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"The one that started it all" for my generations of German slapstick aficionados will hit DVD in February, all 199 episodes that is:
https://fernsehjuwelen.de/Vaeter-der-Klamotte-Gesamtedition-Alle-199-Folgen-20-DVDs/6424637
For anyone else, it could at the very least be a fun ID game, although I suspect it will have meticulous notes by Norbert Aping making that unnecessary.
Still, it might provide OK DVD versions, image wise (albeit minus titles), of quite a few silent comedies unavailable in watchable quality elsewhere, and perhaps the occasional alternate version surprise.

Uli

I picked up the three-volume DVD set that came out here in Germany several years ago. It was nice to see Bobby Vernon’s face on posters in all the major supermarket chains. Besides lots of rarities, I was surprised to see segments lifted out of the Youngson compilations (like THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY pie fight with GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY’s music no less) and lots of “exclusive” Rohauer footage from films like THE STRONG MAN as well as Keaton shorts. All of that material is p.d. now but the German crew was lucky back in the day that this footage was broadcast under the radar, so to speak.

Rather ironic that Germany now has a stricter enforcement of copyright laws, considering how lax they were in the 1960s-80s, when Chaplin UA features, the Rohauer collection, and the Youngson compilations were routinely clipped and bootlegged for the 8mm home market.

Ed, what kind of DVD set would that be? There hasn't been any proper release of this series at all, only of its follow-up (from a different creative team), KLAMOTTENKISTE, and those DVDs are badly cropped I understand. It's now available for pre-order: https://fernsehjuwelen.de/Vaeter-der-Klamotte-Gesamtedition-Alle-199-Folgen-20-DVDs/6424637

Uli

Uli Ruedel wrote:Ed, what kind of DVD set would that be? There hasn't been any proper release of this series at all, only of its follow-up (from a different creative team), KLAMOTTENKISTE, and those DVDs are badly cropped I understand. It's now available for pre-order: https://fernsehjuwelen.de/Vaeter-der-Klamotte-Gesamtedition-Alle-199-Folgen-20-DVDs/6424637

Uli

Hi Uli, once I put my finger on them (they’re kept in a less-visited file cabinet) I’ll pull them out and check - but I believe they might be from KLAMOTTENKISTE. Offhand I remember that they borrow a lot of musical bits from Spike Jones records, without the vocals (“My Pretty Girl” is a frequently recurring tune).

That sounds like yet another series; KLAMOTTENKISTE (mostly?) used music by Conzelmann/Haensch, like this example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAPRSTgvjPk. VdK had Strittmater/Amper -- here's a nice rendition, from lockdown times apparently, of that show's main theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4v0cPgTutU. Keep us posted what you find!

Uli

Hi Uli,

Sorry for the delay in responding - I got sick right after Christmas and I'm only recently back on my feet (what a fun New Year!).

So these discs are titled Champions der Klamotte. I’ll try and see if I can post a segment or two online.

Thanks! Know these DVDs -- that program was aired in short segments of several minutes in ARD's regional programs in the 1980s (if memory serves) as AUS ALT LACH NEU, hosted by Dutch TV personality and, apparently, film collector, Maarten van Roojen (https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maarten_van_Rooijen). I liked that music! Come to think of it, I need to get the soundtrack, assuming it is the same for his Dutch silent films program available on vinyl: https://www.discogs.com/de/release/9166162-The-New-Concert-Orchestra-Maarten-Van-Rooijen-Presenteert-Zwijgen-Is-Goud-1-Muziek-Uit-Slapstick-Pro.

Uli

The release of the DVD box set this week offers a special surprise; of the 199 episodes of this series, four must be considered lost, but three of these have been reconstructed for this set. For the fourth, practically no trace survives, and the Kirch copies of the source films have been included instead. Thus, we are treated to full silent versions, titles and all, of ANYTHING ONCE (Roach/Mabel Normand) and - Stoogeophile alert! - WISE GUYS PREFER BRUNETTES, directed by F. Richard Jones and Stan Laurel, starring James Finlayson and Ted Healy.

Uli