HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Interact with your favorite SCM authors, producers, directors, historians, archivists and silent comedy savants. Or just read along. Whatever.
Richard M Roberts
Godfather
Posts: 2895
Joined: Sun May 31, 2009 6:30 pm

HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Jun 13, 2017 1:14 am

Here's a Hallroom Boys Comedy, released by CBC December 6, 1922, featuring Zip Monberg (as George Williams) and Sid Smith, directed by Al Santell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yHfY0IzN2c


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Joe Migliore
Cugine
Posts: 194
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 1:57 pm

Re: HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Postby Joe Migliore » Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:17 am

Bud Jamison at the very end! Has there yet been anything published on The Hall Room Boys? I've been using the guide from COLUMBIA SHORT DEPARTMENT. http://columbiashortsdept.weebly.com/th ... -boys.html

John Bengtson
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:58 pm

Re: HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Postby John Bengtson » Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:51 pm

The building stunt scenes were filmed above the Hill Street Tunnel (see URL below), but remarkably the scene where they start climbing the building from street level, at 9:48, is the Dresden Apartment, the very same building, same camera angles, appearing early in Safety Last!, when Harold's friend Bill Strother, the human spider, climbs a building to escape the cop Noah Young. Safety Last! was filmed the latter half of 1922, which begs the question, who copied whom using this street level building as a location? The first floor was fairly easy to climb. Who knew about it, and used it, first?

Image

https://silentlocations.wordpress.com/2013/10/31/las-early-hills-tunnels-preserved-in-noir-silent-comedies/

John Bengtson
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:58 pm

Re: HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Postby John Bengtson » Thu Jun 15, 2017 6:14 pm

My sense is Lloyd used the setting first, as Strother climbed the 12-story International Bank Building for Safety Last! on September 17, 1922, and thus likely climbed the Dresden much earlier that summer. The Hall Room Boys released 16 shorts in 1922, every 3-4 weeks, with High Flyers debuting on December 6, suggesting it was filmed in the fall. The High Flyers finale was filmed above the Hill Street Tunnel, the same as Lloyd used for Never Weaken and other stunt films. How did two film companies both become aware of the Dresden?

Here's my post about Bill Strother climbing the Dresden for Safety Last!

https://silentlocations.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/solved-at-last-the-safety-last-mystery-building/

John Bengtson
Posts: 182
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2013 3:58 pm

Re: HIGH FLYERS (1922) Sid Smith, Zip Monberg

Postby John Bengtson » Wed Jun 21, 2017 10:25 pm



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 38 guests