Cinecon Review

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Bruce Calvert
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Cinecon Review

Postby Bruce Calvert » Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:17 pm

I had a delightful time at Cinecon 46 all weekend. The film lineup had very few turkeys. I was pleasantly surprised that there were more shorts, and they were almost all very good. I’m not a musical guy. There were more 1930s and early 1940s musical features than normal, but they were all good so I’m not complaining. I was bummed that the only mystery was the Claire Trevor film that was the last one shown, and I was already at the airport waiting for my plane when it screened. I loved both the “Matinee at the Bijou” concept and the Film Preservation program, and I hope that they are repeated.

Like most Cinecons, the collection of many films bring out unintended themes, and this one was no exception. The big theme this year was lying and keeping secrets, as at least half of the films had major plot points concerning this. Won’t these characters ever figure out “who their father/brother really is”, “who somebody really loves”, and “who’s really just in it for the money”?

Three films had themes of doubles or split personalities, usually with one good and another bad. And as usual William S. Hart was the bad guy in the first half of his film and the good guy in the second half.

I've reviewed the comedy films from Cinecon below...

Mack Sennett's Down on the Farm (1920) was originally a two-reeler that expanded to a feature, and it looked it. For a while I was wondering if there was even a plot to the film. However, Jimmy Finlayson was great as a slimy landlord who wanted to soil both Louise Fazenda's and Marie Prevost's reputation, and Ben Turpin had a great cameo appearance. Louise Fazenda is actually quite attractive when not in her "curl" get-up. The best gag was the note informing Louise that she had inherited $10,000. Phil Carli on the piano. (*½ )

The Peppery Salt was an O.K. Andy Clyde Columbia comedy. He inherits the "Admiral Dewey", which turns out to be a lunch counter instead of a ship. The best part of the film is when he accidentally hammers the lunch wagon onto a cargo ship, and it is pulled out to sea. This film directly steals the monkey-in-shoes-walking-around-the-ship gag from Harold Lloyd’s Kid Brother. (**)

Next was Harold Lloyd's The Freshman (1925) with granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd (and Annette Lloyd) in attendance. I've seen it several times, but it is a great crowd pleaser, especially in the "Fall Frolic" scene and the climactic football game. Having seen this film several times, the tackling-dummy and dance scenes can be tough to watch because all the characters are so mean to Harold. On the other hand, the tender scene of Harold crying on Jobyna’s lap is very touching. Before the feature was a funny video of Lloyd on the TV show "What's My Line?". (****)

I can finally say that I've seen a funny El Brendel film. His Wedding Scare (1943) was really funny. Ole (Brendel) gets married to Louise Currie (in attendance) but he can't even get a kiss in after the ceremony because every other guy in the place is kissing his wife. Their honeymoon is a disaster because everywhere they go they run into one of her ex-husbands, who are all still carrying a torch for her. He never gets to kiss her, much less actually sleep with her. There were nice cameos by Lloyd Bridges and Chester Conklin. This was definitely one of the funniest films of the weekend, but it was funny because of the ensemble of actors, and not particularly because of Brendel. (***½ )

Tireman, Spare My Tires (1942) was almost as funny. Harry Langdon, looking old, plays a man who picks up a beautiful hitchhiker (Currie again) who is an heiress on run from her father and the police. Most of the film is a hilarious dinner preparation scene as Louise can't cook and Harry can't make coffee or light the stove. Who says Harry Langdon wasn’t funny in the sound era? (***)

The Grocery Clerk (1920) was a newly struck print of a wild Larry Semon comedy. Virtually plotless, it wouldn't be a Semon comedy without store patrons getting goo poured on their head. Of course everyone gets flour and soot dumped on them. Monty Banks plays a slick bandit who steals some bonds from the post office. The end is a battle on some high elevated platforms that features some great stunt work. I thought it was funny that Joe screened his print of this title, because I acquired a 16mm Blackhawk print of this title a few weeks ago. I love how Joe described Semon as an equal opportunity offender, with black people pelted with white flour, and white people are covered with black soot. (***)

The Charley Chase short for Hal Roach, The Real McCoy (1930) with Edgar Kennedy and Thelma Todd was very good. Charley tries to outrun motorcycle cop Kennedy but they both end up in a lake. It takes a while for them to get their vehicles fixed, so they are stuck in a hillbilly town. Since the locals are on the lookout for “revenue agents” looking for illegal liquor stills, Charley and Edgar disguise themselves as hillbillies. I thought it was strange that Edgar quickly became friends with Charley, but the final gags are very dependent on Kennedy’s police badge holding up Charley’s pants. (***)

The Chase short From Bad to Worse (1937) is one of his best at Columbia. Charley is a newlywed (on the same train set that El Brendel used) and his wife is insanely jealous. He accidentally gets in the wrong Pullman berth, causing marital friction. Little does he know that the woman he surprised is his new neighbor across the hall, and her husband (Bud Jamison) is really, really a jealous guy. (***½ )

Paul Gierucki told the amazing story of the film's discovery before a video copy of A Thief Catcher (1914) was shown. It’s a typical Keystone starring Ford Sterling as a guy on the run from bandits who want to kill him. There is barely a plot, it’s mostly running around. Chaplin is a Keystone Cop, and he does re-appear right before the end of the film. It was great to get to meet Paul there.(*½)

A Pair of Silk Stockings (1918) is Patrick Stanbury's brand new restoration, and it looked great and was a funny romantic comedy. The story was what made the film funny, more than Constance Talmadge's performance. Harrison Ford was really a wimp. Patrick read some of the British titles vs. the American titles, and it’s a good thing that he restored them back to the originals, because quite a few were funny. (***½).

Finally, Ruth Taylor in The College Coquette (1929) was an annoying and manipulative protagonist. I’m not really sure why all the football players were attracted to her, and she said “yes” to everyone who asked her out. Only when her sweet, naïve girlfriend Jobyna Ralston is threatened with losing her virginity does Taylor realize that college is about more than having a lot of boyfriends. The male leads were totally bland and you couldn’t really tell them apart. The football coach was taller than the others, so that’s how I remembered who he was. The Columbia casting department couldn’t find anyone with personality. At least Jobyna was fine in a rare talkie/dramatic appearance. (*½)

Sunday opened with a 35mm print of Laurel & Hardy's Do Detectives Think (1927). I've seen it several times. This short is notable in that this is the second short (after Duck Soup) where their "Stan" and "Ollie" characters are taking shape. Some of their derby gags originate in this short also. Noah Young does a great job as a mad inmate who swears that he will get revenge on judge James Finlayson. (***)

The Boy Friend (1928) was a funny Max Davidson short. Max's daughter Marion Byron flirts with a guy at the shoe store, but gets embarrassed and runs away. He finds a package that she left. As he picks it up it falls open to reveal a large pair of ladies underwear. Of course he has to run down the street to return it, waving it as he chases her. Somehow she agrees to start courting him, but Max and wife Fay Holderness think that their daughter is too young to get married. So they start acting crazy in front of the boyfriend with hilarious results. Soon Max is running down the street, dressed in a Caesar Agustus outfit yelling, "I'm not Caesar! I'm not Caesar!", trying to get the boyfriend to come back. (***)

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