of the Universal City Studio in 1925 utilizes the entire lot, most of its stars and sets and gives a preview for, at the time of its premiere, unreleased film clips for future release.
The cast is seen in either new footage unique to this short subject or from an actual film in production. Using the premise of giving a studio tour to an important visitor from out of town, we get a private view of the land of Universal Pictures make believe. Along the way, we get to meet many of the top talents at the studio.
The property and its mountain landscape haven't changed over the past hundred years but the buildings have. This film takes you back to a different time and as some of the photography shows, you can almost imagine being in front of the Notre Dame church that Lon Chaney rescued Patsy Ruth Miller or the front office that so many people went through.
This film can boast of more talent from 1925 than almost any other film. Universal Pictures had the good sense to make behind the scenes films over the decades; this offering is one of the best from any studio at any time. Thank you "Uncle" Carl.
Page Me (1926)
Rare View of Downtown Los Angeles will delight Laurel & Hardy & Harold Lloyd Fans
Bobby Vernon performs some of his most daring work in this very rare Educational comedy. Taking a cue from Harold Lloyd, Vernon finds himself accidentally hanging out a window ledge near the top of a tall building. A new twist on a classic Lloyd comedy, the outdoor sequences are filmed very much in the style of the 1923 classic comedy, "Safety Last". Perfect camera angles and actual filming high above downtown Los Angeles give audiences the same feeling that Harold Lloyd gave them three years earlier.
The sky high sequences were filmed on Broadway with the camera facing the old Western Costumes building; the same building Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy used for their one thrill comedy, "Liberty" released in 1929. You can clearly see the top section of the structure Laurel & Hardy used for their film in this picture. It would be a great double bill to show "Page Me" followed by "Liberty".
Bobby Vernon is very funny here and his "indoor" sequences are filled with great comic timing. Hank Mann can be seen in this picture as well as William Irving, who would work at the Hal Roach Studios. Bobby's leading lady is Francis Lee. She was Charley Chase's leading lady in his 1932 comedy, "The Tabasco Kid". Forgotten today, this actress, who stood at only five feet tall, is as lovely as any girl next door has a right to be. She made fifty films in only eleven years (1924-1935) and lived to be age 94 spending her last years in Cardiff-by-the Sea in Southern California.
Page Me is a highlight in the career of Bobby Vernon and would continue to delight audiences today if it were only readily available. There are a few prints out there in the world (I am one of the fortunate holders of one of them) but the sad fact is that so many of the Christie comedies are gone forever or they have been truncated and badly duplicated to a shadow of their former self. Happily, the version I have archived is reasonably complete and was struck from the original 35mm material so it is a visual joy to behold.
Hang on fans, there is hope that more of these films will resurface and be restored. Perhaps one day, these comedies will gain new fans. Vernon made over one hundred shorts for Al Christie. Jimmie Adams, Jack Duffy, Anne Cornwall to name a few, made many films with Christie as well. Not all of them survive but what does shows modern audiences that the shorts are very entertaining. In the case of Bobby Vernon, who died too young at the age of forty two, he was a pleasing performer that could hold his own with the top comics of his time and some day he may regain his rightful place in screen history.
Chaplin's Art of Comedy (1966)
A Retitled Version of the Original Chase Me Charlie
Chaplin's Art Of Comedy is a re release of the original 1918 Essanay compilation film, Chase Me Charlie. It has been issued and reissued over the decades by various companies. The 1932 release included a score by radio composer Elias Breeskin and narration by Teddy Bergman who later changed his name to Alan Reed and would gain fame as the original voice of Fred Flintstone. The verbal puns are strange as it tries to add laughs to what Chaplin is doing on the screen and often distract rather than enhance. The Breeskin music is wonderful and was issued on LP in the sixties.
For the release of Chaplin's Art Of Comedy, the Breeskin score remained but a new narrative was written as well as a brief prologue showing stills and footage of Hollywood from the early years of the motion picture industry to the 1960's. It's the same old film in a new package. For more information, please see my entry for Chase Me Charlie.
