Search found 58 matches

by Chris Snowden
Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:15 am
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: The Reviews Are In
Replies: 3
Views: 7545

The Reviews Are In

The reception that Chaplin's The Gold Rush received from small-town audiences wasn't necessarily what you'd expect. For anyone who might be interested, dozens of exhibitor reviews for the film--- terse, but to the point--- are at my blog this week, at: http://thesilentmovieblog.wordpress.com/2011/01...
by Chris Snowden
Sat Dec 04, 2010 12:34 pm
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Is CITY LIGHTS a great comedy?
Replies: 13
Views: 21852

Re: Is CITY LIGHTS a great comedy?

Chaplin succeeds in showing he has triumphed in his sacrifice because the Girl can now see, but we have no idea at all whether he triumphs in LOVE because he won't take the chance and go beyond that ending scene. As Orson Welles once said, sometimes you get a happy ending because you're really just...
by Chris Snowden
Sat Dec 04, 2010 3:24 am
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Is CITY LIGHTS a great comedy?
Replies: 13
Views: 21852

Re: Is CITY LIGHTS a great comedy?

Oh don’t be silly, of course CITY LIGHTS is a comedy. That said, I will have to admit that it has never been as high on my Chaplin favorite list as it seems to be with others. I think it is technically the sloppiest of Chaplin’s prime works, looking like something pieced together in dribs and drabs...
by Chris Snowden
Tue Sep 28, 2010 11:09 pm
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Searching for Info on Silent Film Company
Replies: 4
Views: 8869

Re: Searching for Info on Silent Film Company

I received an e-mail from someone asking about a silent film company called "Pyramid Pictures, Inc." I haven't heard of it and wondered if anyone here knew anything about its history. The person has a Syndicate Profit Sharing Agreement dated August 1921 and wants to learn more about the c...
by Chris Snowden
Tue Sep 28, 2010 10:50 pm
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Katherine Grant
Replies: 7
Views: 13661

Re: Katherine Grant

I always liked Katherine Grant in the Chase and Laurel shorts. Chris, that's not her in the photo - was it supposed to be? LOL SteveR Well, that's the ID on the back of the photo, but I think you're right. Let's try this one -- http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii286/Unknown_Video/GrantKatherine-1...
by Chris Snowden
Mon Sep 20, 2010 10:33 pm
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Katherine Grant
Replies: 7
Views: 13661

Re: Katherine Grant

Can anyone find and post some stills or portraits of her that are more representative of her than that one accompanying the article? Here's one--- http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii286/Unknown_Video/GrantKatherine.jpg As struggling young actresses in the early 1920s, Grant and Esther Ralston wer...
by Chris Snowden
Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:34 am
Forum: SOUND COMEDY MAIN
Topic: George Jessel?
Replies: 21
Views: 40798

Re: George Jessel?

In New York, vaudeville took forever to die out. Besides personal appearances, Jessel was the dean of after-dinner speakers in the NYC showbiz community. For years, I heard about the legendary "owl story" that he used to tell, that people would beg him to tell. It was the untoppable story ...
by Chris Snowden
Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:13 am
Forum: SILENT COMEDY MAIN
Topic: Raymond Griffith
Replies: 27
Views: 43727

Re: Raymond Griffith

Other folks have made some of the points I was going to suggest. In small roles, Griffith does liven up some otherwise bland films; often, those films only come to life when he's onscreen, and the one with Clara Bow is a perfect example. I think that Sherlock Holmes is a greater creation than any of...
by Chris Snowden
Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:25 pm
Forum: Books, DVDs, Broadcasts & Screenings
Topic: Presenting NICKELODIA #3
Replies: 3
Views: 8951

Re: Presenting NICKELODIA #3

Paul F Etcheverry wrote:Chris - any chance you'll bring a few copies to Niles?


Sorry, Paul... I don't get out to Niles much anymore!
by Chris Snowden
Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:06 pm
Forum: Books, DVDs, Broadcasts & Screenings
Topic: Presenting NICKELODIA #3
Replies: 3
Views: 8951

Presenting NICKELODIA #3

There's a new Unknown Video DVD release now, the third edition in the Nickelodia series. This one's a special all-comedy edition, spotlighting some of the leading comedy series of the American nickelodeon era. There are a pair of Biographs here, both directed (however reluctantly) by D. W. Griffith:...