Laurel & Hardy Silent Films

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Laurel & Hardy Silent Films
Topic Started: May 28 2006, 03:22 PM (1,140 Views)
mort bakaprevski	May 28 2006, 03:22 PM Post #1
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Leonard Kohl & I have been trying to get a Survivor Game going for Laurel & Hardy films over at Scarlet Street on the COMEDY TONIGHT Forum. We’ve started with the L & H silent films and… well we haven’t had great success mainly because not many people, over there, have seen a lot of their silents (although they’re all currently available from Image). I, personally, like a lot of their silent films BETTER than the sound ones. There seems to be a lot more energy in these earlier films and the characters were more realistically drawn than the caricatures they ultimately became. Perhaps that’s because of Leo McCarey’s involvement or simply because the duo was younger at the time. I dunno, but, in terms of pure laugh content, I don’t see how you can top THAT’S MY WIFE; YOU’RE DARN TOOTIN’ or BIG BUSINESS. Anyway, the purpose of this post is to find out if there are any other L & H silent film aficionados out there and, if there are, urge you to come over & add a little more life to our game. Thanks!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Laughing Gravy	Jun 3 2006, 06:06 PM Post #2
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,060 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Count me in as a big fan of the L&H silent films, as I'm sure you can tell in the Laurel & Hardy Fun House segment at inthebalcony.com. I am not sure I prefer them to the best talkies, but the best of the silents -- including Two Tars, Big Business, Liberty, and others -- are very, very funny. I'm also a big fan of Putting Pants on Philip, despite the fact that it's not a "typical" L&H picture. It's simply hilarious.



panzer the great & terrible	Jun 3 2006, 09:41 PM Post #3
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,323 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	What is a survivor game?
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


mort bakaprevski	Jun 4 2006, 07:26 AM Post #4
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	A Surviror Game is where you list all the films participating in the game (in this case, L & H silents) & each week you vote for your least favorite remaining. At the end of the week, the votes are tallied and... one more bites the dust. What you end up with is a list of best-to-worst that no one who played the game agrees with. But the fun is in the discussions of the films while you're voting!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


mort bakaprevski	Jun 5 2006, 10:13 AM Post #5
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Quote: I'm also a big fan of Putting Pants on Philip, despite the fact that it's not a "typical" L&H picture. It's simply hilarious. Gravy, your post is a perfect stepping-off point re my statement that the fun part is in discussing the films themselves. I think that comedy, more than any other film subject, is less subject to objective analysis (hmmm, does the preceding actually make any sense?). What makes you laugh is what makes you laugh &, much as you may appreciate the artistry of a comedian, if he/she doesn’t make you laugh then you’ll just have to sit there in silence & appreciate their skills. Case in point: PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP. I watched this recently and really enjoyed the talents of Messrs. L & H. I particularly liked the many exterior shots of downtown Culver City in 1927. It’s really fun seeing buildings that are still standing surrounded (then) by absolutely… NOTHING!! However, I didn’t laugh once. Didn’t even crack a smile. Does this mean the film isn’t funny? Of course not. It’s just not funny TO ME!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


mort bakaprevski	Jun 11 2006, 08:45 PM Post #6
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Seems I haven't enticed a single one of you over to vote. Well, maybe the following might: Here is our current list of LAUREL AND HARDY silent shorts: 1927 - THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS. PUTTING PANTS ON PHILLIP. THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (mostly complete). 1928- LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING. THE FINISHING TOUCH. FROM SOUP TO NUTS. YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN'. THEIR PURPLE MOMENT. SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME? EARLY TO BED. TWO TARS. HABEAS CORPUS. WE FAW DOWN. 1929- LIBERTY. WRONG AGAIN. THAT'S MY WIFE. BIG BUSINESS. DOUBLE WHOOPEE. BACON GRABBERS. Here's what we've discarded: FLYING ELEPHANTS. THE CALL OF THE CUCKOO. SUGAR DADDIES. DO DETECTIVES THINK? DUCK SOUP. ANGORA LOVE. This week Len is trying to get rid of BACON GRABBERS & I'm mounting a campaign against HABEAS CORPUS. Pick your poison OR select your own least favorite!!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Laughing Gravy	Jun 11 2006, 09:01 PM Post #7
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,060 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	I'm sorry to see Duck Soup go; it's not bad at all. I find Habeas Corpus to be one of their worst, though, and wouldn't mind jettisoning it. Bacon Grabbers is a good film, and it's got Jean Harlow in it -- I'm keeping it. There are several L&H silents not on your list, though, including The Lucky Dog, 45 Minutes from Hollywood, and a few others. Why did you omit them? They're hardly lost!



