Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton born Joseph Frank Keaton, October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966 was an American silent film comic actor and filmmaker. His trademark was physical comedy with a stoic, deadpan expression on his face, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". His career as a performer and director is widely regarded to be among the most innovative and important work in the history of cinema. He was recognized as the seventh greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. A 2002 world-wide poll by Sight and Sound ranked Keaton's The General as the 15th best film of all time. Three other Keaton films received votes in the survey: Our Hospitality, Sherlock, Jr., and The Navigator.

Early life

Keaton was born into the world of vaudeville. His father was Joseph Hallie Keaton, a native of Vigo County, Indiana, known in the show business world as Joe Keaton. Joe Keaton owned a traveling show with Harry Houdini called the Mohawk Indian Medicine Company, which performed on stage and sold patent medicine on the side. Buster Keaton was born in Piqua, Kansas, the small town where his mother, Myra Edith Cutler, happened to go into labour.

The name 'Buster' was acquired in his youth. Popular legend has it that one day before a vaudeville performance, a very young Keaton was walking down a flight of stairs, but tripped and fell down the entire flight and broke his nose. Keaton got right back up, and upon seeing this the famous magician Harry Houdini, who was in the performance, said to Keaton's mother that he was "quite the little buster". Although Houdini did tour with the Keatons, he did not join up with them until Buster Keaton was well beyond infancy. It is more likely that the nickname was given by a fellow vaudevillian whose name has been lost to history.

At the age of three, he began performing with his parents in The Three Keatons; the storyline of the act concerned how to raise a small child. Myra played the saxophone to one side while Joe and Buster performed on center stage. The young Keaton would goad his father by disobeying him, and the elder Keaton would respond by throwing him against the scenery, into the orchestra pit, or even into the audience. A suitcase handle was even sewn into Keaton's clothing to aid with the constant tossing. The act evolved as Keaton learned to take trick falls safely. He was rarely injured or bruised on stage. Nevertheless, this knockabout style of comedy led to accusations of child abuse. Decades later, Keaton said that he was never abused by his father and that the falls and physical comedy were a matter of proper technical execution. In fact, Keaton would have so much fun, he would begin laughing as his father threw him across the stage. This drew fewer laughs from the audience, so he adopted his famous deadpan expression whenever he was working.

The act ran up against laws banning child performers in vaudeville. When one official saw Keaton in full costume and makeup, he asked a stagehand how old that performer was. The stagehand shrugged and pointed to the boy's mother, saying "I don't know, ask his wife!" Despite tangles with the law and a disastrous tour of English music halls, Keaton was a rising star in the theater, so much so that even when his parents tried to introduce the other children into the act, he remained the central attraction.

By the time Keaton was 21, his father's alcoholism threatened the reputation of the family act, so he and his mother left Joe in Los Angeles. Keaton travelled to New York, where his performing career moved from vaudeville to film. Although he did not see active combat, he served in World War I, during which time he lost some of his hearing. :'-(

Silent film

In February 1917, Keaton met Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle at the Talmadge Studios in New York City, where Arbuckle was under contract to Joseph M. Schenck. Joe Keaton disapproved of films, thinking them to be little more than a fad. Buster Keaton was also unsure of the medium. During his first meeting with Arbuckle, he asked to borrow one of the cameras to get a feel for how it worked. He promptly took the camera back to his hotel room, dismantled it, and reassembled it. With this rough understanding of the mechanics of the moving pictures, he returned the next day, camera in hand, asking for work. He was hired as a co-star and gag-man, making his first appearance in The Butcher Boy. Keaton later claimed that he was soon Arbuckle's second director and his entire gag department. Keaton and Arbuckle became close friends.

After Keaton's successful work with Arbuckle, Schenck gave him his own production unit, Buster Keaton Studios. He made a series of two-reel comedies, including One Week (1920), Cops (1922), The Electric House (1922), and The Playhouse (1921). Based on the success of these shorts, Keaton moved to full-length features.

His most enduring feature-length films include Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924), Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Cameraman (1928), Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), and The General (1927). This last film, set during the American Civil War, is considered his masterpiece, combining physical comedy with Keaton's love for trains. Many of his most well-known films performed poorly at the box office at the time.

Years later, rival director Leo McCarey talked about the freewheeling days of making slapstick comedies: "All of us tried to steal each other's gagmen. But we had no luck with Keaton, because he thought up his best gags himself and we couldn't steal him!"

