APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

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Richard M Roberts
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APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Dec 02, 2014 7:47 pm

In case you missed it when we ran it at Slapsticon last year, here is the last reel of the early Mermaid comedy with Lloyd Hamilton, directed by Charles Parrott:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c3jOnW ... YSgbaXkbYw


Which now also allows me to bring a question before the mafia, regarding one character in this film. Go to around the 3:50 point, and take a gander at the fellow playing the heavily made-up seaman who does the bit with Ham shooting sausages at the fish out the porthole. Could that possibly be Stan Laurel? I wondered this the time I first saw it, and looking at it more closely here, it still sets some of those bells ringing. The light blue eyes, the ears, the chin, and the moves, all point a possible in that direction. Yet he's heavily made up, and may be too tall, which makes me also think it could be Albert Austin, yet the look to the camera is very like Laurel.

And more interestingly, that actor seems to not appear again, and it then looks like Charles Parrott wearing that seamans outfit and makeup when he puts on the water wings and dives off the ship at the end.

Your thoughts.........


RICHARD M ROBERTS

William Ferry
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby William Ferry » Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:21 pm

I'm in agreement - more so Stan Laurel rather than Austin, and the second is assuredly Charles Parrott.

Gary Johnson
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:05 am

So why are we not assuming that it is Chase playing the role throughout?
Besides, wouldn't Laurel had been back working vaudeville at this time?

Richard M Roberts
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:01 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:So why are we not assuming that it is Chase playing the role throughout?
Besides, wouldn't Laurel had been back working vaudeville at this time?



No, in actuality, the dates rather make it a possibility. Laurel was back in Hollywood sometime in late September, after busily tourIng in Vaudeville on the East Coast. He didn't hook up with G. M. Anderson until probably December,1920, so go figure Stan was trying to scrounge up some more picture work before then. APRIL FOOL was released November 21, 1920, and as Jack White was just getting production up on the Mermaid Comedies in late Summer, it is likely the film was shot in late October-early November as they hadn't had time to build up any sort of backlog.

Stan certainly knew the Parrott Brothers by that time, if not before,he'd have met them while doing those five shorts for Rolin in 1918-19 as they were both doing day player work there at the time (James Parrott is in JUST RAMBLING ALONG), so it makes sense that Stan might have looked Charley up and got invited over to do a bit in the short that day.

Why are we assuming it isn't Chase playing the role throughout? C'mon Johnson, you're not that blind, it's DEFINITELY not Chase in that interior scene at the porthole. However heavily made up, it's definitely somebody other than Chase. Heck, that water wings bit with Chase is not even Chase's first part in the film. He appeared in the first reel in the wallet bit with Hamilton as well.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Paul E. Gierucki
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Paul E. Gierucki » Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:21 pm

Interesting, Richard! I see the strong resemblance too.

Here are a few frame grabs:

Image

Image

Image

Image


-------------------------------------------------

Digging further, here is Stan Laurel's 1920 vaudeville schedule:

December 29, 1919 – January 3, 1920
Denver, CO

January 17
Waco TX

January 19 – 24
San Antonio, TX

January 31
Witchita Falls, TX

February 2 – 7
Dallas, TX

February 28
Brooklyn, NY

March 6
NYC

March 27
London, Ontario

April 10
Toronto, Ontario

April 17
Hamilton, Ontario

April 24
NYC

May 1
NYC

May 8
Brooklyn

May 15
NYC

May 22
Fall River, MA

May 29
Springfield, MA

June 5
NYC

June 12
NYC

August 28
Hartford, CT

September 4
Bridgeport, CT

September 11
Scranton, PA

------------------------------------------

I am having some trouble determing heights because Hamilton crouches at the port hole,
then the other fellow does the same thing. For the record, Hamilton was 6ft, Laurel was 5'8.

The resemblance to Laurel here is undeniable, but there needs to be more photographic
comparisons before I am fully convinced.

(FYI, I revised my original post -- Richard made some strong arguments and I keep vascilating
on several points...)

Paul E. Gierucki

Richard M Roberts
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Dec 04, 2014 3:47 pm

To answer the height question, go to to the 3:58 point on the video, there the sailor character walks in front of Ham, and Ham (who has been crouching due to his arm being in the porthole) straightens up. When someone comes closer foreground to camera than someone behind them, they are going to appear taller than the person behind them if camera is level or slightly below them (as it is in this shot). At that point when Ham straightens up, he is obviously taller than the sailor character, even when he is in the background.



RICHARD M ROBERTS

Paul E. Gierucki
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Paul E. Gierucki » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:17 pm

Image

The Lucky Dog

Image

With a poorly doodled mustache

Steve Rydzewski
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Steve Rydzewski » Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:45 pm

Hi Si Com Lovers...

As much as I also thought the actor resembles Stan Laurel, I'm pretty sure it's comic/stuntman Owen Evans who worked almost everywhere but never got anywhere. I tried to find a still of him for verification in my collection with no luck. Maybe some of you film collectors have him in a short and can check. Besides appearing in some of Ben Turpin's Vogue comedies as well as the Rube Miller and Paddy McQuire Vogues, and others, I think Evans was in Laurel's "Mixed Nuts." By 1920, years of bumps and bruises kept Owens less active, physically.

Steve Rydzewski

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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:56 pm

As Bill Fields would say, nice Groucho Marx on Stan.....

I'm having problems with the nose on the mystery sailor. It seems more elongated and pointy than Laurels.

Richard M Roberts
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Re: APRIL FOOL (1920) reel two with Lloyd Hamilton

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Dec 05, 2014 1:02 am

Yeah, it could be Owen Evans, who plays two parts in the first part of MIXED NUTS (I'll try to get some frame grabs up later today), but again, I'm not sure there either. Evans gives Jack Hulbert a run for the money in the elongated and pointed chin department, and I just don't see that on the fellow in APRIL FOOL,it looks way more like Laurel's chin in profile, also Evans may be TOO tall to be the sailor, he's a real string bean and I'm thinkin' he's taller than Lloyd Hamilton, maybe six two or three, but if it ain't Laurel, Evans is a most likely bet, though again, I don't see Evans with Laurel's moves, and the moves are eerily Laurel-like.


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