Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

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Richard M Roberts
Godfather
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Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Nov 19, 2016 2:18 am

Here's the Amazon Link to it:


https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Chaplin- ... g+restored




November 15, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Remastered and Restored in HD, Robert Youngson’s Classic
WHEN COMEDY WAS KING
Finally Earns a Deluxe DVD Release!

(Phoenix, AZ) THE SPROCKET VAULT presents the restored high definition video release of Academy Award-winning Documentarian ROBERT YOUNGSON’s wonderful 1960 Comedy Compilation WHEN COMEDY WAS KING which showcased some of the funniest comedy scenes by famous comedians of the Silent Era, including Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, and two of the great silent comedy producers, Mack Sennett and Hal Roach.

Remastered from the original 35mm negative and presented in its original full edge-to-edge 1:33 theatrical aspect ratio, audiences can once again enjoy classic comedy sequences from films like BIG BUSINESS (1929) with Laurel and Hardy, COPS (1922) with Buster Keaton, the only surviving footage from Harry Langdon’s THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS (1924) and the other classic comedies. Thanks to Robert Youngson’s perseverance, the film source material of most of the comedies originated primarily from the sparking clear original camera negatives, not the jerky, flickery fourth generation copies that are so often shown.

THE SPROCKET VAULT’s new DVD release of WHEN COMEDY WAS KING features a commentary track by noted film historian Richard M.Roberts, who provides fascinating facts and historical information on the comedy classics showcased. He also pays tribute to WHEN COMEDY WAS KING’s producer Robert Youngson, revealing his story and his important contribution to bringing these films out of obscurity and back to the attention of the film history community and general audiences alike.

As an extra bonus, Mr. Roberts graciously allowed TSV permission to showcase three complete, rare, wild and crazy silent comedies from his own large collection of early film. For the first time in over 90 years audiences can get a taste of undeservedly forgotten names from the hundreds of comedians making films in the Comedy Film Industry of the Silent Era: Hughey Mack and Dot Farley in AN ELEPHANT ON HIS HANDS (1920), Lige Conley in the frenzied FAST AND FURIOUS (1924), and the politically-incorrect Three Fatties (Frank Alexander, Hilliard Karr and Kewpie Ross) in the deliriously destructive Ton of Fun comedy HEAVY LOVE (1926), all featuring commentary by Mr. Roberts, and a new musical accompaniment by one of the leading silent film composers, Donald Sosin.

THE SPROCKET VAULT’s new DVD release of WHEN COMEDY WAS KING is laugh-
out-loud funny.

DVD BASICS

Retail: $19.99
Amazon Price: $14.99
Language: English
Running Time: 81 mins.
Color: Black and White
Year: 1960
Rating: Not Rated
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1


About The Sprocket Vault

Kit Parker Films began in 1971 and became a pre-eminent distributor of classic motion pictures. In 2015, it created The Sprocket Vault to sell DVDs and Blu-rays from its own vast collection, as well as those of other producers. You’ll find a varied collection in almost every genre ranging from the Classics, the not-so-classics, and countless hours of entertainment in-between.

The Sprocket Vault DVDs are sold exclusively through Amazon.

http://www.sprocketvault.com

Social Media links:

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Chris Seguin
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 1:29 pm

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Chris Seguin » Sun Nov 20, 2016 7:05 pm

Fantastic! Purchased, done and done....and worth the spondulix just for the Richard Roberts commentaries!

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

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:44 pm

Chris Seguin wrote:Fantastic! Purchased, done and done....and worth the spondulix just for the Richard Roberts commentaries!