In addition, the technical side of filmmaking fascinated him and he was forward thinking enough to want to direct sound films when they began to become technically practical and popular. The fact that he had a good voice and years of stage experience promised an easier adjustment than Charlie Chaplin's silent Tramp character, who could not survive sound. Keaton's loss of independence as a filmmaker coincided with the coming of sound films and mounting personal problems, and his full potential in the early sound era was never realized.

The Playhouse (1921). Based on the success of these shorts, Keaton moved to full-length features.

His most enduring feature-length films include Our Hospitality (1923), The Navigator (1924), Sherlock Jr. (1924), The Cameraman (1928), Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), and The General (1927). This last film, set during the American Civil War, is considered his masterpiece, combining physical comedy with Keaton's love for trains. Many of his most well-known films performed poorly at the box office at the time.

Years later, rival director Leo McCarey talked about the freewheeling days of making slapstick comedies: "All of us tried to steal each other's gagmen. But we had no luck with Keaton, because he thought up his best gags himself and we couldn't steal him!"

In addition, the technical side of filmmaking fascinated him and he was forward thinking enough to want to direct sound films when they began to become technically practical and popular. The fact that he had a good voice and years of stage experience promised an easier adjustment than Charlie Chaplin's silent Tramp character, who could not survive sound. Keaton's loss of independence as a filmmaker coincided with the coming of sound films and mounting personal problems, and his full potential in the early sound era was never realized.

Sound and the telie

In 1939, Columbia Pictures hired Keaton to star in two-reel comedies; the series ran for two years. The director was usually Jules White, whose emphasis on slapstick made most of these films resemble White's Three Stooges comedies. Keaton's personal favorite of the 10 Columbias was directed not by White but by Mack Sennett veteran Del Lord: Pest from the West (1939), a two-reel remake of Keaton's feature The Invader. Moviegoers and exhibitors welcomed Keaton's Columbia comedies, which were successful enough to be re-released again and again through the 1960s.

(Even to this day keaton is still one of the three comic legends)

 

Charlie Chaplin

 

*One of the most famous silent movie comedians that ever lived*

Charlie Chaplin, considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular "Little Tramp" character; the man with the toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk.

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, England on April 16th, 1889 to Charles and Hannah (Hill) Chaplin, both music hall performers, who were married on June 22nd, 1885. After Charles Sr. separated from Hannah to perform in New York City, Hannah then tried to resurrect her stage career. Unfortunately, her singing voice had a tendency to break at unexpected moments. When this happened, the stage manager spotted young Charlie standing in the wings and led him on stage, where five-year-old Charlie began to sing a popular tune. Charlie and his half-brother, Syd Chaplin (born Sydney Hawkes), spent their lives in and out of charity homes and workhouses between their mother's bouts of insanity. Hannah was committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May of 1903 and lived there until 1921, when Chaplin moved her to California.

Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with The Eight Lancashire Lads. At 18 he began touring with Fred Karno's vaudeville troupe, joining them on the troupe's 1910 US tour. He traveled west to California in December 1913 and signed on with Keystone Studios' popular comedy director Mack Sennett, who had seen Chaplin perform on stage in New York. Charlie soon wrote his brother Syd, asking him to become his manager. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films, starring as the Little Tramp in nearly all. In November 1914 he left Keystone and signed on at Essanay, where he made 15 films. In 1916, he signed on at Mutual and made 12 films. In June 1917 Chaplin signed up with First National Studios, after which he built Chaplin Studios. In 1919 he and Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists (UA).

Chaplin's life and career was full of scandal and controversy. His first big scandal was during World War I, during which time his loyalty to England, his home country, was questioned. He had never applied for US citizenship, but claimed that he was a "paying visitor" to the United States. Many British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. This and his other career eccentricities sparked suspicion with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and the House Un-American Activities Council (HUAC), who believed that he was injecting Communist propaganda into his films. Chaplin's later film The Great Dictator (1940), which was his first "talkie", also created a stir. In the film Chaplin plays a humorous caricature of Adolf Hitler. Some thought the film was poorly done and in bad taste. However, it grossed over $5 million and earned five Academy Award Nominations.

Another scandal occurred when Chaplin briefly dated 22-year-old Joan Barry. However, Chaplin's relationship with Barry came to an end in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. In May of 1943 Barry returned to inform Chaplin that she was pregnant, and filed a paternity suit, claiming that the unborn child was his. During the 1944 trial blood tests proved that Chaplin was not the father, but at the time blood tests were inadmissible evidence and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21. Chaplin was also scrutinized for his support in aiding the Russian struggle against the invading Nazis during World War II, and the U.S. government questioned his moral and political views, suspecting him of having Communist ties. For this reason HUAC subpoenaed him in 1947. However, HUAC finally decided that it was no longer necessary for him to appear for testimony. Conversely, when Chaplin and his family traveled to London for the premier of _Limelight (1952)_ , he was denied re-entry to the United States. In reality, the government had almost no evidence to prove that he was a threat to national security. He and his wife decided, instead, to settle in Switzerland.

Chaplin was married four times and had a total of 11 children. In 1918 he wed Mildred Harris, they had a son together, Norman Spencer Chaplin, who only lived three days. Chaplin and Mildred were divorced in 1920. He married Lita Grey in 1924, who had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin. They were divorced in 1927. In 1936, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard and his final marriage was to Oona O'Neill (Oona Chaplin), daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1943. Oona gave birth to eight children: Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene, Jane, Annette-Emilie and Christopher Chaplin.

In contrast to many of his boisterous characters, Chaplin was a quiet man who kept to himself a lot. He also had an "un-millionaire" way of living. Even after he had accumulated millions, he continued to live in shabby accommodations.

In 1921 Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker, and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972 he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century." In 1975 England's Queen Elizabeth II knighted him. Chaplin's other works included musical scores he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" in 1964 and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" in 1974. Chaplin died of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Switzerland.

In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months; he was re-buried in a vault surrounded by 6 feet of cement. Charlie Chaplin was considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema, whose movies were and still are popular throughout the world. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same.

 

Edna Purviance

 

Born 21 October 1895 in Pleasant Valley, Nevada, USA, as Edna Olga Purviance.
Died early January 1958 in Los Angeles, California, USA, of cancer.

Married Jack Squire in Los Angeles, California, USA?

Edna Purviance began work in films for Essanay, working with Charles Chaplin in Niles, California, early in 1915. Worked for Chaplin’s production company from 1916 through 1923. She also appeared in one final film, made in France, before retiring from motion picture work.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Purviance did not appear as an extra in Chaplin’s latter-day sound films.

(More soon)

Laurel and Hardy

Born 1890 Laurel and 1892 Hardy
Died 1965 Laurel and 1957 Hardy
Birthplace: Ulverston, England (Laurel) and Harlem, Georgia (Hardy)
Best known as: Fat/skinny comedy team of the early cinema

The comedy team of Laurel and Hardy made hundreds of movies, both shorts and features, and the two men were among Hollywood's biggest stars from the 1930s to the 1950s. Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in Ulverston, England (16 June 1890) and Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia (18 January 1892). They both ended up in Hollywood working for Hal Roach in the 1920s. They appeared in their first feature as a team in 1931's Pardon Us and went on to make a string of classic comedies, including Sons of the Desert (1933), Babes in Toyland (1934) and Way Out West (1937). Their last film was a French production, Atoll K (1950). Easily recognizable, they almost always played themselves in the movies: Laurel was the skinny, innocent one and Hardy was the round, blustery one. Hardy died 7 August 1957 after a debilitating stroke; Laurel died 23 February 1965 after a heart attack.

 

 

Marx brothers

 

*From left to right*

Chico Marx (1887 -1961) Born: Leonard Marx; New York, USA

Zeppo Marx (1901 -1979) Born: Milton Marx; New York, USA

Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977) Born: Julius Henry Marx; New York, USA

Harpo Marx (1888 - 1964) Born: Adolf Marx; New York, USA

Zeppo Marx (1901 - 1979) Born: Herbert Marx; New York, USAThe Marx Brothers had an extremely successful career prior to their movie debut in 1929 in 'The Cocoanuts'. It had started when Minnie Marx, the boys' mother, and sister to Al Shean, of Gallagher and Shean fame, put Groucho on the stage as a boy
soprano with the Gus Edwards School act. In 1908 he was joined by two of his
brothers, Harpo and Gummo. They were billed as 'The Three Nightingales', and, if
the critics are to be believed, the Nightingales were fortunate the Trades Description
Act hadn't been drawn up. Their mother soon had the rest of the brothers in on the
act! By 1912, when the name was changed to 'The Six Mascots', the act had changed,
too. Inevitably, their natural, undisciplined horsing around had insidiously crept into their act. They now did a comedy skit called 'Fun in Hi Skule' and with some help from their Uncle Al Shean, they refined (bad word for Marx) their characters. Groucho
stooped and started to wear a black moustache, which later became a black greasepaint
effigy when, one day, he was late for a performance, grabbed a stick of greasepaint
and smeared it across his upper lip. He never changed back to the false moustache. Harpo donned a red 'fright wig' and lost his voice. He complained bitterly about his
lack of lines, but Uncle Al insisted, and he obviously knew best. Chico adopted his
Italian accent, and Gummo and Zeppo became the comic foils.

The brothers had been playing musical instruments for most of their lives. Harpo had
the greatest talent; he could pick up any instrument, toy with it for a while, and then
play it! Chico played piano in a brothel to earn money for the family, often playing in
two places at once. He would get the job with his expert piano playing, stay a few nights
and then substitute Harpo with his repertoire of two tunes. They looked so alike, no one
could tell the difference, until someone asked Harpo to play something else. Then, he
was generally fired! Harpo took to playing the harp like a duck to water. Virtuoso harpists have studied his technique in total disbelief and fascination. His mother had bought him a very old, second-hand harp because she thought it would add class to the
act. Groucho played the guitar, but he only displayed this talent in one film, 'Horse
Feathers' (1932). He generally sang those outrageous songs the way only he could: 'Have
you met Lydia / that encyclopedia / Lydia the tattooed lady.' or 'Hello. I must be going'
and 'Hooray for Captain Spalding'. The brothers' vaudeville act was successful enough
to take them to England in 1924 and onto Broadway where they made it big with 'I'll
Say She Is' and 'The Cocoanuts', which was to be their first sound film in 1929.

It was an essential part of the Marx brothers' modus operandi to hone their art before a
live audience. They needed to get a reaction from the crowd to enable them to time their
jokes and stage business to perfection. Their first eight films were taken out on the road
to be 'tested' and were virtually written as they were performed. They were a director's
worse nightmare. Chico inevitably turned up late, if at all, because he was usually at a
gaming table somewhere or in bed with a woman. While waiting for Chico, Harpo and Groucho would wander off, and when Chico did arrive, the others were nowhere to be
found. The brothers were always playing pranks on directors, as well as their co-stars.
The long-suffering Magaret Dumont was often the butt of their jokes. She claimed she
never understood the 'boys', and didn't realize Groucho was being funny off screen or
on. Groucho played up to this admirally.

A Marx Brothers comedy is almost impossible to describe. It's manic, chaotic, totally antiestablishment, throwing insult after insult at any American institution the brothers
could think of. Everything in their path was totally and utterly wrecked. Groucho would
insult all with his barbed wit and leer at any woman, including Magaret Dumont. Harpo
would chase blondes all over the set, honking his horn. What he would have done with
one had he caught her is debatable, as he was the epitome of innocent, childlike gullibility. When he wasn't chasing or playing the harp, he was destroying something or eating it!
Chico would chase women also, but one would be inclined to suspect he knew exactly
what to do with them once caught! Chico was also remorseless and could con anything
out of anyone. Gummo left the act early on, well before the Marx's screen success.
Zeppo appeared in some of the early films as the romantic lead, but opted to leave and
pursue a career as an agent. He figured he was a much better as a businessman than a
straight man.

Out of this cauldron of chaos and disrespect rose a humour unlike anything else on the
big screen. It is hilariously funny, and when it comes down to the bottom line, it gives us
a chance to laugh at ourselves.

Marcel Marceau

Marcel Marceau was born in Strasbourg, France. At 15, his Jewish family was forced to flee their home when France entered the Second World War. He later joined Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces and, because of his excellent English, worked as a liaison officer with General Patton's army. He was married three times and has four children. He is unrelated to actress Sophie Marceau. After having seen Charlie Chaplin in the circus at the age of 7, he became interested in acting. After the war, he enrolled in 1946 as a student in Charles Dullin's School of Dramatic Art in the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris, where he studied with teachers like Charles Dullin and the great master, Etienne Decroux, who had also taught Jean-Louis Barrault. The latter noticed Marceau's exceptional talent, made him a member of his company, and cast him in the role of Arlequin in the pantomime entitled Baptiste - which Barrault himself had interpreted in the world famous film Les Enfants du Paradis. Marceau's performance won him such acclaim that he was encouraged to present his first "mimodrama", called Praxitele and the Golden Fish, at the Bernhardt Theatre that same year. The acclaim was unanimous and Marceau's career as a mime was firmly established.

He has performed all over the world in order to spread the "art of silence".