Chase Me Charlie (1918)
A Look At Young Chaplin Through the Essanay Films
Chase Me Charlie began as a result of a lost lawsuit between Charles Chaplin and the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company. When the company issued a new Chaplin film that Chaplin never actually made, he took legal action. Essanay used footage Chaplin never released from a non completed film, filmed new sequences with many of the same actors who appear with Chaplin in older footage and titled the collection "Triple Trouble". Two years earlier, the studio tampered with another Chaplin film, a spoof of the opera Carmen, by adding two additional reels of material featuring Ben Turpin.
Since the courts ruled in favor of the company, stating that they and not Chaplin owned the material outright, they did one more release without Chaplin's consent. This compilation film was the result. Fourteen years later it was re released, this time with music and narration. The score was written by Elias Breeskin and the narration was spoken by Teddy Bergman who later changed his name to Alan Reed and would gain fame as the original voice of Fred Flintstone. His gift for mimicry adds to the film but not necessarily for the good. It is made up of cheap jokes and takes away from the Chaplin footage. He actually tells Charlie to do things as if he is in control. Maybe it was funny in 1932 but it is disruptive today. This was Reed's first participation in a theatrical release.
In 1966, producer Sam Sherman re released the film with the Breeskin score, replaced the 1932 comic narration, added a prologue about Hollywood then and now and retitled the film, "Chaplin's Art Of Comedy".
Which version is best is up to the viewer yet it's interesting to see the two narrated versions in comparison. Three decades apart, the spoken audio belongs to its own place in time. It would be just as fascinating to see another release with a contemporary track to put it in a current perspective.
What Women Did for Me (1927)
Girls, Girls, Girls and they all want Charley in this once thought lost comedy.
Note: This film is extant and has been saved from obscurity but is in need of preservation. What follows are some general notes from my viewing of this picture.
The popular Charley Chase was riding high in 1927. The previous year listed him as the number one box office draw in short subjects. Theaters would frequently advertise his films along side the main feature attraction. By the time of this summer release, Chase had firmly established his screen character and many of the comic devices that kept him at the top of his game. With this in mind, he varied his role in this film a bit by playing a terribly girl shy teacher in an all girls school as opposed to his usual dapper and confident happy go lucky and good time Charley.
Joining him and hoping to cure him and lure him is an eighteen year old newcomer in her very first film role, Lupe Velez. It has been reported that she has nothing more than a bit part in this film but I am happy to divulge that is false. In fact, she is the female lead, although it isn't a very large part. She plays the dean's daughter. It is evident that Ms. Velez is confident and very capable of holding her own on screen; the camera loves her. Also included is the wonderful and sadly forgotten comedienne, Gale Henry. A personal friend of Charley Chase, he would hire her to play key roles in his films whenever he needed a skilled and particular type of comic foil. She can best be seen in his films, "A One Mama Man", "Now We'll Tell One", "Skip The Maloo", among others.
The cabin exteriors were shot in Riverside County, California. Chase and his family had a home in the San Jacinto Mountains and he knew that in winter there would be the right conditions for the sequences that take place in the snow. This cabin and the interior set used were also seen in his short, "The Caretaker's Daughter", released two years earlier. The film contains one of the earliest uses of process photography. Charley is filmed in front of a screen as he tries to run away from a girl; the background being a film does all the moving as he runs in place. This process was first used by Hal Roach Studios earlier that same year in an Our Gang short, "Seeing The World". Primitive by today's standards, it was new to audiences in 1927. Other photographic tricks were used including several optical dissolves and double exposures, enhancing Chase's nervous feelings at the sight of all the girls. Their faces fade in over other faces, his face is seen showing all his fears, more female faces dissolve in and out. This may be arguably the most photographically complicated film Chase ever made. Kudos must go to Len Powers, the photographer of the film, Richard Currier, the editor and a great nod must be paid to its director, James Parrott who was Charley's actual brother.
A prop mannequin, used to comic heights by Chase two releases earlier in "Fluttering Hearts", is brought out of retirement once again. It could be argued that since she was such a hit in the first film, audiences would remember her and be delighted to see what Charley would put himself through this time under her spell. They wouldn't be disappointed.
