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THE STAGE HAND is one Langdon title I have trouble tolerating. Two of my favorites are KNIGHT DUTY 1933 and LOVE HONOR AND OBEY (THE LAW!) * 1936. The cat and canary gag is a highlight. (I believe LOVE was shot on the Educational lot for Goodyear.) * My 1935 Kodak ** printdown with opening titles f...

In my experience with audiences, the Marx Brothers version is one of those rare examples where a classic comedy scene plays better in more intimate viewings -- without a large crowd. The lack of background music (or even ambient noises) during the mirror routine in DUCK SOUP tends to make movie aud...

No debate there. Best-written book on classic comedy to date. Still relevant and inspirational. The chapter on "The Big Store" is approximately 50x funnier than the film. Even the footnotes are richly entertaining. ("What're YOU reading footnotes for? You waiting for a bus?") Som...

Richard M Roberts wrote:and what evidence have we that Frank Capra "partially directed" TRAMP TRAMP TRAMP"?

For that matter, what evidence have we that COUNSEL ON DE FENCE is "riotous?"

Michael

As a teaser, at what point does the Langdon charater that we know begin appearing on stage? As best as I can determine, based on the written evidence, Langdon the innocent man-child made his tentative debut no later than 1916, in Johnny's New Car . I say "tentative" because it took him ab...

Twenty years on stage perfecting one act and he never felt compelled to refer back to it in any of his silent or sound movies? Well, we'll set aside the fact that, as part of his divorce settlement with Rose, SHE got the performance rights to much of their vaudeville material.... Thing is, Langdon ...

What exactly is this and where was it released? I've seen lobby cards that imply it's a retitled reissue of "The Golden Age of Comedy." And I've seen other lobby cards saying Chaplin is in it, and also Peter Sellers (who seems to be the only "Now" comic to be billed). Both sets o...

What were the feature film comedies that people were flocking to? Those starring Beery & Hatton ? Definitely not! Unfortunately, I don't have the exact date for this 1928 column in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle ... but their movie critic Martin Dickstein had this news to report: "While we're in...

Richard, A very belated thank you. You may have "a life" beyond Facebook, but I suspect our lives would be all the poorer without your Kodascope collection. And I would post images like that here, if I had the tech savvy that comes so naturally to others here. Until then: Here is a link to...

Gary, forgive me for chiming in here. I wasn't involved with M&M, but have done projects of this ilk before, and can share my own experience as they pertain to your questions. I live in Northern Virginia. Fifteen years ago, I did an "Unsolved Mysteries" about George (Superman) Reeves; ...