Clik here to view.
So You Want to ID Films
Billy West is a legend among silent comedy fans for his astonishingly accurate impersonation of Charlie Chaplin, which he performed in dozens of clever and fast-paced short comedies from 1916 to 1920....
View ArticleClik here to view.
True Crime Story: The Fatal Word
David Grant with his sister DorothyOn July 17, 2012, 28-year-old student Joni Donley showed up at a Dunkin' Donuts to meet his 48-year-old math tutor, David Grant. Donley needed Grant's help to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hop, Bite and Bow: The Flea in Film Comedy
Charlie Chaplin as a flea circus owner in The Professor (1922)The freeloading flea has long been a comic nuisance in films.The troublesome flea (1906)A guest at a reception is plagued by a persistent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Two Routines from Morecambe and Wise
I was recently on YouTube watching a video of a Morecambe and Wise sketch. I browsed the comments section to find what people had to say about the video and I came across a curious statement. A...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is That a Susquehanna Hat?
Abbott and Costello's famous "Susquehanna Hat" routine, in which people react hysterically to the sight of a straw hat and cannot find relief until they mangle the hat with their trembling hands and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
It's Not Your Father's Fairytales
Filmmakers know they can guarantee suspense by showing a child in peril. Children are vulnerable members of our society and we, as adults, feel an urgent need to protect them. A filmmaker who uses...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Max Linder and André Deed: The First Comedy Team of the Cinema
Max Linder finds a way to look taller in Max Joins the Giants (1912)The comedy film that I am about to present represents an important piece of film history. The film was made in 1908, which was years...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Richard Pryor in Hollywood
My new book has an official title and a cover. The book has a tentative release date of May 20.
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Best Film I Saw Recently/ The Worst Film I Saw Recently
The BestI was taken by surprise by Wonder Woman. I expected a film devoted to the crass and angry promotion of Girl Power. I expected a big-budget spectacle bloated with CGI effects. But Wonder...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tidbits of December, 2017
Ossi Oswalda in I Don't Want to Be a Man (1918)Happy holidays, my friends! I have a few choice tidbits for the month.Here is a rare image from Lloyd Hamilton's popular shipwreck comedy Robinson Crusoe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Shape of Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro has made it clear in interviews that The Shape of Water, his offbeat retelling of The Creature from the Black Lagoon, is his "Fuck you" to white Christian Americans. Imagine that,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Spencer Bell Misidentification Syndrome
This is NOT Spencer BellOne of the best known black comedians of the silent era was Spencer Bell, who achieved prominence while engaged by producer Jack White from 1922 to 1926. While at White's Fine...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Slap Happy
Glenn Ford and Rita Hayward in Affair in Trinidad (1952)A Madison Avenue man, Gene Case, developed the "Thanks. . . I needed that" campaign for Mennen's Skin Bracer aftershave.The idea of slapping a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Silent Comedian Portraits
Here are portraits of silent film comedians that I found in a 1920 periodical "Who's Who on the Screen."I always enjoy to find a photo of Larry Semon. Here are a few more.
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Mirror Routine at The Circus
Martino and Alexander (2015)The Gotys ClownsIlli and Olli at Circus RoncalliThe Shepperd ClownsThe Capital Circus of Budapest The mirror routine is adaptable to all forms of theatre. Stuart Robson and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tidbits for April 2018
Leon Errol in We're Not Dressing (1934)I wrote before about the history of television producers killing off series regulars. I neglected to include an early and highly dramatic example in my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hollywood Loves Guns
The other day, a self-styled hipster on Facebook told me that a person who keeps a gun in their home for protection is paranoid. When I explained to him that crime statistics show that home break-ins...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Worst Year in Oscar History
I am barely interested in the Oscars anymore. I am just curious enough to find out who was nominated for the major awards, but I don't care who wins and I will not bother to watch the tedious...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lloyd Hamilton: Remastered and Remarkable
Dave Glass and Dave Wyatt did excellent work on their recent Lloyd Hamilton DVD, which features comedies that the funnyman made for his fledgling production comedy in 1920. This is Hamilton's...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tidbits for June, 2018
I watched Dr. Strangelove (1964) many times before I realized that the centerfold model that Slim Pickens peruses in his Playboy magazine is Tracy Reed, who later appears in the film as the girlfriend...
View Article