Nitrateville Answer Dept: Herb Graff Silent Comedy Film Festival

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Richard M Roberts
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Nitrateville Answer Dept: Herb Graff Silent Comedy Film Festival

Postby Richard M Roberts » Fri Sep 02, 2016 2:04 pm

Someone put up a query over at Nitratevile:

http://www.nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22777

Herb Graff's show was a terrific presentation of rare silent comedy films peppered with great interviews with the likes of Adolph Green, Leonard Maltin, John Cocchi, and Walter Kerr talking about the various comedians showcased. I had the great fortune to see the show here in Phoenix (Herb later said that the only two public television stations it ran on were New York and Phoenix). Herb devoted one program to Lloyd Hamilton, where he showed MOVE ALONG, CRUSHED, HOOKED, and wrapped with THE CAMERAMAN with Billy Franey, turning me into a lifelong fan of all those films. There were also programs devoted to Chaplin, Keaton, Charley Chase, a Hal Roach and Sennett program, a dozen or so total. I remember seeing gems like WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO? FRAIDY CAT, A TEN-MINUTE EGG, TAXI SPOOKS, WHISPERING WHISKERS, many more there.

I remember the music Herb used to accompany the films included the soundtrack to Robert Youngson's DAYS OF THRILLS AND LAUGHTER, and for the Chaplin Mutuals he showed, he used Darius Milhaud's LE BOEUF SUR LE TOIT, which Milhaud had composed for a Chaplin comedy in the late teens, and it made me go out and buy the American Nonesuch Records release of the recording, which was conducted by Milhaud himself, I have used it to accompany Chaplin shorts ever since.

I did record on audio tape some of the interview portions of the show, especially the Walter Kerr interviews, but I don't think I have the Adolph Green interviews. Herb and Adolph were great friends, and fellow film buffs.

It was indeed a very important show in my life, I have always said that we have Public Television to thank for the creation of so many of our aged film buffs today, shows like Herb's, along with other NET/PBS programs like THE TOY THAT GREW UP, THE SILENT YEARS, THEY WENT THAT-A-WAY, FILM ODYSSEY, THE MEN WHO MADE THE MOVIES, as well as their showing the Kevin Brownlow Documentaries later on turned on so many of our ilk to this material.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

William Ferry
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Re: Nitrateville Answer Dept: Herb Graff Silent Comedy Film Festival

Postby William Ferry » Fri Sep 02, 2016 7:07 pm

I remember these shows well! They were always a highlight of the Christmas and Easter seasons on WNET (Channel 13) in NY. This was back when there was educational programming for schools during the day, so school vacation time was always when this alternate programming was scheduled. When I recall the Chaplin films Herb showed, I always think of the song THE PHILANDERER...


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