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The OUR GANG talkies loved under-cranking everytime the kids were being chased by cops, dog-catchers, carnival cannibals and even low-life Son-In-Laws trying to steal their Grandma's life savings. The series even indulged in over-cranking (is that the technical term?) in SHIVERING SHAKESPEARE in or...

Well, I might have joined the bandwagon here save for the promise of scantilly-clad Max Davidson & Spec O'Donnell. Thoes cheesekake shots alone should be worth the price of the book. Wait until you see the photo of Charley Chase dressed in a girl's bathing suit on p. 103, Agnes. With pictures l...

Ben Blue hops and twitches around as if something's nibbling on his bum. Billy Gilbert and Clyde Cook are real funny in these. too bad Cook didn't do more. Wonder if Del Lord was one of the first directors from the silent era to re-introduce under cranking in sound comedies for comic effect. I don'...

Really enjoy those Taxi Boy's comedies. WHAT PRICE TAXI? being one of my favorites. Del Lord did a great job on these, bringing his cartoony, surrealistic comic world in them. The first few, like THUNDERING TAXIS and WHAT PRICE TAXI are total gems. Unfortunately the series goes downhill fast when H...

I haven't started reading Richard's book yet, so forgive me if this is covered in it. Was watching 1932's "What Price Taxi" last night and was wondering what was going on with the bits which seem to be shot silent and sound dubbed in, totally silent scenes with music, and straight filmed ...

I have yet to see an attractive portrait of Texas Guinan in any book. Did she look any better on celluoid? No. I wasn't aware that when Swain left Sennett he took his Ambrose character with him. I think of him more as a character acter than a lead comic. Swain played Ambrose in both L-KO Comedies a...

Some have been asking, so here's a few of the things that were shown and identified: Well, lets see, there was a Texas Guinan short, SPIRIT OF CABIN MINE (Frohman Amusement Company 1918). Two Hallroom Boys Comedies: 1. DAY BY DAY IN EVERY WAY (1923) with Al Alt and George Williams (Zip Monberg) 2. P...

Haven't done one of these in awhile. Here's one for the 1927 Adolph Menjou Paramount Comedy: A GENTLEMAN OF PARIS I have very mixed emotions about this film. A GENTLEMAN OF PARIS should be one of those glistening bright, Parisian-set, decked-out Adolph Menjou vehicles with silk-clad women and silk-h...

Orson Welles will go down as one of the great raconteurs of his time. Whether he was on a late night talk show or just pausing in the street to speak with a fan, he could keep anyone enthralled. When did these recorded conversations take place, the early 1980's? The interesting matter concerning VE...

Here's another rare Dumont show that starred Roscoe Karns that lasted for a good chunk of Dumonts run. Karns apparently wrote a number of these shows as well.










RICHARD M ROBERTS