One of the last Hal Roach produced films released through Pathe before the new deal with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, this entry in the Charley Chase series is one of the harder to see yet not impossible to find comedies. If you do locate it, grab it and run; it's a great one.
The Shield of Honor (1927)
LAPD of 1927 Takes To The Air
It was a privilege and pleasure to screen this long lost Universal Pictures silent for an audience on January 27th., 2011. The print is considered to be the only surviving element on this title known to exist. Tinted in sepia for daytime, blue for night and red for fire and explosions, this film is enjoyable and brisk as it runs just an hour.
Neil Hamilton, best remembered for the television series Batman, takes the lead as Jack MacDowell, a young officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, following in the footsteps of his father, played by Ralph Lewis. Along the way, they have to stop a crime ring and this takes Jack to the air in an LAPD plane for a nice fight with the enemy in another plane.
Playing a secretary and a bad girl is Thelma Todd, as beautiful as always. The cast is very good and the story is intriguing with much of the film shot on location all around Los Angeles.
At the screening was an executive from Universal and cards were exchanged so this may very well be used for preservation. We shall see and maybe you will as well.
Funny Face (1927)
Big Boy and his brother try to help Granny with often disastrous results.
Malcolm Sebastian played the title role of Big Boy in a series of two reel pictures for Educational Comedies. From 1925 to 1929, he appeared in twenty eight films as the unpredictable boy with an oversize bowler hat on the top and a loose fitted diaper on the bottom. Produced for Educational Pictures by Jack White, the brother of Columbia Pictures own Jules White, these films were made due to the popularity of the Hal Roach series of Our Gang Comedies.
In Funny Face, he appears with child actor Jack McHugh, who is best remembered for his role in Wild Boys Of The Road as Mac and for his one turn as a bad kid in the Hal Roach short, Shivering Shakespeare. He had his own series of films at Educational but that would end in 1929. Together, they live with Granny, who has fallen on hard times. Through a series of situations, they try to help her by earning money.
The film has several scenes that were shot on location in Southern California. There is a sequence that takes place at a public park. Upon careful examination of the 16mm print in my archive, it is clear that the location is Echo Park and Echo Lake. The bridge that Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd used for sequences in their films can be seen as well. The surrounding streets in other shots are visible enough to determine that some of the footage was shot in the Silver lake district.
Not quite as entertaining as the Our Gang series, the film does utilize the very expressive face of Sebastian, who looks like he could be a sibling of Jackie Coogan. Adorable face with a sweet smile and a penchant for mischief, I only wish more of his films were available for viewing to fully appraise his work. Like his on screen brother, Sebastian was seen in Shivering Shakespeare and then he vanished from the screen. He passed away in 2006 at the age of eighty two. Never having had the pleasure to meet him, I hope he received praise in his later years from fans who knew who he was and enjoyed his performances in the silent films of old. I hope his family takes pride knowing how much joy he gave to the world back when he was a little boy.
In the Company of Sinners (2010)
Moving and Explosive
This short marvel premiered at the 360 Film Festival in Southern California and was tremendous. The part of Julian is played by an actor named Julian Scott Urena who managed to show all the stress and fear that occurs during the two decades this short spans. His role of a man tormented by an earlier tragedy that he prays will not occur again is both riveting and soulful. The object of his concern, Zoe, a young woman filled with hope and a deep searching for the good in the world is beautifully portrayed by an actress named Leslie Connelly. This film is only eleven minutes in length and never seems rushed yet I'd enjoy seeing it fleshed out into a longer piece. The characters are easy to identify with and the story seems all to true. A superb job by writer, director Michael J. Cahill. The locations are amazing for a short film and the original music by Bryan D. Arata was haunting and lovely yet never got in the way of the action. Personally, this was the hit of the festival and I hope to see it again somewhere. I didn't expect to see anything this good at the festival but I'm glad I stayed for this film. A big congratulations to Mr. Cahill, a total filmmaker who struck the right chords in this short but mighty movie. Bravo to Mr. Urena and Ms. Connelly, two performers that should be working for a long time to come.
