SilentComedyMafia.com

As none of you know I am a lover of early film and collector of same. Be it the movies themselves or books and other ephemera, all find a home in my........umm, home.
Being a rather magnanimous sort, I have decided to share with you my thoughts on various items in my vast collection (now reaching upwards to 4 things) and hope you gain valuable knowledge and appreciation from my giving nature. Try to be worthy.




Doug Fairbanks "Laugh and Live" (Britton Publishing Company, second printing April 25, 1917)

Yeah, I really couldn't get through the thing. All full of 'be happy' horsehooey. %80 Piffle.
It did have a paragraph on the classic 'Mystery of the Leaping Fish' however.

"The Mystery of the Leaping Fish" was what is known as a "water picture," and "Doug", as a comedy detective, was compelled to make a human submarine of himself, not to mention several duels in the dark with Japanese thugs and opium smugglers.
"Another day of it," he grinned, "and I'd have grown fins." (p. 175)


R. Joseph Physician

Next up is;
Lillian Ross "MOMENTS WITH CHAPLIN" (Dodd, Meade and Co. 1980)



Of this book I am suspect. Awfully full recollection Miss Ross has.
I proffer from page 32, "Chaplin clasped his hands behind his back as we passed the Scribner Bookstore. "I used to haunt the secondhand-book shops in those days," he said. " I was pretty lonesome. It was the most terrible lonesomeness I've ever felt, that first year in New York, I planted myself right in the middle of Broadway. I didn't know how to function at all......"

Unless you have a photographic memory how in the hell can someone remember verbatim what someone said?? I loved my wife but I could not tell you what she said just 2 minutes after she stopped talking.
Maybe that's why we are no longer yoked.

Nice story but I don't buy it Mrs. Ross. Keep in mind this book was first printed in The New Yorker. Well, there you have it.

ok. Since you all are behaving yourselves so far I shall reward you with another.



Harry Geduld CHAPLINANIA: A COMMENTARY ON CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S 81 MOVIES. VOLUME I--THE KEYSTONE FILMS

I like this book. It made me re-run all of the Keystone Chaplins I have; over 120. Yes I know he only made 35? (going from memory here) but I buy every set put in front of my eyes because I'm hoping an extant copy of 'Her Friend The Bandit' magically pops up. I'm also pretty much a sucker.
Man were these Keystones played around with. Geduld goes into great detail in regards to the various versions and gives a shot by shot synopsis of all of Chaplins Keystones. This was supposed to be vol. 1 but apparently Harry lost interest. The last I heard of him he was still a professor professing somewhere in some college.

Thanks for that quote about "Fish" from Laugh and Live. I have it too and would never have gotten to page 175. Whatta mind-numbing slog thru a swamp of drivel! But he must a sold a zillion copies because you can pick one up in any used bookstore for a song.

Rob, how true, how true. Got mine for a buck. Shipping was 4 times as much as the book itself.
Here is another book 'by' Dougie...........



MAKING LIFE WORTH WHILE G.I. edition, near fine with dust jacket. (I paid almost 2 clams for this beauty. They wanted $250.00 but they were having a 25% off sale. Damn I love sales.)

See post below (Laugh and Love). Same shit, different book. Actually different shit as well just more of it. Self help books are nothing new I guess.
Interesting story about this edition however. Apparently 2 versions exist. This is the more rare that was smaller in size and sent overseas to our boys (US) during the later days of WW1. Contains nice 'candid' pics of Sir Douglas and offers for sale pamphlet sized booklets at the end of the book which are just individual chapters of the same book. I guess bleeding people dry is nothing new either.

R. Joseph Physician wrote:ok. Since you all are behaving yourselves so far I shall reward you with another.



Harry Geduld CHAPLINANIA: A COMMENTARY ON CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S 81 MOVIES. VOLUME I--THE KEYSTONE FILMS

On the strength of your recommendation, I purchased a copy (from Abebooks for $15). I'm enjoying it so far, but it irks me no end that Geduld "times" each film at 16 fps. I shudder to think that's how he watched them.

Michael

That's cool Mr. Hayde!! I hope you enjoy it.

For those still reading.......


Eric James MAKING MUSIC WITH CHARLIE CHAPLIN Music Associate to Sir Charles Chaplin

Short read but pretty good. James worked with Chaplin on the re-releases in the 50's, putting scores to his eariler masterpieces.
#71 in the Scarecrow Filmakers series.
Gives some new insight into Chaplins exiled years at Manoir de Ban in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland where Chaplin raised 147 children with his latest wife. Strange that Oona was of age when they met.
(That joking comment got me booted off a different silent movie forum 2 years ago. Some people have no sense of humor,..... strange when you consider the subject.)

Seriously, this is a good quick read.
A quote..........

"I was also, from time to time, able to prevent him making an even graver error, that of unintentional plagiarism. Now and then he would greet me in the morning with a happy smile and, switching on his little tape recorder, eagerly study my face as he played over the outline of a melody. Often at the end he would glower and say, "I can see by your face that you don't think much of it." I would reply, "on the contrary Charlie, I think it's absolutely wonderful but what a pity that Tchaikovsky thought of it before you did." (page 72)