Nice words indeed Chris, and thank you, but the real reason to get this DVD apart from listening to my dulcet tones yammering about stuff is that WHEN COMEDY WAS KING hasn't looked and sounded this good since it's original release, it really does sparkle in it's full-frame glory.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

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

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Mon Nov 21, 2016 6:58 pm

Image



RICHARD M ROBERTS

Chris Snowden
Associate
Posts: 58
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Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Chris Snowden » Mon Nov 21, 2016 11:19 pm

Richard M Roberts wrote: As an extra bonus, Mr. Roberts graciously allowed TSV permission to showcase three complete, rare, wild and crazy silent comedies from his own large collection of early film. For the first time in over 90 years audiences can get a taste of undeservedly forgotten names from the hundreds of comedians making films in the Comedy Film Industry of the Silent Era: Hughey Mack and Dot Farley in AN ELEPHANT ON HIS HANDS (1920), Lige Conley in the frenzied FAST AND FURIOUS (1924), and the politically-incorrect Three Fatties (Frank Alexander, Hilliard Karr and Kewpie Ross) in the deliriously destructive Ton of Fun comedy HEAVY LOVE (1926), all featuring commentary by Mr. Roberts, and a new musical accompaniment by one of the leading silent film composers, Donald Sosin.


I'm glad this release includes these comedy shorts, and I'm sure they're the DVD's main attraction for many of us. Richard's commentaries will be the icing on the cake (or the cherry atop the custard pie).

I've often wondered something about these Youngson documentaries, though. Why is there little or no Harold Lloyd material in them?

Did Youngson just not care for Lloyd's comedy? Was he worried that the litigious Lloyd might sue, with or without legal standing?

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

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Tue Nov 22, 2016 12:03 am

Chris Snowden wrote:
I'm glad this release includes these comedy shorts, and I'm sure they're the DVD's main attraction for many of us. Richard's commentaries will be the icing on the cake (or the cherry atop the custard pie).

I've often wondered something about these Youngson documentaries, though. Why is there little or no Harold Lloyd material in them?

Did Youngson just not care for Lloyd's comedy? Was he worried that the litigious Lloyd might sue, with or without legal standing?



Lloyd and Youngson knew each other and Lloyd admired Youngson's work, but he refused to license any of his footage for use in Youngson's compilations. However, Lloyd put together his own WORLD OF COMEDY and FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE compilations based on the success of GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY and WHEN COMEDY WAS KING.

Youngson only got Keaton by finding print materials on a few titles like COPS, THE BALLOONATIC, and DAYDREAMS that were out of Rohauer's grasp (Youngson licensed the rights to COPS directly from Leopold Friedman, Buster's attorney who overrode Rohauer's objections), then jumped through a lot of Rohauer hoops to license SEVEN CHANCES for FOUR CLOWNS, which is also why that compilation is in perpetual limbo now as that license had a limited run.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Jim Reid
Cugine
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Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:31 pm

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Jim Reid » Tue Nov 22, 2016 10:28 am

Mine arrived yesterday, just in time for the upcoming long weekend!

Rift Corbitt
Posts: 28
Joined: Sat May 17, 2014 9:51 am

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Rift Corbitt » Wed Nov 23, 2016 6:23 pm

Excellent! Thanks for posting the info. Ordered!

A late night local TV showing "When Comedy Was King" a couple of decades ago is what stimulated my interest in Silent Film Comedy.

Can't wait to see this again while eating New England style clam shack style scallops and oysters. Very, Very Weird I know, but it what I was munching on when I watched it years back.

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

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Nov 24, 2016 1:17 pm

Rift Corbitt wrote:Excellent! Thanks for posting the info. Ordered!

A late night local TV showing "When Comedy Was King" a couple of decades ago is what stimulated my interest in Silent Film Comedy.

Can't wait to see this again while eating New England style clam shack style scallops and oysters. Very, Very Weird I know, but it what I was munching on when I watched it years back.


I'm sure we all have our favorite movie watching snacks.

WHEN COMEDY WAS KING, along with the other Youngson compilations were responsible for many of our folk's interest in silent comedy, and in my commentary I pay tribute to him for that amongst other things. They are still the best way to introduce newbies to this stuff.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

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

Re: Restored WHEN COMEDY WAS KING DVD from Sprocket Vault

Postby Richard M Roberts » Sat Nov 26, 2016 4:57 am

First review from Jim Reid and it's five stars!:

https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Chaplin- ... g+restored


Thanks Jim!

RICHARD M ROBERTS


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