The Big Squirt (1937)
One of Charley's best Columbia Shorts
Fans of the Hal Roach Charley Chase shorts will be pleased to see this, his fifth release for Columbia Pictures. As a drugstore soda jerk, Charley immediately warms up to the audience with his gentle good humor and expertise behind the fountain. His sequence with the two boys who argue over the flavor of which soda they will share is a lovely and nostalgic one. The role of the bully kid who wins the right to his flavor of choice via a sock to the eye of his counterpart is played by Georgie Billings. A constant in many films of the thirties, he vanished from the scene sometime around 1950. Billings was recently discovered and introduced to many fans on October 18th. 2008 in Los Angeles. He brought many pieces of memorabilia with him and recalled working with Charley Chase to me. In a moment, I told him of the name of the film and the scene he played in. His confirmation reaction when I told him of the two straws routine he did with one of the Kilbrick boys was fabulous. The fact that all twenty Chase Columbia shorts are being released in 2009 was a joy for him as he wants to see the film and finally show it to his wife. This film is a rare one as Charley gets to sing one of his original songs. A common sequence in his Hal Roach films, the Columbia shorts didn't give him this liberty. However, he gets to sing as he plays several instruments at one time. Attached all over his body, Charley sings and plays about being a daring drugstore desperado. Released in Super 8 in the 1970's , there were some prints in 16mm that played on television. With the DVD release, everyone can see the entire output and that's reason to celebrate.
Buster's Mix-Up (1926)
A golden nugget in a forgotten film series.
Forty nine films. Ninety eight reels worth of material spanning five years and virtually nobody remembers the charming Buster Brown Series. Perhaps because it was over shadowed by the more popular Our Gang Comedies. Maybe it was because the series never made the transition to sound. It could be that the young actor who portrayed Buster Brown in the entire five year run had grown too big for the part. In all likelihood, it was all the above reasons and a main factor was because the production company, Century Film ceased to be in 1929.
Whatever the reason for it's demise, the biggest factor in the forgotten series today is simply because most of the films have vanished from view. The few films that survive give the modern viewer a clear reason why it lasted for five years and also why the Our Gang Films are generally superior but not always better than it's competitors.
A wonderful example of the difference is Buster's Mix Up, a wonderful Buster Brown Comedy made in 1926, released by Universal and made by the Stern Brothers for Century. The star, Arthur Trimble, is a very good young actor and that's what makes the Our Gang films so appealing; the kids from the gang seem like real kids whereas Trimble's Brown is polished and distinct. When the kids in Our Gang work a scene, it seems like real life - almost as if we are eavesdropping on them. Trimble is a wonderful actor who knows where the camera is placed and knows how to deliver an expression dead on. It's a different kind of film than Our Gang yet it retains a certain kind of charm that most other kiddie series lack.
Buster's Mix up may feature Trimble as the star but the real knockout is Pete the Pup who portrayed Tige the Dog in most of the run of the series. Here in this one short you can see precisely why Hal Roach wanted the dog for his series. No canine ever worked so well in comedy movies. As Tige, Pete was required to wear a black circle around his right eye. By the time he was hired for the Our Gang Series, while concurrently working on Buster Brown, the ring around his eye became impossible to wash off. So wonderful was the dog, the studio bosses at Roach decided to let him appear in the shorts with the black ring, he was that good.
In Buster's Mix Up, he gets the lion share of the screen time. At Roach he would never be allowed this much time for plot, save for a few films but in the Buster Browns, he always was the comic saving grace. Here, he keeps plot and comedic devices moving at a pace that even Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd would have been respectful of. Much of the credit has to go to its director, Gus Meins, best remembered for his work with Our Gang in the 1930's. The direction and cutting is excellent and Pete comes across as one of the biggest laugh getters in the silent era. You may bark at that remark (and the bad pun) but if you see this picture, you will find it completely true. Pete is a gem. From rescuing a baby in a pram to ordering chocolates in a confectionery shop to patching up Buster and Mary Jane's relationship, Pete is the real hero of the Buster Brown comedies.
A surviving print of Buster's Mix up was located in the British Isles and delivered to the states in 2007. The print, in very good shape but still in need of some preservation, was privately screened on May 30th. 2007 and brought the small house down. This series needs rediscovery and if anyone knows of any prints, they should contact me because it deserves to be given its proper place in film history.
San Antonio Rose (1941)
A fun and breezy musical hour with Shemp Howard, Lon Chaney and The Merry Macs!
Universal released this film shortly before America entered the war in 1941 but it has a feeling of escapist fare that would make a country or a G.I. forget his or her troubles even if for only 62 minutes. It's got an easy to follow plot, beautiful girls and the incredible singing of the Merry Macs, a wonderful singing quartet who made their most famous film with Abbott and Costello in Ride Em Cowboy (1942). The group has several delightful songs that would please any audience of any era in time. Lon Chaney Jr. and Shemp Howard are a poor man's version of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (it's very probable that the writers used the comic duo as inspiration for this). Shemp is hysterical as a bumbling thug who can't seem to keep his mind off of the ladies. Eve Arden is a highlight as she delivers her lines with the skill of a veteran comedian. Pity that it's one of those seldom seen gems that languish away in deteriorating vaults that may never see the light of day again. If you are lucky enough to find it, grab it and just enjoy away. Don't look for Gone With The Wind but be prepared for an hour of wonderful singing and some good comic bits.
Dangerous Blondes (1943)
One of the best B films from the era
Dangerous Blondes is one of the choice nuggets that sits in the Columbia archives waiting for rediscovery. It appeared briefly on television in the fifties and sixties but is not in the current package available to television stations. Pity because it is chock full of wonderful performances, nice musical arrangements, excellent direction and a fun story. It is a comedy murder mystery that tries to prove that a writer of detective novels can be as smart as a real police detective. Evelyn Keyes never looked more beautiful than here as she helps her husband in trying to solve a recent rash of murders.
The comedy in this 81 minute lost classic is as quick and witty as you are likely to see in a film of the period and the joy in finding this treasure again will be music to the ears and eyes of film lovers everywhere.
Wake Up and Live (1937)
A wonderful Fox Musical
Another classic motion picture that has never been available on video and another shame for eager classic movie fans. This 90 minute musical has everything you could ever hope for from a film. Great songs, dancing, comedy, drama, suspense and Alice Faye! The "feud' between Ben Bernie and Walter Winchell (as real as the "feud" of Jack Benny and Fred Allen) inspired this film which takes place during the great days of live radio.
Bernie and Winchell are the main attractions here but Jack Haley, Alice Faye, Patsy Kelly and Ned Sparks are the real stars of this picture. With the fine backing of Fox, this film was one in the long series of musicals featuring Faye and a stellar supporting cast. It is in this film that she introduces the standard classic song, "There's A Lull In My Life".
Jack Haley is featured as a singer who suffers from mike fright. Actually, Haley's wonderful singing voice is dubbed in this film by Buddy Clark! For trivia fans, Haley refers to this role in his next picture, "Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm", when he lets a young girl who is afraid of microphones know that he was once afraid of them too.
The film is a timepiece of an era long gone. If you ever get the chance to see this great film with all of its wonderful songs, "It's Swell Of You","Wake Up And Live" and, "Never In A Million Years", you won't be mislead.
The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention (1937)
An in house production made of and for the 1937 film convention is a real and rare behind the scenes look at a working film studio.
This rare film follows the journey of Metro Goldwyn Mayer executives and buyers from New York to Los Angeles. It is a fascinating look at the film world because it was made for their eyes only. This film was seen at a grand luncheon that was attended by actors and executives. The big thrill is that the visitors got to see this film which details their trip to Los Angeles, the big welcome and their entrance into the luncheon at the luncheon. The film was developed immediately and rushed onto a projector. The conclusion of this 16 minute film gives the visitors their itinerary of events. A rare classic that was never meant to be seen. Lucky television viewers can see it on Turner Classic Movies.
Flaming Fathers (1927)
A forgotten comic from the Hal Roach Studios provides many laughs in this rare two reel comedy.