He first toured the United States in 1955 and 1956, close on the heels of his North American debut at the Stratford Festival of Canada. After his opening engagement at the Phoenix Theater in New York, which received rave reviews, he moved to the larger Barrymore Theater to accommodate the public demand. This first US tour ended with a record breaking return to standing room only crowds in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other major cities. His extensive transcontinental tours have included South America, Africa, Australia, China, Japan, South East Asia, Russia and Europe. His last world tour covered the United States in 2004 and returned to Europe in 2005 and Australia in 2006.

Marceau's art has become familiar to millions through his many television appearances. His first television performance as a star performer on the Max Liebman Show of Shows won him the television industry's coveted Emmy award. He appeared on the BBC as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol in 1973. He was a favorite guest of Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore, and he also had his own one-man show entitled "Meet Marcel Marceau". He teamed with Red Skelton in three concerts of pantomimes.

He has also shown his versatility in motion pictures such as First Class, in which he played 17 different roles, Shanks, where he combined his silent art, playing a deaf and mute puppeteer, and his speaking talent, as a mad scientist; as Professor Ping in Barbarella, and as himself in Mel Brooks' Silent Movie, in which he is the only actor with a speaking part, the single word "Non". A further example of Marceau's multiple talents was the mimodrama Candide, which he created for the Ballet company of the Hamburg Opera. He directed this work and also performed the title role. He also had a role in a low-budget film roughly based on his life story called Paint It White. The film was never completed because another actor in the movie, one of his life-long friends that had gone to school with him, died halfway through shooting.

Children have been delighted by his highly acclaimed Marcel Marceau Alphabet Book and Marcel Marceau Counting Book. Other publications of Marceau's poetry and illustrations include his La ballade de Paris et du Monde, which he wrote in 1966, and The Story of Bip, written and illustrated by Marceau and published by Harper and Row. In 1982, Le Troisième Oeil, (The Third Eye), his collection of ten original lithographs, was published in Paris with an accompanying text by Marceau. Belfond of Paris published Pimporello in 1987. In 2001, a new photo book for children titled Bip in a Book, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, appeared in the bookstores in the US, France and Australia.

In 1978, he established his own school in Paris: École Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris, Marcel Marceau (International School of Mimodrame of Paris, Marcel Marceau). In 1996, he established the Marceau Foundation to promote mime in the United States.

In 1995, vocalist, dancer, choreographer and mime Michael Jackson and Marceau conceived a concert for HBO, but the project was frozen at the stage of rehearsals, never being completed because of the singer's illness at the time.

In 2000, Marceau brought his full mime company to New York City for presentation of his new mimodrama, The Bowler Hat, previously seen in Paris, London, Tokyo, Taipei, Caracas, Santo Domingo, Valencia (Venezuela) and Munich. Since 1999, when Marceau returned with his classic solo show to New York and San Francisco after 15-year absences for critically-acclaimed sold out runs, his career in America has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance with strong appeal to a third generation. He has recently appeared to overwhelming acclaim for extended engagements at such legendary American theaters as The Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA, and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, demonstrating the timeless appeal of the work and the mastery of this unique artist.

Marceau's new full company production Les Contes Fantastiques (Fantasy Tales) opened to great acclaim at the Theatre Antoine in Paris.
The French Government has conferred upon Marceau its highest honor, making him an "Officier de la Legion d'Honneur", and in 1978 he received the Medaille Vermeil de la Ville de Paris. In November of 1998, President Chirac named Marceau a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit; and he is an elected member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin, the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, the Académie des beaux-arts France and the Institut de France. The City of Paris awarded him a grant, which enabled him to reopen his International School, which offers a three-year curriculum.

Mack Sennett

 

Born January 17, 1884 - While not the first producer of Hollywood comedies, Canadian-born Mack Sennett was one of the best organized and most successful -- a man who truly deserved the appellation "King of Comedy." Growing up in Canada, Sennett had dreams of becoming an opera singer, but economic considerations. fThe man to first give charlie chaplin his Big brake.

He was the man to give so many of the people { like the one's on my web site} there first chance at fame

orced him into such blue coMack Sennett was often known by his self-endowed title 'The King of Comedy'. In truth, Sennett was not so much a king as a ringmaster for a motley menagerie of otherworldly grotesques that slipped, slid and slapped their way at breakneck speeds across American movie screens of the 1910s. The anarchic world of cross-eyed rubes, nightmare-bearded villains, pulchritudinous bathing beauties and bumbling cops falling off cliffs, out of buildings, and into and out of cars was the quite unexpected creation of a gentleman whose first ambition in life was to be an opera star.

