DISC TWO:
GOLF • Larry Semon • 1922, 27 min
Of all the forgotten clowns, Larry Semon is perhaps the least deserving of obscurity. He was a magician, a cartoonist, a writer-director, and one of silent comedy’s most peculiar stars. His films are chock-a-block with odd stunts and special effects. His films are best remembered today for the presence of either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy (never together, though… look for Ollie in this short). But they ought to be celebrated for Semon’s unique comic imagination: no joke was too extreme, too broad, or too ridiculous for him. GOLF is typical of Semon’s gag-happy style.
LIZZIES OF THE FIELD • Billy Bevan • 1924, 14 min
Billy Bevan was an Australian actor who joined Mack Sennett’s company in 1920 and quickly rose to be one of its top-drawing performers. He took the established Keystone style (frantic action, chaos, property damage, physical injury) and polished it without becalming it. If you needed a car driven too fast, in the wrong direction, and ultimately totaled, Bevan was your go-to guy. This bewildering spectacle of destruction was directed by Del Lord, who continued in this vein when directing the Three Stooges.
HEAVY LOVE • The Ton of Fun • 1926, 20 min
Frank Alexander was a portly comic who got his start at Keystone in 1913, and went on to work with Larry Semon. Specializing in mimicking Roscoe Arbuckle, he came to be known as Fatty Alexander, and was eventually teamed with two other fat comics as “the Ton of Fun.” Sadly, when the Ton of Fun series came to an end, so did Alexander’s screen career.
UPPERCUTS • Jack Duffy • 1926, 11 min
A veteran of vaudeville and musical comedy, Jack Duffy was headhunted for films by Larry Semon and went on to appear with Buster Keaton. He also had an additional skillset: makeup. Turning his talents on his own face, he transformed himself into a grizzled old man for films such as this. When his acting career fizzled, he remained busy as a makeup artist.
BEAUTY AND THE BUMP • Perry Murdock • 1927, 16 min
Now here’s something extra special. This is about as rare as rare gets—I dare you to find any mention of Perry Murdock or Craig Hutchinson elsewhere. This Skylark-produced short not only has the typical joys of silent slapstick (cross-dressing, pretty girls, mustachio-twirling baddies, people getting smacked in the head) but it also has a wonderful slice-of-life quality too as an insight into recreational activities of the 1920s.
RECKLESS ROSIE • Frances Lee• 1929, 11 min
When Dorothy Devore left Al Christie’s studio for bigger fame at Warner Brothers, Christie hired Frances Lee (and her partner Billy Dooley) to take her place. She kept going as a minor star well into the sound era. Blonde, sexy Lee was a natural for this kind of racy, pre-Code entertainment: here we have chorus girls, underwear models, a cross-dressing villain, and the immortal line “Stop him, he has my nightie!” Never say I didn’t do nothin’ for ya.
GOLF • Larry Semon • 1922, 27 min
Of all the forgotten clowns, Larry Semon is perhaps the least deserving of obscurity. He was a magician, a cartoonist, a writer-director, and one of silent comedy’s most peculiar stars. His films are chock-a-block with odd stunts and special effects. His films are best remembered today for the presence of either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy (never together, though… look for Ollie in this short). But they ought to be celebrated for Semon’s unique comic imagination: no joke was too extreme, too broad, or too ridiculous for him. GOLF is typical of Semon’s gag-happy style.
LIZZIES OF THE FIELD • Billy Bevan • 1924, 14 min
Billy Bevan was an Australian actor who joined Mack Sennett’s company in 1920 and quickly rose to be one of its top-drawing performers. He took the established Keystone style (frantic action, chaos, property damage, physical injury) and polished it without becalming it. If you needed a car driven too fast, in the wrong direction, and ultimately totaled, Bevan was your go-to guy. This bewildering spectacle of destruction was directed by Del Lord, who continued in this vein when directing the Three Stooges.
HEAVY LOVE • The Ton of Fun • 1926, 20 min
Frank Alexander was a portly comic who got his start at Keystone in 1913, and went on to work with Larry Semon. Specializing in mimicking Roscoe Arbuckle, he came to be known as Fatty Alexander, and was eventually teamed with two other fat comics as “the Ton of Fun.” Sadly, when the Ton of Fun series came to an end, so did Alexander’s screen career.
UPPERCUTS • Jack Duffy • 1926, 11 min
A veteran of vaudeville and musical comedy, Jack Duffy was headhunted for films by Larry Semon and went on to appear with Buster Keaton. He also had an additional skillset: makeup. Turning his talents on his own face, he transformed himself into a grizzled old man for films such as this. When his acting career fizzled, he remained busy as a makeup artist.
BEAUTY AND THE BUMP • Perry Murdock • 1927, 16 min
Now here’s something extra special. This is about as rare as rare gets—I dare you to find any mention of Perry Murdock or Craig Hutchinson elsewhere. This Skylark-produced short not only has the typical joys of silent slapstick (cross-dressing, pretty girls, mustachio-twirling baddies, people getting smacked in the head) but it also has a wonderful slice-of-life quality too as an insight into recreational activities of the 1920s.
RECKLESS ROSIE • Frances Lee• 1929, 11 min
When Dorothy Devore left Al Christie’s studio for bigger fame at Warner Brothers, Christie hired Frances Lee (and her partner Billy Dooley) to take her place. She kept going as a minor star well into the sound era. Blonde, sexy Lee was a natural for this kind of racy, pre-Code entertainment: here we have chorus girls, underwear models, a cross-dressing villain, and the immortal line “Stop him, he has my nightie!” Never say I didn’t do nothin’ for ya.
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