This is a superb time to be a fan of classic comedy, from the silent period onward. A brace of latest Blu-ray restorations and books will make life a bit brighter for each the novice and the aficionado. Add to {that a} celebratory screening of Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last on its hundredth anniversary on the Academy Museum this coming Sunday and see how a lot there’s to cheer about.
LAUREL & HARDY, YEAR ONE: THE NEWLY RESTORED 1927 SILENTS (Flicker Alley)
This assortment, which was previewed on an enormous display on the latest San Francisco Silent Film Festival, is the results of a few years’ effort however undoubtedly definitely worth the wait. The unique negatives of Laurel and Hardy’s silent brief topics are lengthy gone, however Serge Bromberg, Eric Lange and Ulrich Ruedel surveyed worldwide archives and personal collections to search out—and in some circumstances piece collectively, inch by inch—one of the best obtainable supplies. Thus, we (and a brand new technology) can get pleasure from such hilarious movies as Putting Pants on Philip, The Second Hundred Years and the wonderful The Battle of the Century, with its legendary pie struggle. L&H students Richard W. Bann and Randy Skretvedt take part in commentary tracks and essays for the good-looking booklet that accompanies the 2 discs. The outcomes are breathtakingly good. They even discovered , full print of Lucky Dog (1921), the Stan Laurel two-reeler wherein Oliver Hardy seems briefly—a coincidence matched solely by the presence of Lou Costello at ringside in L&H’s long-unseen The Battle of the Century (1927). These discs are treasured certainly, and the way applicable that they arrive to us courtesy of Blackhawk Films, which made L&H comedies obtainable to so many individuals within the heyday of 8mm and 16mm amassing.
STOOGE-O-RAMA (Kit Parker Films)
Eight hours of uncommon Three Stooges footage? That seems like a come-on for a Ok-Tel sort of “greatest hits” assortment…however on this case it’s true. Comedy specialist Paul Gierucki and producer/entrepreneur Kit Parker have joined forces to assemble a dizzying array of Stooge materials, a lot of which was new to me—even a re-edited model of a TV particular I appeared in practically forty years in the past referred to as STOOGES: THE MEN BEHIND THE MAYHEM. Among the goodies are unique trailers for characteristic movies wherein the trio appeared, coloration home-movie footage of Moe, Larry and Joe Besser (!), uncooked footage of Moe and Shemp frolicking with Broadway refrain ladies in a swimming pool, a hitherto unknown Van Beuren two-reeler referred to as EVERYBODY LIKES MUSIC that includes Shemp, a handful of TV commercials, a Jack Linkletter interview with the “new” Stooges from 1960, a chat present hosted by Dave Barry wherein Moe will get to play raconteur, and far, way more. I’m pleased to have all of this plus interview footage with family members and descendants and a seemingly unending provide of odds and ends gathered in a single 3-disc assortment. It is really a cornucopia that no Stooge fan must be with out.
RAYMOND GRIFFITH: THE SILK HAT COMEDIAN (Undercrank Productions)
It has been a long time since Walter Kerr wrote his precious e book The Silent Clowns and instructed that Raymond Griffith was worthy of a spot on the pantheon of nice silent comedians. He stays on the sidelines, partly as a result of it’s not straightforward to entry his greatest work—till now. Ben Model has launched a DVD/Blu-ray assortment that ought to win him some new admirers. It contains considered one of Griffith’s greatest silent options, Paths to Paradise (1925), albeit lacking its ultimate reel, one other characteristic (1926’s You’d Be Surprised) that’s not nearly as good however nonetheless reveals the star to good benefit, and a video essay by Steve Massa that sums up Griffith’s profession fairly nicely. The pictorial high quality of the options is excellent, due to the Library of Congress scans of 35mm originals, they usually profit from Model’s supportive theatre organ scores. [Not so incidentally, Ben is releasing new discs faster than I can cover them. Please check out his Tom Mix double-feature and a pair of rare Frank Borzage silents at www.undercrankproductions.com
VICTOR MOORE AND HIS KLEVER KOMEDIES by Steve Massa and Rob Stone (Split Reel)
THE KLEVER KOMEDIES PICTURE BOOK by Rob Stone and Steve Massa (Split Reel)
POKES AND JABBS: THE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER OF THE VIM FILMS CORPORATION by Rob Stone (Split Reel)
No one has done more to locate, identify and chronicle early silent comedy shorts than Steve Massa and Rob Stone, alone and together. Theirs is a niche field but an important one, because the films they champion have been neglected for so many years. The only drawback is not being able to access the often-tantalizing short subjects they describe. Many of them are considered lost, although a handful are available online, thank goodness. Their spirit is invoked in the latest books from this industrious duo, which are filled with stills, frame enlargements, and tantalizing posters.
If you are hungry for detail and analysis of Abbott and Costello, this book was written with you in mind. Co-author Nick Santa Maria is a lifelong performer and posits that Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were underrated as actors; that’s what made their routines both funny and memorable. He builds a strong case for that premise along with his British colleague Matthew Coniam. Not only do they chart Bud and Lou’s career on screen; they break down every burlesque routine they drew upon in their feature films and subsequent TV series. At 482 pages there is little if anything left out on the subject of A&C, leaving the reader (especially a newcomer to the flock) with plenty of food for thought.