German Expressionist director F.W. Murnau, who is known for films such as Nosferatu, Faust, Sunrise, and The Last Man, directed only one true comedy film. This film was 1924's "Finances of the Grand Duke". While this may not be as great of a work of art, as those previous films I mentioned, it is a very entertaining, and interesting experiment, that shows a different side to one of Germany's greatest film makers.
The famous Hollywood comedy director Ernst Lubitsch (To Be or Not to Be, The Shop Around the Corner) began his career in Germany as an an actor, mostly appearing in shorts.
After being accused of rape (probably falsely) silent film comedian Fatty Arbuckle no longer appeared in front of the camera. However he would direct some films under the name William Goodrich. His friend Buster Keaton suggested the name Will B. Good, but Arbuckle thought that would be too obvious.
There is a joke in the Marx Brother's film The Big Store in which Margret Dumount says to Groucho, "I'm afraid after we're married awhile, a beautiful young girl will come along, and, uh, you'll forget all about me" to which Groucho replies "Don't be silly. I'll write you twice a week.". Producer L. K. Sidney did not like this joke (for unknown to me reasons) and wanted it taken out of the movie. Director, Charles Reisner however insisted the joke stay in. Since this was an MGM picture, this argument was brought to Louie B. Mayer. When asked about the joke Louie B. Mayer replied "greatest line in the picture". The joke is still in the movie.
Comedy producer extraordinaire, Hal Roach (Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang (Little Rascals), Charley Chase) is credited (On IMDb) with producing 1,198 films and 8 TV Series.
Friends and colleges of Charlie Chaplin tried to talk him out of making his film Shoulder Arms. Shoulder Arms was a comedy about WW1, made during WW1, and most of his friends and colleges felt it was too sensitive a subject to be made into a comedy. However Chaplin made it anyway, and it became his biggest hit up to that point.
Shoulder Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyZzEH85FKM
-Michael J. Ruhland
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Happy PI Day, and "Battle of the Century" (1927)
Happy PI day everybody. Why not celebrate with a Pie Fight. In fact why not celebrate with film histories greatest Pie fight.
This film is "Battle of the Century" (1927) staring Laurel and Hardy and directed by Clyde Bruckman (Who did much writing for Harold Lloyd and The Three Stooges), and Leo McCarey (Who directed "Duck Soup" with The Marx Brothers as well as "The Awful Truth" with Irene Dunn and Cary Grant). The pie fight scene in this film used some 3,000 pies. Lou Costello is an extra in the boxing scene. While sadly incomplete this film is a hilarious example of Laurel and Hardy during the silent era.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlIXByXcUHw
-Michael J. Ruhland
This film is "Battle of the Century" (1927) staring Laurel and Hardy and directed by Clyde Bruckman (Who did much writing for Harold Lloyd and The Three Stooges), and Leo McCarey (Who directed "Duck Soup" with The Marx Brothers as well as "The Awful Truth" with Irene Dunn and Cary Grant). The pie fight scene in this film used some 3,000 pies. Lou Costello is an extra in the boxing scene. While sadly incomplete this film is a hilarious example of Laurel and Hardy during the silent era.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlIXByXcUHw
-Michael J. Ruhland
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Classic Film Comedy Short Stories #4
"Punch Drunks" was the only film with The Three Stooges that they wrote themselves. This is because they were unhappy with their previous film for Colombia "Woman Haters" since it was not their style of humor, and wanted to show them how a Three Stooges film should work.
Buster Keaton wanted the film "Spite Marriage" to be a talkie. However MGM (The studio he was working for) wanted it to be a silent for budget reasons. "Spite Marriage" was Buster Keaton's last silent, and sadly the last film which would grant him any creative control (Which with this film was already slipping away).
The ending of "The Graduate" was inspired by the ending of 1924's "Girl Shy". "Graduate" director Mike Nicholas, had ""Girl Shy" actor/producer Harold Lloyd on set to somewhat supervise the scene.
In "The Big Noise" Laurel and Hardy repeated a sketch (About trying to sleep in a train berth) that they had previously done in the film "Berth Marks". Stan Laurel suggested they change the location from a train to an airplane to improve on what they had done before, but producer Sol Wurtzel told them they would do it as they had before. This is a sign of how much creative control Laurel and Hardy had lost once the moved to 20th century fox. Also during that scene if you listen closely you can clearly hear the crew laughing offstage.