Born in Canada, Sennett moved with his family at the age of 17 to Connecticut. An encounter with fellow Canadian Marie Dressler led to an introduction to producer David Belasco and a new career for young Sennett on the vaudeville stage. In New York, he met the formidable film producer-director D.W. Griffith, for whom he played a bevy of roles, including the lead in "The Curtain Pole" (1909), Griffith's only directorial attempt at a comedy. Sennett stumbled into directing by accident: when a director fell ill at the last minute, he was told to replace him. Griffith then assigned Sennett to supervise production of his comedy unit and, by 1912, Sennett had set up his own studio in Hollywood and had become America's self-appointed comic showman--"a producer of laughs."

And a producer he was. Sennett's Keystone operation became a California version of Henry Ford's automobile plant in Michigan. Comedies were cranked out at bracing, production-line speed, with several produced in one day from an outline prepared under Sennett's supervision. The formula was unrepentantly drawn from French models; as Sennett put it, "I stole my first ideas from the Pathes."

In spite of the appearance of frenzied freedom in Sennett's slapstick orgies, the formula was in fact strict and unbending. Characterization was eschewed in favor of stereotypes with whom the audience could make an immediate identification. Sennett also issued strict rules governing the type of gags that could be used; in fact, he declared, there were only two real categories of gags: "the fall of dignity and the mistaken identity."

The roster of Sennett talent was impressive. At one point Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Harry Langdon, Harold Lloyd, Raymond Griffith and Frank Capra worked for Sennett. But, for an innovator, Keystone was a graveyard, and any comic talent with ideas bolted at the first opportunity.

Sennett, however, refused to change and clung to his threadbare formula through the 1920s and into the 30s, churning out tired, low-budget variations of his successes of the teens. He had, nevertheless, created the ground rules for American screen comedy. Among the pratfalls, chases, stereotypes and pantomime, Sennett set the tone and composed the basic melody. It was left to other, more inspired artists, to pick up that tune and transform it into a symphony.

Three Stooges

Curly suffered a stroke, died on January 18th, 1952, he was 48

Moe succumbed to lung cancer Sunday May 4th, 1975, he was 77

Larry Fine died of natural causes on Friday, January 24th, 1975, he was 72

:Little Bio:

The Three Stooges, Best known as: Wacky film comedy team. Were a hugely popular film comedy team of the mid-1900s. The original trio were Moe Howard (born Harry Horwitz, 1897-1975), his brother Curly (born Jerry Horwitz, 1903-1952), and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg, 1902-1975). Stooge comedy consisted mainly of slapstick eye-gouging, shin-kicking, head-knocking, and the like. The group made nearly 200 comedy shorts between 1934 and 1958. The first 97 starred the original trio; after Curly suffered a stroke in 1946, he was replaced by his brother Shemp, then by Joe Besser, and finally by 'Curly Joe' De Rita.

:Big bio:

The thing that struck me most about the Three Stooges movie was its tone. This was a film made by people who genuinely cared about the Three Stooges, people who wanted to express their appreciation by giving the world a glimpse of the men behind the laughs. The Stooges were comic geniuses, but they were human and fragile, just like the rest of us. Sure it was sappy at times, and sometimes seemed to gloss over or omit certain events, but hey--you can't show thirty years in two hours without missing something. Especially poignant was the relationship between Moe and his "little" brother Curly.

Told mostly in flashbacks, The Three Stooges follows the boys from their Vaudeville days with Ted Healy to their triumphant return to the stage after the first TV showing of their two-reel shorts. The reality was that Columbia pictures was making a mint off the Stooges films, but their contract cut them out of any profit-sharing. Anxious to get back to the stage and enjoy some of the fame they've earned, Moe, Larry, and Joe "Curly Joe" DeRita agree to make the first of many personal appearances at a TV station. The final scene has Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe taking the stage for the first time in years.

I'm not ashamed to admit it: When the curtain went up and the surviving Stooges looked out at the packed house, I cried. Maybe because the Stooges are a part of my history--a good and happy part--the way they're a part of the history of every kid who grew up watching their antics.

It's not perfect, but it's the best there is. At the very least, it's a good Stooges primer and a stepping stone to further Stooge research. The Stooges will never go away, because let's face it: As long as men are men, the Three Stooges will be their comic heroes.