By the time of this 1927 release, Max Davidson had long established himself as one of the favorite ethnic characters in screen comedy. His two reel comedies for Hal Roach are rich with comic invention and freshness. This film was put together at the Hal Roach Studios and was directed by Stan Laurel and Leo McCarey and it certainly shows. There is typical Laurel humor here as crowds gather on a beach to see the frenzy between Max and an angry father, then Max and an angry husband and finally, Max and a dog, who has ripped off Max's bathing suit. This sequence was used and re worked the same year in Putting Pants On Phillip, which featured Oliver Hardy and Laurel, who were recently teamed together. This lively short was mostly shot on location at Venice Beach in California. Max has been informed by his wife, (Lillian Leighton), that he must make sure their daughter, (Martha Sleeper),does not elope with her boyfriend, Rollo, ( Edward Clayton). In order to fool father, the couple take him to the amusement pier where all sorts of trouble starts to brew. All through the visit, Max is chased by a policeman, (Tiny Sandford) who never quite gets his man. Current residents of this coastal community will recognize several landscapes. There is plenty of Jewish humor here as Max Davidson specialized in this brand of visual comedy. A very rare film to see, a recent print, originally printed by Kodak in the 30's, came into my possession, allowing me to comment on it here. I am happy to report that it wasn't a disappointment by any standard. Flaming Fathers is a funny film that holds its audience from the first moment to the last. By the time sound came in, Max found it hard to work. Loyal to his former star, Hal Roach tried to feature Max whenever he could but there just wasn't much for him to do. His 1937 photograph in the first Academy Players directory shows how sad he looked at that time. Pity for Max Davidson, though forgotten today, was one of the bright spots on the bill in the days when audiences listened with their eyes.
Limousine Love (1928)
Lots of fun and laughs with Charley Chase
This film, once thought lost, is a funny motion picture that has been included in the Robert Youngson compilation, Four Parts. Somehow, it seems funnier in that compilation due to the music, sound effects, editing and witty narration. However, it still plays well in its entire form. Charley never looked better than in this film as he plays a groom on his way to the alter. All decked out in his tuxedo, he is simply on his way to the church to get married. In typical Chase fashion, getting there becomes an ordeal. A woman, trying to dry her road drenched dress, dries off in the back of Chase's car, unbeknownst to Charley. That's where the fun begins for us, at least. The sequence where all the groom's friends ride on the car trying to help Charley avoid a clash with his bride to be is a screen classic. There is another sequence, slightly borrowed from Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy that has the sheet covered Viola Richard, lose her frock over an air blowing pavement grate. It is a wonderful example of the art of silent visual comedy. If you are able to see this film in its entirety, be prepared for some real heartbreak as a significant amount of footage seems to deteriorate right before your eyes. Rescued barely in time, it is a painful reminder of how fragile our film heritage is. Nitrate film stock has claimed over 90% of all film. Thankfully this film survives but not without the ravages of time. Limousine Love is a wonderful ride into Hollywood's Golden Past.
The Gentleman Tramp (1975)
The only authorized film documentary of the film comedian
In the final years of his life in Switzerland, Charles Chaplin allowed filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich to come into his home and film him while he spoke of his life, both in front of and behind the camera. He didn't get along well with the young filmmaker and wanted to scrap the whole idea. His filmed footage was neither impressive or flattering to Chaplin. Oona Chaplin, best of friends with Carol Matthau, urged that the project be completed and with the help of husband Walter, they travelled to Vevey, Switzerland and worked out the rough spots to ensure Charlie's cooperation on the project. Richard Patterson took whatever footage could be salvaged (very little) and sprinkled it with sequences from seventeen classic (and copywritten) Chaplin films and turned it into the most loving and often honestly brutal documentary. Containing scenes from Chaplin's work that never appeared before in any documentary, the footage is as sharp and clear as any Chaplin footage as ever been seen before. Footage from films, newsreels, private home movies, cartoon parodies and even his triumphant return to the states in 1972 at the Academy Awards are included. Narrated by Walter Matthau, with additional comments from Laurence Oliver, Jack Lemmon, Len Weinrib, Alan Oppenheimer and Richard Dawson, this loving tribute concludes with a final walk down the road as we see Chaplin, now using his cane as a real aid and his wife Oona walk down a grassy path. His final filmed trip down the road gives us comfort as he is not alone. Only 25 16mm prints were made of this beautiful film but, happily, it is on video from MPI. Look for it because it is a must!