Silent movie stars

[Warden Callaway]

I kind of gotten interested in watching silent movies of late.  You see the founding inspiration to more modern-day movies. Jackie Chan admits copying the works of Harold Loyd and Buster Keaton,  etc.  So much of the story had to be expressed in emotion and gesture.  

 

This little guy, Harry Landon,  was considered equal to Charlie Chaplin and others in his day. He just didn't transition to talking pictures well and fell to playing character players. But he had developed his own quirky style and manor. 

 

Anyway,  it's fun to watch the old cars and dress of 100 years ago.

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2022 by Warden Callaway

[Warden Callaway]

Here is Will Rogers before he was famous.  Plays a love sick cowboy.

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Ben Turpin.  Strange looking fellow with cock-eyes.

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Snub Pollard was very successful in silent films.  He worked with the great comedy stars of the era. He even had his own production company for a while.  In talkies, he was often a sidekick.  Later just someone uncredited in the background.   He was in 617 films. One of the last was The Man Who Shot Liberert Valance.  You know him by his big mustache and outrageous eyebrows. (Not so big in this video)

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Here is good clear print of "The Knockout" staring Fatty Arbuckle a movie pioneer.  Hard to recognize Al St. John. He's the guy molesting Fatty's girl. He was a sidekick in a lot of B Westerns.  Charlie Chaplin is uncredited as umpire. Edward Kennedy is one of the fighters.  He was later the cop in a lot of Little Rascal.  Slim Summerville is in the audience. 

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Mabel Normand was a poneer in the industry. Credited with first pie in face and tied to railroad tracks gag. Also rumored she saved Charlie's job.  She wrote and directed. She died of tubulalos at age 37.

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Jackie Chan vs silent movie stars,

 

 

 

Johnny Depp doing Buster Keaton, 

 

 

 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Harold Lloyd did amazing things!

[Utah Bob #35998]

Most people equate silent films with tinny piano music. But some elaborate score were written for them and in the larger theaters in cities, full orchestras were the norm.

[Warden Callaway]

Buster Keaton is probably my favorite.  He made hundreds of short one reel movies and many feature length.  Here is Go West where he plays Frendless, a man down on his luck trying to make a new start out west on a ranch.  Worth watching for the cowboy costumes and such. Likely authentic for 1925.

 

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by Warden Callaway

[Warden Callaway]

First Our Gang (Little Rascals). 

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Before Loural and Hardly teamed up, they made moves with other stars. Here is one with Larry Simons.

 

 

[watab kid]

ive often watched the silent movies , there were many that were interesting , some just fun , the transition cost a lotta stars their career , some because they could not do the speaking and a few because of their voices not being compatible - i think the recording equipment might have been a factor - today they could fix most anything digitally ....makes me wonder how much the fix singers voices these days 

 

but then im from the woodstock era - long as it was coming through the speakers ....and they were serving breakfast in bed .....let it rain , 

[Warden Callaway]

Here is Buster Keaton in The General.  Considered his masterpiece movie today but didn't do well in the U.S. but ended up doing well in foreign countries.  People were confused because they expected comedy and more about war and train race.  It wasn't a low budget 1 reel movie. It had a cast of thousands and several steam trains. Good quality video.

 

 

 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

On 8/19/2022 at 11:27 AM, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Most people equate silent films with tinny piano music. But some elaborate score were written for them and in the larger theaters in cities, full orchestras were the norm.

Many had elaborate organs that rose up from the floor in front of the screen/stage. I saw those at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis and Radio City Music Hall back in the 60’s and 70’s.  For years, they put on a short historical performance after the main feature- Dirty Harry, The Sunshine Boys, etc.

 

Don’t know if they’ve kept them operable since then. 
 

 

Edited September 19, 2022 by Abilene Slim SASS 81783

[Warden Callaway]

Photos of famous silent movie starlets.  Through computer animation, they morff into color and alive. Kind of creepy.  Beautiful women. Great photography.

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Another Harry Langdon full length feature restored and colorized. Note, Joan Crawford in one of her early movies.

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Warden Callaway

[Warden Callaway]

One of Charlie Chaplin's greatest movies.  Made well into to age of talkies. It took him 3 years to profect it. 342 takes of one scene alone.

 

City Lights is a story about the Tramp becoming infatuated with a blind flower girl and went through all kind of trouble to get the money for an operation to restore her sight. She thought the money came from a rich man.

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Really good John Ford western. Good quality video. Big production. 

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Will Rogers doing rope tricks.

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Early cowboy and Indian movie. 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Later Buster Keaton movie, well restored. Many of his stunts were copied by later stars.

 

 

 

[watab kid]

i recall watching reruns of these as a kid , for whatever reason , ive not seen many lately but i guess in this era its only a click or two away , may have to watch more ....for now what yall posted will suffice 

[Warden Callaway]

Cecil B DeMile before The 10 Comments.  The Virginian 1914.

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Bronco Bill Anderson.   First cowboy western movie star.

 

 

The great train robbery - 1903

 

 

[watab kid]

IIRC the carrier of  Fatty Arbuckle  was cut short by a famous scandal involving the death of a young hollywood woman , 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Ahh yes. The Alec Baldwin technique!

 

[Warden Callaway]

About 8 minutes in, looks like when Law Dowd arrests Bronco Billy in the cabin, he has a couple of 30-30 rounds in his cartridge belt in center. 1912 movie. Suppose that's where the idea started?

 

 

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

On 11/9/2022 at 7:39 AM, Warden Callaway said:

Really good John Ford western. Good quality video. Big production. 

 

 

 

At around 3:52 minutes notice the short barrel '73, and a better view at 24:25.

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Tex Jones, SASS 2263

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

On 12/6/2022 at 1:47 AM, Warden Callaway said:

Cecil B DeMile before The 10 Comments.  The Virginian 1914.

 

 

 

“Hedley Lamar…why he’s killed more men than Cecil B. Demille!”

 

—The Waco Kid

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

All these posts and no mention of the greatest silent film star of all time - Harold Lloyd?

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Scroll up to UB’s post 

[Creeker, SASS #43022]

23 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

Scroll up to UB’s post 

you're correct - I missed it.

By far the most "complete" performer of the silent movie era.  The movies had actual plotlines and invested stories; as opposed to most that were a string of over animated vignettes existing solely to place the actors into a situation whether germane to the story or not.

Yes, like most silents; there was no shortage of facial mugging - but Lloyds felt like heightened acting instead of just caricature.

[Warden Callaway]

Here is a real treat for western lovers. Considered to John Ford's first western.   Classic tale of rancher against homesteaders.  Lots of shooting and hard riding action.  Staring Harry Carey and also a young Hoot Gibson.

 

Notice John Ford's use of doorways.  If it's not an actual door in a building,  the scene is framed by trees or landscape. 

 

 

 

[Warden Callaway]

Here is a real oldie. 1905.  Boarding School Girls At Coney Island.  Sounds like a 1960-70 drive in movie title.  Today a XX movie.  Check out the huge bus/taxi?  Still horse and buggies on street. The rides at Coney Island. 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Warden Callaway