Moe (The one on the far right) had two children: his first, Joan, and eight years later a son, Paul. He was married almost 50 years to his wife, Helen, who died six months after him on October 31, 1975.

When once asked how long the Stooges would remain in show business, Howard replied, "Forever is a long time, but with a little luck, we just might make it."

Larry (The one on the far left) had two children, a son, Johnny, who died in a tragic automobile accident on November 17, 1961, at age 24, and a daughter, Phyllis. His wife Mabel died on May 30, 1967, during the Memorial Day weekend while the Stooges were on tour. Larry left the show when he learned of his wife's death and, in true show business tradition, Moe and Curly-Joe carried out the team's three-day engagement

Curly Howard (The middle one) is gone and one can only wonder what it would have been like if he had lived and worked with the Stooges through the 1960's. Imagine Curly starring in full- length features in color and black-and-white. Stooges cartoons could have been voiced with the original Curly "N'yuk-n'yuking" and "Wooo-woooing." Television audiences could have realized the true genius of Curly Howard on talk and variety shows. they are all surely missed.

Ben Turpin

Ben Turpin bied on July 1940 of heart disease

 

First of all, the cross-eyed comedian of silent days was not born that way. Supposedly his right eye slipped out of alignment while playing the role of the similarly afflicted Happy Hooligan in vaudeville and it never adjusted. Ironically, it was this disability that would enhance his comic value and make him a top name.

Ben Turpin was born in New Orleans in 1869, the son of a French-born confectionery store owner. When 7 years old, his father moved to New York's lower East Side. A wanderlust fellow by nature, Turpin lived the life of a hobo in his early adult years. He started up his career by chance while bumming in Chicago where he drew laughs at parties. An ad in a newspaper looking for comedy acts caught his eye and he successfully booked shows along with a partner. Going solo, he performed on the burlesque circuit as well as under circus tents and invariably entertained his audiences by doing tricks, vigorous pratfalls and, of course, crossing his eyes. One of his more familiar sight gags was a backwards tumble he called the "108." He happened upon the Happy Hooligan persona while playing on the road and kept the hapless character as part of routine for 17 years.

He started in films at age 38 in 1907, joining Essanay Studios shortly after the company began operating in Chicago. He also became their resident janitor for a spell. He stayed with the company for two years but remained on the edges of obscurity. Appearing sporadically in silent comedy shorts, he typically played dorky characters who always did something wrong. His big break came when he returned to Essanay and was introduced to Charles Chaplin, who immediately took to him and set him up with Mack Sennett. By 1917 Sennett had turned Turpin into a top comedy draw. With his trademark crossed eyes and thick mustache, he made scores of slapstick films alongside the likes of Mabel Normand and 'Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle' , among others. Most notable were his films that parodied hit movies of the day such as his The Shriek of Araby (1923), in which his character lampooned Rudolph Valentino. Turpin's true forte was impersonating the most dashingly romantic and sophisticated stars of the day and turning them into clumsy oafs.

Turpin retired from full time acting in 1924 to care for his ailing wife Canadian comedy actress Carrie Turpin (nee LeMieux). After her death the following year he returned but his marquee value had slipped drastically. The advent of sound pretty much marked the end to his special brand of physical comedy. He was only glimpsed from then on, mostly in comic cameos for other top stars such as a bit as a plumber with Laurel & Hardy in Saps at Sea (1940), his last. He died of heart disease that same year.

 

Abbott and costello

Costello passed away in March of 1959, followed by Abbott in 1974.

 

Abbott & Costello were the last of the great comedy teams. Their career spanned 21 years…from burlesque, to Broadway, to radio, to films and finally to, television.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello officially teamed up in 1936. Bud was regarded as one of the best and sought after straightmen on the burlesque circuit. Born William Alexander Abbott on October 2, 1895 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Bud’s early career in show business began in 1918 when he was a treasurer of the National Theatre, a burlesque house in Washington, DC. It was here where Bud met his wife, Jenny Mae Pratt, whose stage name was Betty Smith.

Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, N.J. Wanting to try his luck in Hollywood, Lou found sparse work as a laborer and an extra at MGM in 1927. He appeared in the boxing sequence of Laurel & Hardy’s “Battle of the Century” (1927) and in the Delores Del Rio 1928 epic “Trails of 98.”

