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I haven't had been on in eons, but I finally had a chance to scan two Charley Bowers production stills I acquired last year. They weren't marked, but I immediately recognized them as being from THERE IT IS (1928), with Charley Bowers and Buster Brodie at the right with the grandfather clock. To me the most fascinating thing was seeing H.L. Muller, and some pretty strong evidence (for anyone who still doubted it) on his prominent role in the Bowers productions. It's also great to get a rare glimpse at an Educational production truck.

Great photos, thanks for sharing!

Brent:
Those Bowers stills are so fascinating I had to share the link with my good friends (and Bowers fans) Nick and Toni.
Here's a message Toni asked me to post:

"From Toni Carey:

Dear Brent: Those stills are amazing! As a huge Bowers fan myself, I really appreciate your generosity
in posting them online. I know you mention them as being from Charley's short "There It Is",
but I think they are actually from the lost short entitled Goofy Birds. Here's why, years ago
our friend, Rich Finegan (also an avid Bowers fan) gave us the most amazing original press
kit for a lost Bowers Film called "Goofy Birds". Here is a copy of the front page image (coming up in a separate post)-- that is the
same outfit Bowers is wearing in the two stills you posted. He doesn't wear that crazy furry
outfit in "There It Is" so I think your incredible stills might be from there.

The neat thing about most Bowers fans I've met is that we're all willing to share. If you'd like
to trade scans, please contact me thru our website http://www.tonickproductions.com (there's a link
to contact TONICK -- that's my husband Nick and myself) and we can trade scans.

I also looked into where Charley Bowers was buried recently and it appears, after a bunch
of phone calls to the cemeteries listed as holding his grave (and the cemeteries surrounding
that one) that he is -- if you'll pardon the reference to an old Bowers cartoon -- AWOL. I've always
wanted to see if it would be possible to put together a nicer gravestone for him, one
with an etching of his face surrounded by some of his characters. Unfortunately, the cemeteries
I spoke with all told me the same thing, if I'm not a relative and can't prove I own the grave,
I can't put anything there, even if I could find it. I tried to explain there are no known living
relatives of Bowers but it's all a moot point since I couldn't even find his grave. Does anyone
else have any leads on where he might be buried?

I'm sorry to everyone that Nick and I fell off the earth the last year and a half or so but those
that know us understand we had two devastating deaths in our immediate family after unexpected
protracted illnesses. The deaths caused some legal issues so it's been quite a ride but we're getting
back to a new normal now and expect to be at the 4/112 Napoleon showing in San Francisco. So
if anyone else is going, contact us thru our site if you'd like to meet up.

Best to you all! - Toni (and Nick of course)

P.S. I had to ask our friend, Rich Finegan, to post this because when
I tried to create a new account on your site, the request was denied."

And a P.S. from Rich F. -
Those Bowers Educational Press Sheets I gave Nick and Toni are genuine originals from 1928 - NOT the LoC copyright deposit microfilm copies we all have!
They deserve the REAL THING!

Thanks to Toni and Steve Massa (via my Facebook post) for recognizing that it is GOOFY BIRDS, not THERE IT IS. I thought it was THERE IT IS because of the grandfather clock, but remembered that scene is indoors (even though it has similar outdoors locations, and also Buster Brody in a nutty costume).

I'm posting the press sheet, which both Toni and Steve sent me. Also the second page which Steve sent:

Here's the second page:

I corrected the main header as well to show GOOFY BIRDS rather than THERE IT IS.

Brent Walker wrote:I corrected the main header as well to show GOOFY BIRDS rather than THERE IT IS.

I fixed it on the subject line of my post too!

Brent and Rich,

Thank you both for sharing these terrific stills and the pressbooks...there's a world of silent comedy discoveries that's still waiting out there!