The films "The Cococonuts" and "Animal Crackers" were both originally stage plays that also stared the Marx Brothers (Just like the films), these were also the first two films with The Marx Brothers.
In 1940's "One Night in the Tropics", we first hear Abbott and Costello's voices before we see them. This is because this was the film debut of the classic comedy duo. However they were already famous radio comedians, so this was a cleaver way to introduce them as film stars.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Buster Keaton wanted the film "Spite Marriage" to be a talkie. However MGM (The studio he was working for) wanted it to be a silent for budget reasons. "Spite Marriage" was Buster Keaton's last silent, and sadly the last film which would grant him any creative control (Which with this film was already slipping away).
The ending of "The Graduate" was inspired by the ending of 1924's "Girl Shy". "Graduate" director Mike Nicholas, had ""Girl Shy" actor/producer Harold Lloyd on set to somewhat supervise the scene.
In "The Big Noise" Laurel and Hardy repeated a sketch (About trying to sleep in a train berth) that they had previously done in the film "Berth Marks". Stan Laurel suggested they change the location from a train to an airplane to improve on what they had done before, but producer Sol Wurtzel told them they would do it as they had before. This is a sign of how much creative control Laurel and Hardy had lost once the moved to 20th century fox. Also during that scene if you listen closely you can clearly hear the crew laughing offstage.
The films "The Cococonuts" and "Animal Crackers" were both originally stage plays that also stared the Marx Brothers (Just like the films), these were also the first two films with The Marx Brothers.
In 1940's "One Night in the Tropics", we first hear Abbott and Costello's voices before we see them. This is because this was the film debut of the classic comedy duo. However they were already famous radio comedians, so this was a cleaver way to introduce them as film stars.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Here is Another Nice Mess You've Gotten Me Into: Oliver Hardy's 123rd Birthday
123 years ago a man named Oliver Hardy was born. This man of course would become part of one of the greatest comedy teams, this world had ever seen. That team of, course was Laurel and Hardy.
The most famous image of Laurel and Hardy was of course them pushing a piano up a flight of stairs. This film was the classic, The Music Box. The same flight of Stairs in this film were also used in The Three Stooges short "An Ache in Every Stake". In that film Curly carries a block of ice up those same steps. The Music Box was directed by James Parrott who had actually co-stared with Stan Laurel, as an actor, back before Stan teamed up with Ollie (Hardy). This film also features Billy Gilbert playing a supporting role. Gilbert had stared along side Stan and Ollie in plenty of their shorts, and was also the voice of Sneezey in Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. So from 1932, directed by James Parrott and Staring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Billy Gilbert, here is The Music Box.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUjkSvdrug
Laurel and Hardy began their Careers in the days of silent film. It is a true testament to their talents how well they adapted to talkies. By the end of the silent era, they were already working with some of their greatest collaborators, such as directors Leo Mcarey(who would also direct the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, as well as some other classic comedies such as The Awful Truth), and James Parrott, producer Hal Roach, actor James Finnlayson, and writer H.M. Walker. Here is one of their best silent films, Big Business, from 1929, directed by J. Wesley Horne and Leo Mcarey, and staring Laurel and Hardy as well as James Finnlayson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TRneBC98Gk
Laurel and Hardy only made one color film in their careers. This is an odd film in their filmography. They did their part in the film during a lunch break, while working on feature films for 20th Century Fox. This film was also a Pete Smith Specialty. Pete Smith did many films like this where he would narrate over a film without dialogue in a playful and humorous manner. As such Laurel and Hardy don't have any dialogue in this short. This is also a WWII propaganda piece that speaks about the importance of wood for the war effort. So from 1943, directed by Charles McDonald, and starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Pete Smith, here is Tree In A Test Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQmRoOFLS74
-Michael J. Ruhland
The most famous image of Laurel and Hardy was of course them pushing a piano up a flight of stairs. This film was the classic, The Music Box. The same flight of Stairs in this film were also used in The Three Stooges short "An Ache in Every Stake". In that film Curly carries a block of ice up those same steps. The Music Box was directed by James Parrott who had actually co-stared with Stan Laurel, as an actor, back before Stan teamed up with Ollie (Hardy). This film also features Billy Gilbert playing a supporting role. Gilbert had stared along side Stan and Ollie in plenty of their shorts, and was also the voice of Sneezey in Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. So from 1932, directed by James Parrott and Staring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Billy Gilbert, here is The Music Box.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUjkSvdrug
Laurel and Hardy began their Careers in the days of silent film. It is a true testament to their talents how well they adapted to talkies. By the end of the silent era, they were already working with some of their greatest collaborators, such as directors Leo Mcarey(who would also direct the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup, as well as some other classic comedies such as The Awful Truth), and James Parrott, producer Hal Roach, actor James Finnlayson, and writer H.M. Walker. Here is one of their best silent films, Big Business, from 1929, directed by J. Wesley Horne and Leo Mcarey, and staring Laurel and Hardy as well as James Finnlayson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TRneBC98Gk
Laurel and Hardy only made one color film in their careers. This is an odd film in their filmography. They did their part in the film during a lunch break, while working on feature films for 20th Century Fox. This film was also a Pete Smith Specialty. Pete Smith did many films like this where he would narrate over a film without dialogue in a playful and humorous manner. As such Laurel and Hardy don't have any dialogue in this short. This is also a WWII propaganda piece that speaks about the importance of wood for the war effort. So from 1943, directed by Charles McDonald, and starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Pete Smith, here is Tree In A Test Tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQmRoOFLS74
-Michael J. Ruhland
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Classic Film Comedy Short Stories #3
After many of his early films were destroyed in a fire, Harold Lloyd made sure he owned all of his films to make sure none of them were damaged as his early films were.
After having a stroke during the making of 1947's Half-Wits Holiday Curly had to retire from The Three Stooges, however he was able to make a cameo appearance in Hold That Lion, which came out later the same year therefore Hold That Lion is the only Stooge film in which Curly and Shemp appear together in.
Charles Lamont directed Abbott and Costello Meet The Keystone Kops. He had directed both Abbott and Costello and The Keystone Kops before making the film.
Joe Besser was the only Stooge never to appear in a feature length Three Stooges film.
Stan Laurel often worked very close to his directors. Therefore you could say he almost co-directed most Laurel and Hardy films.
Stan Laurel directed the 1925 Short Yes, Yes, Nanette, Which featured Oliver Hardy. So that short is an example of Laurel and Hardy working together before they ever appeared together on camera.
-Michael J. Ruhland
After having a stroke during the making of 1947's Half-Wits Holiday Curly had to retire from The Three Stooges, however he was able to make a cameo appearance in Hold That Lion, which came out later the same year therefore Hold That Lion is the only Stooge film in which Curly and Shemp appear together in.
Charles Lamont directed Abbott and Costello Meet The Keystone Kops. He had directed both Abbott and Costello and The Keystone Kops before making the film.
Joe Besser was the only Stooge never to appear in a feature length Three Stooges film.
Stan Laurel often worked very close to his directors. Therefore you could say he almost co-directed most Laurel and Hardy films.
Stan Laurel directed the 1925 Short Yes, Yes, Nanette, Which featured Oliver Hardy. So that short is an example of Laurel and Hardy working together before they ever appeared together on camera.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Classic Film Comedy Short Stories #2
Shemp was actually a Stooge before Curly. The Stooges were originally part of an act called Ted Healy and his Stooges. This act originally consisted of Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard. The act had appeared on vaudeville, and in supporting roles in various films. Shemp got angry over Healy's drinking, and so he left. For this reason Shemp and Moe's younger brother Curly Howard took his place. After parting with Healy, The Stooges got their own series of short films. Because of parting with Healy, they were renamed The Three Stooges. After Curly suffered from a stroke he was replaced by Shemp, who because they had left Ted Healy was happy to join them again.
William A. Seiter who directed what is considered to be Laurel and Hardy's best film, Sons of the Dessert, also directed what is considered to be one of the Marx Brothers' weakest films, Room Service.'
Duck Soup was a flop when it was first released. In fact it almost ended The Marx Brothers' career. This is hard to believe now because not only is it an extremely popular film, but it is an extremely funny one as well. Duck Soup was the most zany, and least story ordinated film to star the Marx Brothers. This is why after Duck Soup, they went to MGM, where producer Irving Thalhgberg, told them at MGM they could get a much bigger audience by being in films with much more story. This included having a side-story about young lovers, and more musical numbers. Even if later Marx films would slip in quality, the first two of these films (the two in which Thalhgberg was still alive to work on (he died during the making of A Day At The Races) worked especially beautifully. Those two films (A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races) were not only huge financial successes, but great artistic successes as well, and remain some of the great comedy movies to this day.
