A SMALL TOWN HERO (1922) Little Napoleon, Hilliard Karr

[Richard M Roberts]

Harry Burns was the editor of the Hollywood Filmograph, one of the better trade papers of the times, especially in getting out info on silent comedies, and he was married to Dorothy Vernon, Bobby's Mom. Yet before he started the Filmograph, Harry had been a short-careered Director of comedies with monkeys in them, first a handful of the last Joe Martin comedies for Universal, then a short series of Iris Comedies, released on the states-rights market by Anchor Distributing in 1922.

This is one of those Iris Comedies, featuring Little Napoleon, a chimpanzee who may or may not have been a relation of Napoleon and Sally, but seems to be dresses to look as much like Snooky the Chimp as possible. also along for the rise is kid-actor Walter Wilkinson, Hilliard Karr, Lillian Biron, Jack Duffy, and Harry Burns gives his wife Dorothy a part as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G34zypT2cZA

Remember, there was a period in the early 20's when Monkey Comedies were a big deal at the box office, those Snooky the Chimps and Joe Martin comedies were amazingly popular, hard to believe as it is today.


RICHARD M ROBERTS