Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Interact with your favorite SCM authors, producers, directors, historians, archivists and silent comedy savants. Or just read along. Whatever.
David Denton
Capo
Posts: 180
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:37 am

Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby David Denton » Tue Mar 01, 2016 12:51 am

Here is a scene, 4 and 3/4 minutes long, supposedly from KING, QUEEN AND JOKER (Paramount/Famous Players-Lasky 1921 directed by Syd). Very Chaplinesque (pun intended). I do not know the survival status of the film; according to the LOC database, part of it survives in a foreign archive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJaD0s ... y-&index=7
Last edited by David Denton on Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Mar 01, 2016 1:59 am

Numerous reels of rough footage from KING,QUEEN,JOKER are in the Chaplin Archives Collection housed at the BFI, I was fortunate to get to look at a decent bit of it in London more than a decade ago, there was actually enough of it to be able to reconstruct quite a bit of the film if one chose.

Looking at this clip, there are some blurry end credits that indicate that this has been done, certainly in regards to this clip, one wonders if this is an ongoing project?


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Gary Johnson
Cugine
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:15 am
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Gary Johnson » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:35 am

I felt like I was watching an unknown outtake from SUNNYSIDE, except that Syd's acting seemed to be aping his brothers' more broadly played performing style from his various home movies of the time. I'm curious why reels from this film were in the Chaplin archive. Could it be because portions of its plot turned up in THE GREAT DICTATOR? Along with its barber shop scene?

If there is a reconstruction of this feature going on, wouldn't someone be promoting it?

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Richard M Roberts » Wed Mar 02, 2016 6:58 am

Gary Johnson wrote:I felt like I was watching an unknown outtake from SUNNYSIDE, except that Syd's acting seemed to be aping his brothers' more broadly played performing style from his various home movies of the time. I'm curious why reels from this film were in the Chaplin archive. Could it be because portions of its plot turned up in THE GREAT DICTATOR? Along with its barber shop scene?

If there is a reconstruction of this feature going on, wouldn't someone be promoting it?



I have to correct myself on that, the outtakes on KING QUEEN JOKER are at the BFI, but they're actually from the Rohauer Collection, this was more of the stuff Rollie Totheroh backdoored to the infamous RR along with the Mutual outtakes when clearing out the Chaplin vaults in the 50's. I did a bit of checking yesterday to see if there was finally a restoration or recutting of the footage into some sort of coherent narrative in the works, and apparently this is not the case. Apparently this clip and several others were prepared for a presentation of some of this footage at a British Film Festival (I think it was Nottingham) sometime in the mid-zeros.

The clip reminded me of what has always been my opinion of Syd Chaplin, he had his Brother's moves, timing, the same Karno background and training, but he just does not connect with the audience and break through that fourth wall the way Charlie does. It always seemed to me Syd had too much to hide to look the camera and the audience in the eye.

And as far as this footage turning up in the Chaplin vaults, it was basically an independent Chaplin family production, released by Paramount. I was always convinced that Syd Chaplin basically travelled around the European continent using profits from Brother Charlie's films frozen in various countries to shoot this film, it took quite awhile to make, and put together, and finally release, and from all reports it was a mess, and certainly not a success with either audiences or critics. I do remember seeing some elaborate scenes in the footage I saw, including an elaborate airplane stunt sequence that sadly did not come off, causing an accident that apparently killed the pilot, the tragic crash caught on film.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Gary Johnson
Cugine
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:15 am
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Gary Johnson » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:05 pm

That story sounds apropos to many of Syd's independent productions. Some disaster always seems to strike. Wasn't he bankrupt more than once in life?

Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Mar 03, 2016 4:08 am

Gary Johnson wrote:That story sounds apropos to many of Syd's independent productions. Some disaster always seems to strike. Wasn't he bankrupt more than once in life?



Syd was not one to allow a bankruptcy or business failure interfere with his or Brother Charlie's financial well-being. Considering his last visible means of employment was in 1928, Syd lived very well and quite comfortably until he died in 1965, he seemed to have made both himself and his Brother extremely flush while avoiding paying as much income tax as possible. I've always figured Charlie ended up in Switzerland just to be closer to the Chaplin Family fortunes.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Gary Johnson
Cugine
Posts: 656
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:15 am
Location: Sonoma, CA
Contact:

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:31 pm

Syd's niece Betty was quoted as saying, "He was very clever with money". When his first wife had a botched nose job in the 1920's, Syd sued and won a substantial settlement. That money was smartly invested and, for some reason, he had the foresight to pull out of the stock market just months before its collapse. That must have been part of his 'clever with money' ability. I get why he never bothered to work after that. A person could easily live off a million dollars back then. What has rarely been talked about is that the sound film he was working on in 1930 that got aborted from his sex scandal (the nipple bite) was to be a version of MUMMING BIRDS. That's a bit of a loss, I would say.

Tommie Hicks
Capo
Posts: 162
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:11 pm

Re: Syd Chaplin clip 1921 KING, QUEEN, JOKER

Postby Tommie Hicks » Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:44 am

Gary Johnson wrote:What has rarely been talked about is that the sound film he was working on in 1930 that got aborted from his sex scandal (the nipple bite) was to be a version of MUMMING BIRDS. That's a bit of a loss, I would say.


That's what she said.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests