When Comedy Was King (1960)

Memorable, crazy movie

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

In the world we know today comedy means something far different than it did years ago. Today's comedies reply in innuendo, foul language and the crudest of humor possible. It plays to the masses and those at the lowest levels to boot. That's not to say it can't be funny but it relies far too much on the lowest common denominator. But there was a time when subtlety ruled, when sight gags were the funniest thing around and when comedy was indeed king. So what better movie title to showcase this than WHEN COMEDY WAS KING? I was familiar with the name Kit Parker from my college days, a time when his company was just starting out. At that time his company handled a number of 16mm films for rental, most of them classics from the golden days of Hollywood. By classics I'm not talking huge budgeted studio features, the studios had the rights to those. But Parker made a name for himself and his company by offering great old films at decent rental prices. When video and then DVD rolled around he transferred those films and continues to market them.That's how we get to this film. It's a compilation film of sorts showcases some of the biggest names in comedy from the silent film era. With a centerpiece to hold it all together we start off with comedian Charley Chase taking his family to the theater with comedic results. On the screen we are periodically introduced to the other performers featured here. Names like Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, Buster Keaton and Laurel and Hardy are those predominately featured.Here again the offerings are limited due to studio control issues but we get a great glimpse of what they offered in this film. I for one had never seen anything starring Arbuckle and knew more about him from the scandal he was involved in. It was great to have the opportunity to see him perform.The pickings for Chaplin are scant since much of his major performances came later and are still copyrighted. But those unfamiliar with his work will have the chance to see him developing the tramp character that served him well for many years to come. To think of the volume of shorts he made in the silent days leading up to that time is amazing to consider, especially since movies today take months to shoot and years to develop. Here he puts his impromptu talents to the test.As much a fan of Chaplin as I've become the truth is I've always enjoyed Buster Keaton more. I was delighted to see that what I consider one of his best is included here. The short film COPS features Keaton in top form, acrobatically amazing viewers and playing the innocent tossed into dire circumstances once again. Once you see this film you may end up loving him as well and seeking out more by him.Lastly in the film is the duo of Laurel and Hardy. The perennial fat man/skinny man team up began back in the silent days but truly gained popularity in the talkies years later. They were one of the few performers from the silent days to make it big when talkies began. But that talent for humor had to start somewhere and we get a glimpse of that in this short they star in.The print quality of this film, made in 1960, is great. When you consider the source material that the original film makers had to work with it's a good thing they were able to retain those original films. Today we're hearing about the loss of thousands of film to the test of time, disintegrating in vaults and only now finding groups attempting to salvage them. The battle to save John Wayne's THE ALAMO is a perfect example, a film not near as old as you would think and rotting as we speak.I can remember seeing parts of this offering years ago and it always brought a smile to my face. My guess is that a lot of you who remember these greats of yesteryear will enjoy this film as well. I've also found that really young kids find the humor in these films a treat as well. They haven't had the chance to become critical of movies not in color or with soundtracks. They get the fact that it's funny simply because it's funny. Start them on the right track with this and they too will know when comedy was king.

This is one of Robert Youngson's compilation features from the early 1960's. Youngson took clips from the silent slapstick films and spliced them together in a nostalgic look back at comedy of yester year. Youngson turned out a good number of these films and they all work to varying degrees. Broad spectrum look at the comedy of silent days is an excellent look at the early days of comedy with looks at Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Snub Pollard (in the influential Its a Gift) and others. While not necessarily the best work of all of the performers, Chaplin has mostly his early Sennett stuff, which shows off why he was a star but isn't the funniest stuff he ever did, Keatons's Cops is cut up and while it is a really funny film, it may not be his best work either. Then again they are actually the things I would probably show someone to begin to foster a love of silent comedy. I like this film a great deal and consider it probably Youngston's second best film after Days of Thrills and Laughter. Definitely worth a a look

First, I must point out that it is VERY VERY hard to give a rating score to a movie that is really just a compilation film. The only original content is the mostly good narration, sound effects and music. So a good score is 100% impossible--so take my 8 with a "grain of salt".Second, while I loved watching this film, it makes a serious omission. It talks about the "3 great comics" but never even mentions Harold Lloyd--who, for a while, was the highest paid and most popular comic alive. The problem was that when the movie was made, Lloyd retained ownership of his films and Robert Youngson (who created this film) couldn't show Lloyd clips. While I do understand this, it was a great disservice to Lloyd and probably contributed to his being forgotten for many years. A discussion of slapstick without mentioning Lloyd is akin to doing the same and not mentioning Keton or Chaplin--it just isn't right.However, despite this, the clips chosen were very funny and well worth seeing. In particular, I loved the Snub Pollard clip with his amazing car!! I use this film for my history classes, as it's a great introduction to slapstick American comedy.

Robert Youngson's movie When Comedy Was King from 1960 shows us some great clips from the silent era.It is narrated by Dwight Weist.You can laugh with Charles Chaplin, Charley Chase, Harry Langdon, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Ben Turpin, Billy Bevan, Snub Pollard, Buster Keaton and lots of others.Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy cause trouble to Jimmy Finlayson in Big Business (1929).In Hal Roach comedy A Pair of Tights (1929) Marion Byron is sent to get some ice cream while Edgar Kennedy and the gang waits in the car. Getting ice cream hasn't ever been as hard as it is to Marion Byron in this funny clip. When Comedy Was King offers you lots of laughter with these clowns of silent comedy.These clowns have been long gone and there will never be comedians like them again.