Stuff and Nonsense
A few goodies discovered on Ebay over the past few months.
Gallagher and Shean made a feature for Fox in 1923? This crucial piece of Broadway and vaudeville history undoubtedly sizzled along with everything else in the 1937 Fox vault fire. So many questions, so few answers.
1922 trade ad for The Reporter, the American film debut of Lupino Lane (trademark spit curl notably absent). Again, a (probable) vanished victim, along with the rest of the series, of the Fox vault fire.
Images from The Reporter (1922) starring Lupino Lane. Actually looks pretty funny. I can't find a cast list for it, but I'd swear that's Tom Kennedy as the heavy.
Beautiful, iconic ad for Ben Turpin's series for Mack Sennett. Note the emphasis on Ben's appeal to the "youngsters". Explains a lot, actually. From Pathe's 1926 exhibitor's yearbook.
In 1921, after Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was promoted to features and Buster Keaton became star of the Comique shorts, Roscoe's nephew Al St. John departed for Fox and his own starring series. Do any of these shorts still exist? Former New York Hippodrome clown Clyde Cook had made his film debut for Fox the year before and apparently didn't have St. John's audience appeal. Cook would later have marginally better luck at the Hal Roach Studios.
This 1926 ad for Charley Chase's series nicely plays up his image as a comic sophisticate. This graphic could have just as easily served Max Linder or Raymond Griffith. It still boggles my mind that Pathe was distributing Roach's and Sennett's shorts simultaneously.
Harry Langdon's first feature, His First Flame, was ultimately held back until 1927, making way for the vastly superior Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926) and The Strong Man (1927). It was a wise move.
Gallagher and Shean made a feature for Fox in 1923? This crucial piece of Broadway and vaudeville history undoubtedly sizzled along with everything else in the 1937 Fox vault fire. So many questions, so few answers.
1922 trade ad for The Reporter, the American film debut of Lupino Lane (trademark spit curl notably absent). Again, a (probable) vanished victim, along with the rest of the series, of the Fox vault fire.
Images from The Reporter (1922) starring Lupino Lane. Actually looks pretty funny. I can't find a cast list for it, but I'd swear that's Tom Kennedy as the heavy.
Beautiful, iconic ad for Ben Turpin's series for Mack Sennett. Note the emphasis on Ben's appeal to the "youngsters". Explains a lot, actually. From Pathe's 1926 exhibitor's yearbook.
In 1921, after Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was promoted to features and Buster Keaton became star of the Comique shorts, Roscoe's nephew Al St. John departed for Fox and his own starring series. Do any of these shorts still exist? Former New York Hippodrome clown Clyde Cook had made his film debut for Fox the year before and apparently didn't have St. John's audience appeal. Cook would later have marginally better luck at the Hal Roach Studios.
This 1926 ad for Charley Chase's series nicely plays up his image as a comic sophisticate. This graphic could have just as easily served Max Linder or Raymond Griffith. It still boggles my mind that Pathe was distributing Roach's and Sennett's shorts simultaneously.
Harry Langdon's first feature, His First Flame, was ultimately held back until 1927, making way for the vastly superior Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926) and The Strong Man (1927). It was a wise move.
Labels: Al St. John, Ben Turpin, Charley Chase, cinema, Clyde Cook, Gallagher and Shean, Harry Langdon, Lupino Lane
posted by Aaron Neathery at 3:03 PM
3 Comments:
As to not being able to find a cast list for the Lupino Lane comedy THE REPORTER, you can say that again, brother. Fox went out its way to give no publicity at all - and I mean AT ALL - to any of the supporting actors of its three starring series (Lane, St. John and Cook) or to any of the starring comedians in its Sunshine Comedies series. The only evidence of any of these appearances appear to have been in the films themselves, which (as you note) went up in flames in 1937. And yes, that's Tom Kennedy in the ad.
Aaron: Thanks for sharing your finds. That Ben Turpin image will probably turn up in a dream tonight. Al St. John looks almost human in the poster.
Regards,
Joe Thompson ;0)
Appreciate thiss blog post
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