DVD Recommendation: Accidentally Preserved, Volume 4

 
Three films stood out for me on the new DVD release Accidentally Preserved, Volume 4.

A Man's Size Pet (1926) involves a pair of cowhands who must interrupt their romantic rivalry to flee an aggressive bear.

Nonsense (1920) provides a number of amusing scenes, including a man careening down a road atop his bed. . .

. . . and a pair of men wearing stilts under oversized slacks to exaggerate their stature.

A bed has occasionally traveled down a road in a comedy film.  Take for example this scene from Abbott and Costello's Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942).

 

 

Meet Father (1925) includes a number of familiar gags, many of which were pilfered from Larry Semon's gag-a-second comedies.  But Bobby Ray, as a blank-faced simpleton, is interesting. 

One original routine stood out for me.  Ray is unable to get his car around a dog in the road.  He finds that, no matter where he moves his car, the roving mutt is sure to wind up in his path.  This would have been a perfect routine for Lloyd Hamilton. 

 

 

This catsup gag from Meet Father should be familiar to fans of The Three Stooges. 

Curly Howard performs the same gag in An Ache in Every Stake (1941).

The Origin of the Test Screening

Irving Thalberg credited Harold Lloyd with creating the test screening, but I have my doubts that this is true.  More likely, Lloyd applied his unique talents to refining the test screening, eventually achieving enough success with the practice to inspire the film industry as a whole to adopt his version of it.

As early as 1913, film producers were conducting what they called "advance showings." This was a private showing attended by invitation-only guests (largely theatre chain officials). The guests were invited to comment after the showing. The idea to test a film with the general public and have the audience fill out questionnaires came later. 

David Yallop claimed that Roscoe Arbuckle engaged in audience testing as early as 1917. 

In 1918, Lloyd Hamilton described an informal type of audience testing.  He would slip into a theatre after the lights went down, find himself a seat in the back, and take notes of the audience's reactions. His findings did not lead him to reedit or reshoot the film at hand, but it did affect his approach to his subsequent films.

Newspapers confirm that Louis B. Mayer was conducting sneak previews in 1919.  Exhibitors Herald documented Mayer's test screening of the 1919 melodrama Mary Regan.

Mr. Lloyd is known to have started test screening his films the following year. 

Another man known to be involved in test screenings in 1920 was director George D. Baker.  Baker spoke at length about his test screenings in interviews.  He stated, "I am making it an invariable rule that all George D. Baker productions are shown before a theatre audience, preferably in a small town house, before they are released.  My assistant and myself attend this test showing, and carefully note the likes and dislikes of the audience to the various sequences of the story.  After the film has been run we compare notes and carefully eliminate the scenes which do not appeal to the typical theatre patron."

Test screenings were common by 1923.

The Unconscious Woman Returns

 
I have discussed the unconscious woman routine many times in the past.  You can click here for one of those discussions.  I now present for today's post a few other examples of unconscious women comedy.

A Hole in the Head (1959)

The Man from the Diners' Club (1963)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Murder Your Wife (1965)

 

 

 

California Suite (1978)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thank you for visiting today.

The Invisible Man Discusses Rape with Two Feminists

One of the angriest threads to come down my Facebook stream had to do with the recent controversy over whether Maria Schneider was raped on camera by Marlon Brando during the making of Last Tango in Paris.  Nancy, a producer and casting director, teamed with Leila, an actress, in a blitz against a middle-aged man who insisted that Brando's actions did not constitute rape.  Before I discovered the thread, the women had blocked the man, which caused his comments disappeared from the discussion.  This was all that was left:

Nancy

I don't care if it was hardcore porn - they sprung it on her to get REAL humiliation. It wasn't in the script and she, nor her agents, had signed off on it. End of story.

Leila  

The very fact that the horror of this act even needs explaining is mind boggling to me! IT IS NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION!!!  Forcing ANY act upon anyone else without their consent is wrong. This is a prime example of the bullshit we deal with as women on a constant basis and, sadly, it won't be getting better anytime soon.

Nancy

As women, we can all tell you horror story after horror story of sexual harassment and abuse.

Leila

That's the biggest line of bull if ever there was one.  Men need to understand we're not going to put up with such s**t anymore.  Period.  Brando was a pompous, pretentious ass. I'm an actress and would never DARE use the pretense of being method as an excuse to force myself unto anyone. Art does not precede human rights nor would it stand up as a defense to a violent act in a court of law. Your words are shamefully ignorant and a blatant example of the exhausting patriarchy we have to deal with.

Leila

Talking to a wall would be more productive than explaining the basics of human rights to you. Sad to see that's a hard thing for you to grasp but, unfortunately, not surprising. The fact that you'd even choose this post as one you have to keep commenting on and showing your full blown ignorance in is sickening.  Mansplaining at its most exhausting.

Nancy

Let me guess: you are an older white male.

Leila

You really, REALLY need to go away. Far, far away.

Nancy

YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.  OLD WHITE MALE THAT IS PART AND PARCEL OF RAPE CULTURE.

Leila

Wow. Your stupidity is ASTOUNDING!!!

Nancy

Michael you are a sexist misogynist ass

Nancy

Agree 1000% Leila

Nancy

Sounds like Michael [Redacted] is in the club of sexual abusers and harassers.

Nancy

Hahahahahahah

Nancy

Michael go fuck yourself

Nancy

wow i'm sure it's not the first time you've been called a pig

Leila

Ah Michael. So, so goddamn stupid. And your reply to "go fuck yourself" is GOLDEN! There's a line for fucking yourself?  😂😂😂

Nancy

Had to block him. Too insane.

Leila

I did too.  But first I reported him to FB. So done with this BS.

Nancy

Oh good idea to report. Wow. WTH.

Nancy

Can you believe these guys?

Leila

Sickening!  The fact that they're OFFENDED by our outrage is indicative of what they're capable of.

Nancy
Yep. And trying to justify bad behavior as art. Misogyny at it's finest.

Leila

Yep.  Sickening and scary. He's definitely not alone in thinking along those lines.

Nancy

I had just blocked 2 other guys who basically were making the same argument.

Leila

We need more women in positions of power all across the board. Sigh.

Nancy

It's beyond belief that these guys not only try to justify it, but attack us with the same
venom.

Leila

I swear I can't take anymore of this misogyny and now with Orange Hitler coming at us I shudder to think what we'll be dealing with. We have to be louder and more vocal than ever before.

Nancy

YASSSSS AGREE!!  It's unreal what we're up against.

My own argument on this matter will be presented in a video essay for my forthcoming YouTube channel, Anthony The Watcher.