Thursday, June 14, 2012

The Water Nymph - 1912


Country: United States
Language: English
Director: Mack Sennett
Stars: Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett and Ford Sterling
Release Date: 23 September 1912 (USA)
Also known as: The Beach Flirt (USA - reissue title)
Filming Locations: Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
Production Co: Keystone Film Company
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Remake
Genres: Comedy | Short
Mabel and her sweetheart go to the beach and play a trick on the boyfriend's father.
Trivia
Released with Cohen Collects a Debt as the second half of a single reel offering on 23 September 1912, this was the initial Mack Sennett Keystone comedy release.
Connections
Remake of The Diving Girl (1911)

His Mother - 1912


Country: United States
Language: English
Director: Sidney Olcott
Writer: Gene Gauntier
Stars: J.P. McGowan, Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark
Release Date: 26 January 1912 (USA)
Filming Locations: Beaufort, County Kerry, Ireland
Production Co: Kalem Company
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Genres: Drama | Short
An Irish mother uses her life savings to pay for her son, a talented musician, to study in America.

What's the World Coming To? - 1926


Country: United States
Language: English
Directors: Richard Wallace, F. Richard Jones
Writers: Malcolm Stuart Boylan (titles), Frank Terry, Stan Laurel, Hal Yates
Stars: Clyde Cook, Katherine Grant and James Finlayson
Release Date: 17 January 1926 (USA)
Production Co: Hal Roach Studios
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Question Mark In Title | Apostrophe In Title | Question In Title | Contraction In Title | Punctuation In Title
Genres: Short | Comedy  

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

How Jones Lost His Roll - 1905


Country: United States
Language: English
Director: Edwin S. Porter
Release Date: May 1905 (USA)
Production Co: Edison Manufacturing Company
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Neighbor | Dinner | Miser | Skinflint | Cigar Smoking  | Card Playing | Cardsharp | Card Scam | Wearing Barrel | Cheating | Lighting Someone's Cigar | Handshake | Playing Card | Card Shark | Dinner Invitation | Card Cheat | Mirror | Invitation | Cheating At Cards | Suburbia
Genres: Comedy | Short
Jones is on his way home, carrying a roll of money, when he meets a neighbor who is a notorious miser. The neighbor unexpectedly invites Jones to dinner, and serves him a large meal with plenty of wine. After dinner, the neighbor suggests a way of passing the time - and soon his real intentions become clear. 
Trivia
This film is notable for its early use of animation, which is limited strictly to the intertitles. A jumble of letters from off-screen appears and forms the words and sentences. One of the intertitles also features two pictures of hands performing a very crude animated handshake.  

Yes, Yes, Nanette - 1925


Country: United States
Language: English
Directors: Clarence Hennecke, Stan Laurel
Writer: Carl Harbaugh
Stars: James Finlayson, Grant Gorman and Jack Gavin
Release Date: 19 July 1925 (USA)
Also known as: Ja, Ja, Nanette (Netherlands - DVD title)
Production Co: Hal Roach Studios
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Dog | Letter | Wig | Collapsing Chair | William Jennings Bryan  | Cigar Smoking | Family Relationships | Hal Roach | Husband Wife Relationship | Family Home | Piano | Character Name In Title
Genres: Family | Short | Comedy
Nanette sends a letter to her family telling of her new husband, Hillory. When Hillory arrives to meet the family, he gets insulted by each member, including the dog, and loses his wig. After having dinner with the family, Nanette's former lover returns, and Hillory must confront him. 
Trivia
The title is a spoof of the name of a hugely successful Broadway musical from 1925, "No, No, Nanette". 

The Battle Royal - 1916


Country: United States
Director: Willard Louis
Stars: Oliver Hardy, Billy Ruge and Elsie MacLeod
Release Date: 13 April 1916 (USA)
Also known as: A Battle Royal (USA - alternative title)
Filming Locations: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Production Co: Vim Comedy Film Company
Sound Mix: Silent
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Hill | Neighbor | Kentucky | Bootlegger | Backwoods  |  Still | Illegal Still | Rifle | Chop Down Tree | Off Screen Narration | Feuding Families | Whiskey | White Lightning | Alcohol | One Reeler | Treasury Agent
Genres: Comedy | Short
In the hills of Kentucky, the Plumps and the Runts are neighbors and bootleggers. Peter Plump is in love with one of the Runts, and her brother is in love with one of the Plumps. The courting and the spooning go well until Peter and his future brother-in-law hook the same fish and start a fight over whose it is. The fracas escalates, and soon the two families are shooting at each other. If love can't bring the two sides back together, what can? 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Look Out Below - 1929


Country: United States
Language: English
Director: Stephen Roberts
Stars: Raymond McKee, Thelma Todd and Clem Beauchamp
Release Date: 18 August 1929 (USA)
Production Co: Jack White (as Cameo Comedies)
Color: Black and White
Plot Keywords: Beautiful Woman
Genres: Comedy | Short