Lots 'o Silent Comedies in the Preservation Pipeline

[Rob Farr]

This has been floating around Facebook for a few days, but no one has yet posted it here. EYE Institute posted a list of upcoming future preservation projects and there are a substantial number of obscure silent comedies. I'm most excited about The Village Chestnut since that is one of the few survivors from Sennett's Paramount period. Here's the link and the full list for your perusal:

EYE Project: Films Slated for Preservation in 2014. The NFPF will contribute preservation funding for those titles marked with an asterisk.

The Backyard* (Jimmy Aubrey Productions, Vitagraph Company of America, 1920), comedy featuring Oliver Hardy as “the ruffian.” Thanks to the Library of Congress for cofunding the preservation of this title with the NFPF.

Bashful Charley’s Proposal (Universal Joker Company, 1916), comedy, set on a houseboat, involving look-alike brothers who court a widow and her daughter. Thanks to the Library of Congress for funding the preservation of this title.

[Chicago rodeo]* (S&E Enterprises, 1920), remarkable footage from Tex Austin’s rodeo show, held in Chicago’s Grant Park in July 1920 and featuring appearances by Ruth Roach, Foghorn Clancy, “Yiddish Cowboy” Dizzy Izzy Broad, and a fearless (though slightly injured) cameraman. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Clarence Cheats at Croquet* (Thanhouser Film Corporation, 1916), comedy in which a romantic rival stretches the rules and gets his just desserts. Thanks to Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. for co-funding the preservation of this title with the NFPF.

The Crystal Ascension* (Kiser Studios, 1923), exploration of Mt. Hood’s Eliot Glacier, Oregon’s largest glacier, as filmed by Kiser Studios. To be preserved by the Oregon Historical Society.

The Dairy Industry and the Canning of Milk* (Libby, McNeal and Libby?, 1917), industry film detailing the canning of condensed milk at Libby, McNeal and Libby’s state-of-the-art facility in Whitewater, Wisconsin. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

The Darling of the C.S.A.* (Kalem Company, 1912), tale of a daring crossdressing spy, played by Anna Q. Nilsson, who defies capture to secure explosives for the Confederates. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Fifty Million Years Ago* (Service Film Corp, 1925), introduction to the theory of evolution told through animation. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Fine Paper* (Strathmore Papers?, ca. 1917), industrial short showing how the Strathmore Paper Company of Massachusetts made its celebrated rag paper. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Flaming Canyons* (Castle Films, 1929), stencil-colored travelogue promoting the wonders of Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

From Ore to Finished Product, Reel 4* (National Tube Company, 1917?), tour of the community betterment projects of the Pennsylvania manufacturer (later a founding member of US Steel), prepared as the final installment of a comprehensive film survey of company operations. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

A Knight of Daze (Fox Film Corporation, 1928), comedy, with Tyler Brooke as Van Bibber, set at a self-service men’s salon. Thanks to the Library of Congress for funding the preservation of this title.

Koko’s Queen (Fleischer Studios, 1926), mind-boggling Out of the Inkwell cartoon in which Koko designs his ideal woman. Thanks to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for funding the preservation of this title.

The Last Word in Chickens* (Fox Film Corporation, 1924), survey of modern egg production and poultry raising techniques, as demonstrated on a large Long Island farm. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Mickey’s Circus (Larry Darmour Productions, 1927), comedy featuring Mickey Rooney, in his first starring role, as the ringmaster of a kids’ circus. Thanks to the Library of Congress for funding the preservation of this title.

A Model Husband* (Victor Film Company, 1916), tale in which the moral failings of a “model husband” are unmasked by prohibitionists. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

A Mountain Ranch* (Dodge Bros., 1923?), scenic profile of a Colorado sheep ranch and its environs. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Neptune’s Naughty Daughter (Century Comedies, 1917), comedy about a fisherman’s daughter who defies her father and falls for a sailor. This Library of Congress-funded restoration will also involve materials from the British Film Institute.

Patsy’s Elopement* (Lubin Manufacturing Company, 1915), the ninth installment in the Patsy Bolivar series, featuring Clarence Elmer as the guy who never seems to do anything right. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Red Saunders’ Sacrifice* (Lubin Manufacturing Company, 1912), Western in which the bandit braves capture to fetch a doctor for his sweetheart’s mother. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A Smash-Up in China* (International Film Service [Hearst],1919), a Happy Hooligan cartoon directed by Gregory La Cava. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A Trip Though Lassen Volcanic National Park* (A. Phillips & J. J. Hammer?, 1918?), tour of California’s active volcano two years after the area was made a national park. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Uncommon Clay* (Fox Film Corporation, 1925), survey of America’s art pottery heritage from Acoma Pueblo to Rookwood Pottery. To be preserved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Village Chestnut* (Mack Sennett Comedies, 1918), comedy about tangled classroom romances, directed by Raymond Griffith and starring Chester Conklin and Louise Fazenda. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

When Ciderville Went Dry* (Esperanto Film Mfg. Co., 1915), temperance spoof that is thought to be the only surviving work from the Esperanto Film Manufacturing Company of Detroit. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Who’s Who* (Essanay Film Mfg. Co., 1910), comedy of mistaken identity, involving a minister and prizefighter—both with the initials S.O.B.—who arrive into town on the same train. To be preserved by the Library of Congress.

[Gary Johnson]

This looks like Day 2 of a SLAPSTICON schedule....

[Richard M Roberts]

This looks like Day 2 of a SLAPSTICON schedule....

Oh yeah, we're always hot to book those paper-making, milk-canning, and egg-laying documentaries.


RICHARD M ROBERTS (really, precious preservation dollars best spent on THE DAIRY INDUSTRY AND THE CANNING OF MILK?)