Boris Karloff refused to be in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, because he loved the carter of the creature a lot, and felt appearing as the creature in a farce would be an insult. Of course those of us fans of the movie know that it was not an insult to the character at all. However Karloff later appeared in both Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer, and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was originally going to be named The Brian of Frankenstein, however the name was thought to sound too much like a serious horror movie.
Character actor James Finnlayson (who appeared often with Laurel and Hardy) made an annoyed exclamation whenever his character was hit. That annoyed exclamation would serve as the inspiration for Homer Simpson's "D'oh".
The 1940 short, You Nazty Spy!, directed by Jules White, written by Felix Alder, and Clyde Bruckman, and staring The Three Stooges was the first American film in which an American actor played Hitler (that actor was Moe Howard). Both director Jules White and actor Moe Howard considered this the best film they worked on.
Laurel and Hardy were the only one of the classic American comedy teams to first appear together on film. Marx Brothers had come from Broadway, Abbott and Costello from vaudeville and radio, The Three Stooges from vaudeville. They first appeared together in 1921's The Lucky Dog. Although in this short they weren't yet a team, and had yet to have their characters defined, it is historic for being the first time they appeared together. You can watch it below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cImmhCo3jDg
-Michael J. Ruhland
William A. Seiter who directed what is considered to be Laurel and Hardy's best film, Sons of the Dessert, also directed what is considered to be one of the Marx Brothers' weakest films, Room Service.'
Duck Soup was a flop when it was first released. In fact it almost ended The Marx Brothers' career. This is hard to believe now because not only is it an extremely popular film, but it is an extremely funny one as well. Duck Soup was the most zany, and least story ordinated film to star the Marx Brothers. This is why after Duck Soup, they went to MGM, where producer Irving Thalhgberg, told them at MGM they could get a much bigger audience by being in films with much more story. This included having a side-story about young lovers, and more musical numbers. Even if later Marx films would slip in quality, the first two of these films (the two in which Thalhgberg was still alive to work on (he died during the making of A Day At The Races) worked especially beautifully. Those two films (A Night At The Opera, A Day At The Races) were not only huge financial successes, but great artistic successes as well, and remain some of the great comedy movies to this day.
Boris Karloff refused to be in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, because he loved the carter of the creature a lot, and felt appearing as the creature in a farce would be an insult. Of course those of us fans of the movie know that it was not an insult to the character at all. However Karloff later appeared in both Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer, and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was originally going to be named The Brian of Frankenstein, however the name was thought to sound too much like a serious horror movie.
Character actor James Finnlayson (who appeared often with Laurel and Hardy) made an annoyed exclamation whenever his character was hit. That annoyed exclamation would serve as the inspiration for Homer Simpson's "D'oh".
The 1940 short, You Nazty Spy!, directed by Jules White, written by Felix Alder, and Clyde Bruckman, and staring The Three Stooges was the first American film in which an American actor played Hitler (that actor was Moe Howard). Both director Jules White and actor Moe Howard considered this the best film they worked on.
Laurel and Hardy were the only one of the classic American comedy teams to first appear together on film. Marx Brothers had come from Broadway, Abbott and Costello from vaudeville and radio, The Three Stooges from vaudeville. They first appeared together in 1921's The Lucky Dog. Although in this short they weren't yet a team, and had yet to have their characters defined, it is historic for being the first time they appeared together. You can watch it below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cImmhCo3jDg
-Michael J. Ruhland
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Classic Film Comedy Short Stories #1
To give credit were it is due this new set of posts called "Classic Film Comedy Short Stories" is heavily inspired by Animation Antidotes from the website http://cartoonresearch.com/. I am a fan of this website and am purposely using it's idea.
In the Abbott and Costello movie "Hold That Ghost"(1941), the musical numbers by the Andrew Sisters were added after the movie was completed. This was because the last two Abbott and Costello movies (Buck Priviates, and In The Navy) had featured The Andrew Sisters and had been very financially successful. Director Arthur Lubin said he was not aware these songs were being added to his film at the time. The musical numbers however were great and made a good film even better.
In his autobiography Charlie Chaplin un-modestly claimed that "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) was his most clever movie. It was indeed a masterpiece though it was his first financial flop.
"Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) was originally an idea for a serious movie based on the real life murder Henri Désiré Landru. This idea was conceived by Orson Welles, and Welles wanted Charlie Chaplin as the lead actor. However Chaplin saw the potential for a great comedy, and he did not want to work under another director. So Chaplin bought the idea and directed it his own way. The film does contain a credit saying "Based off an idea by Orson Welles".
The movie "Snow White and The Three Stooges" (1961) was originally going to be directed by comedy legend Frank Tashlin. Frank Tashlin had directed many great Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, along with "The Son of Paleface", "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter", and the best Martian and Lewis film (In my opinion) "Artists and Models". However Frank Tashlin's plan for the movie would go too much over budget for 20th Century Fox's taste so he was replaced by Walter Lang. This was not Walter Lang's first time directing The Stooges. He had directed the 1933 feature "Meet The Baron", which while it did not star The Stooges (It starred Jimmy Durante and Jack Pearl), the Stooges did have supporting roles in that film. "Snow White and The Three Stooges" turned out to be a great film but one that was drastically different than what Stooge fans were suspecting. (Yes this film goes past my cut off date, but I am including it because The Three Stooges made many films within my included dates)
The Fredrico Fellini film "I Vitelloni" (1953) featured the soon to be popular Italian comedian Alberto Sordi as the character Alberto. However he was not popular at this time. In fact promoters for the film keep his name off all the advertisements for the movie, because the were afraid people would not see it if they knew Sordi was in it. The film however was a huge hit and made both Fredrico Fellini and Alberto Sordi household names in Italy, and it is easy to see why.
When Buster Keaton's film "Seven Chances" (1925) was previewed before an audience, Buster noticed that people were laughing during a chase scene at a part he didn't suspect. He then noticed that he happened to knock over a few pebbles. Keaton added to this by making the pebbles trigger boulders, therefore creating what is considered the films best moment.
-Michael J. Ruhland
In the Abbott and Costello movie "Hold That Ghost"(1941), the musical numbers by the Andrew Sisters were added after the movie was completed. This was because the last two Abbott and Costello movies (Buck Priviates, and In The Navy) had featured The Andrew Sisters and had been very financially successful. Director Arthur Lubin said he was not aware these songs were being added to his film at the time. The musical numbers however were great and made a good film even better.
In his autobiography Charlie Chaplin un-modestly claimed that "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) was his most clever movie. It was indeed a masterpiece though it was his first financial flop.
"Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) was originally an idea for a serious movie based on the real life murder Henri Désiré Landru. This idea was conceived by Orson Welles, and Welles wanted Charlie Chaplin as the lead actor. However Chaplin saw the potential for a great comedy, and he did not want to work under another director. So Chaplin bought the idea and directed it his own way. The film does contain a credit saying "Based off an idea by Orson Welles".
The movie "Snow White and The Three Stooges" (1961) was originally going to be directed by comedy legend Frank Tashlin. Frank Tashlin had directed many great Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, along with "The Son of Paleface", "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter", and the best Martian and Lewis film (In my opinion) "Artists and Models". However Frank Tashlin's plan for the movie would go too much over budget for 20th Century Fox's taste so he was replaced by Walter Lang. This was not Walter Lang's first time directing The Stooges. He had directed the 1933 feature "Meet The Baron", which while it did not star The Stooges (It starred Jimmy Durante and Jack Pearl), the Stooges did have supporting roles in that film. "Snow White and The Three Stooges" turned out to be a great film but one that was drastically different than what Stooge fans were suspecting. (Yes this film goes past my cut off date, but I am including it because The Three Stooges made many films within my included dates)
The Fredrico Fellini film "I Vitelloni" (1953) featured the soon to be popular Italian comedian Alberto Sordi as the character Alberto. However he was not popular at this time. In fact promoters for the film keep his name off all the advertisements for the movie, because the were afraid people would not see it if they knew Sordi was in it. The film however was a huge hit and made both Fredrico Fellini and Alberto Sordi household names in Italy, and it is easy to see why.
When Buster Keaton's film "Seven Chances" (1925) was previewed before an audience, Buster noticed that people were laughing during a chase scene at a part he didn't suspect. He then noticed that he happened to knock over a few pebbles. Keaton added to this by making the pebbles trigger boulders, therefore creating what is considered the films best moment.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)