mort bakaprevski	Jun 11 2006, 09:58 PM Post #8
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Good question, Gravy!! Since there were so few of us who had seen ANY L & H silents, Len decided (with a lot of pressure from the rest of us) to jettison any that had been made previous to their 1st official pairing (DUCK SOUP). And by, first official, I mean the first that presented (somewhat) the characters they ultimately evolved into. Yeah, Edgar Kennedy got himself some real pips for wives at the Roach Studios. Definitely would inspire me to work overtime!!!! Come to think of it, Finlayson didn't do too badly either. No wonder they called it THE LOT OF FUN!!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Laughing Gravy	Jun 12 2006, 06:56 AM Post #9
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,060 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Duck Soup was NOT their "first official pairing"; it predated it by several films, in fact. According to surviving Hal Roach publicity, the lost Hat's Off was their first official pairing.



mort bakaprevski	Jun 13 2006, 10:42 AM Post #10
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	Gravy, let me quote myself: Quote: And by first official, I mean the first that presented (somewhat) the characters they ultimately evolved into. Regardless of the Roach publicity department, DUCK SOUP, DO DETECTIVES THINK?, & THE 2ND HUNDRED YEARS all present Stan & Ollie as personas who are clearly very closely related to the continuing characters they eventually became.
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


ilive4mycats	Jul 28 2006, 02:13 PM Post #11
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 350 Group: Members Member #122 Joined: July 25, 2006	Theres one with Max Davidson that I have on tape. Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chase and I believe James Finlayson are next door in an asylum. Is that Call of The Cuckos? Its hilarious when Davidson tries to sell his house and everythung goes wrong.



mort bakaprevski	Jul 28 2006, 04:23 PM Post #12
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	It is, indeed, CALL OF THE CUCKOO. and joining Messrs. Laurel, Hardy, Chase & Finlayson is L&H perennial Charlie Hall!!
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


Laughing Gravy	Jul 28 2006, 04:51 PM Post #13
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,060 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Call of the Cuckoos is one of those films of little reputation that turns out to be quite funny when you actually see it.



ilive4mycats	Aug 24 2006, 04:32 PM Post #14
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 350 Group: Members Member #122 Joined: July 25, 2006	The funniest line in the film is that these comedians are in a home for retired radio announcers. Thats funny.



mort bakaprevski	Sep 3 2006, 09:03 AM Post #15
Soony Roony! Posts: 1,429 Group: Members Member #73 Joined: January 1, 2006	I thought you might be interested in how this game is progressing. Following are those films that have been eliminated (sometimes twice) & the dates they were voted off: 8) THEIR PURPLE MOMENT 8/31 9) EARLY TO BED 8/14 10) THE 2ND HUNDRED YEARS 8/7 11) PUTTING PANTS ON PHILLIP 7/30 12) YOU'RE DARN TOOTIN' 7/24 (also 8/21) tied with 12) SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME 14) WRONG AGAIN 7/17 15) FROM SOUP TO NUTS 7/10 16) THE FINISHING TOUCH 7/3 17) LEAVE 'EM LAUGHING 6/26 18) BACON GRABBERS 6/18 tied with 18) HABEAS CORPUS 20) ANGORA LOVE 6/11 21) DUCK SOUP 6/5 22) DO DETECTIVES THINK? 5/28 23) SUGAR DADDIES 5/23 24) CALL OF THE CUCKOO 5/14 25) FLYING ELEPHANTS 5/1 Here are the remaining 7 films: 1927 - THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (mostly complete). 1928- TWO TARS. WE FAW DOWN. 1929- LIBERTY. THAT'S MY WIFE. BIG BUSINESS. DOUBLE WHOOPEE It seems there are currently two camps: those that like the domestic comedies & those (like me) who get more enjoyment out of the tit-for-tat destruction derbies.
	“You’ve got to take the bitter with the sour.”


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