Random Bits

 

Imogene Coca was featured in a version of "Slowly I Turn" included in the "All Fun" revue, which debuted at New Haven's Shubert Theatre on November 21, 1940.


In the early days of the Twentieth century, Irish monologist Frank Fogerty became known for the catchphrase "Ain't I right, boys?"

I found an interesting "stuck" routine.  Margaret Cullington gets her backside stuck on a block of ice in the Universal short comedy Simply Shocking (1922).


Variety: "Dick Sheppard impresses more with the eccentricity of his comedy than the character work he does.  He shows his versatility by doing as many as four comedy characters in one frolic."

For years, I have only had access to a cut-down version of Lupino Lane's Movieland (1926).  But, recently, film collector Dave Glass found five minutes of excised footage that he was able to restore to the film.  The picture quality of the new footage is poor, but the content of the scenes is exceptional.  First, we have a cameo from Lloyd Hamilton. 

Then, we have a unique scene of Lane trapped in a revolving room. 

Mr. Glass posted the full film at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRGF6e0DQkg.


Slim Summerville and Bobby Dunn tangle in Universal Pictures' restaurant comedy Why Wait? (1924).

Bert Roach encounters a "clocked face Chinaman" in The Mandarin (1924).

Double exposure allows Guy Bates Post to confront his perfect double in The Masquerader (1922).

A fine illustration of Max Linder appears in this advertisement for a 1919 comedy The Little Cafe.

Stan Laurel appears as a mama's boy in a 1923 Roach comedy Mother's Joy.

Norma Nichols, Larry Semon and Frank Alexander appear in a scene from a 1921 Vitagraph comedy The Fall Guy.

Smaller companies produced and distributed many of the short comedies that entertained audiences in the 1920s.  Grand-Asher distributed several Monty Banks comedies, including The Southbound Limited (1923).

Their release schedule also included comedies from Joe Rock and Sid Smith.

Rock's "high and dizzy" comedy The Sleepwalker is featured on top and Smith's rural comedy Lucky Rube is featured on the bottom.

Arrow Pictures always had an interesting variety of comedies on their schedule.  Featured below is a mummy comedy (For the Love of Tut), a pirate comedy (Captain Applesauce) and a marital comedy (Almost Married).