By the time Lou worked his way back to the east coast, Bud Abbott was already a successful straightman in burlesque. Although Lou had his designs on becoming a dramatic actor, he worked as a Dutch comic in St. Joseph, Missouri at $16.00 a week in order to make his way back to N.J. Once home, he continued pursuing burlesque jobs and for awhile worked as a dancing juvenile in Ann Corio’s “This Is Burlesque.” It was in this show that he met his future wife, Anne Battler and whom he married in 1934.

Although one can find many stories that claim to document the teaming up of Abbott & Costello, the most familiar is that of Lou’s straightman getting sick and Lou asking Bud, also on the bill, if he would step in. Subsequently, history was made that night at a Brooklyn burlesque house in 1936 and the team of Abbott & Costello was born.

The first couple of years of their partnership were rather lean ones, but the turning point came when Ted Collins, manager for Kate Smith, asked if they would appear on the “Kate Smith Radio Show.” They signed as summer replacements and proved to be a great success. Following, they signed to appear in Mike Todd’s Broadway show, “Streets of Paris” and which also featured another newcomer, Carmen Miranda. Returning to radio, it was their performance of a new routine they had written in collaboration with their comedy writer, John Grant, that catapulted them to Hollywood and to stardom. Today, WHO’S ON FIRST has become their classic signature skit and most well-remembered of the Abbott &Costello routines.

Signed by Universal Pictures in 1939, their first film was a “test run” to see how well Abbott & Costello would go over to theatre going audiences. “One Night in the Tropics” was an Alan Jones, Nancy Kelly film, however, the studio kept shooting more and more footage of Abbott & Costello due to reports from the set that the crew could barely contain themselves from laughing. It was the perfect springboard for the boys and a giant success at the box office. Universal realized they had a prime commodity with this comedic duo and immediately set the wheels in motion for Abbott & Costello to star in their next film, “Buck Privates.”

Bud and Lou made a succession of box office hits for Universal and were voted #1 box office stars in 1942 --- “In the Navy,” “Keep ‘Em Flying,” “Hold That Ghost,” “ Who Done It?” and “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein,” today a cult classic amongst Abbott &Costello fans, kept the gates of Universal open at a time when Universal was considered a B studio. In all, Bud and Lou made 36 films, their last being “Dance With Me Henry” in 1957.

Returning to radio between films, “The Abbott & Costello Show” aired on ABC from 1941-46 and on NBC from 1946-49.

The live stage was where Abbott & Costello thrived. In the early 1950’s, NBC welcomed Bud and Lou to their new hour long live variety show, “The Colgate Comedy Hour” as guest hosts. Debuting on January 7, 1951, Abbott & Costello boosted the show’s ratings as they performed their staple of routines, including the still popular and in demand, “Who’s On First.”

In 1956, one year before the release of their last film, “Dance With Me Henry, “ and the dissolving of their partnership, Bud and Lou were brought together on “Steve Allen Show” before a live audience and nationwide broadcast. The emotion was heightened when unbeknownst to both man, Steve Allen announced the induction of Abbott & Costello’s Gold Record in Cooperstown, N.Y. Today, Bud and Lou are still the first non-baseball playing celebrities to have such a work inducted.

Lou Costello passed away in March of 1959, followed by Bud Abbott in 1974. Today, their comedy continues to generate a whole new legion of fans from around the world. When “Abbott & Costello Meets Jerry Seinfeld” aired on NBC in 1994, Seinfeld contributed this thought. “If it weren’t for Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, many of the vaudeville and burlesque routines would have been lost forever. It was through Abbott & Costello’s films and television show appearances, as well as on radio, that will forever preserve them for generations to come.

(coming soon)

 

Red Skelton

Born 18 July 1913
Died on 17 September 1997

The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to showbiz at the age of seven by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at 15. At 17 he married Edna Marie Stilwell, an usher who became his vaudeville partner and later his chief writer and manager. He debuted on Broadway and radio in 1937 and on film in 1938. His ex-wife/manager negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, the same year "The Red Skelton Show" (1951) premiered on NBC. For two decades, until 1971, his show consistently stayed in the top twenty, both on NBC and CBS. His numerous characters, including Clem Kaddiddlehopper, George Appleby, and the seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe delighted audiences for decades. First and foremost, he considered himself a clown, although not the greatest, and his paintings of clowns brought in a fortune after he left television. His home life wasn't completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age nine-- and he didn't hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities.

 

Jerry Lewis

Perhaps no popular film artist in history inspired quite so many conflicting opinions and emotions as actor/comedian Jerry Lewis. Often reviled in his native United States but worshipped as a genius throughout much of Europe and especially France, Lewis took slapstick comedy to new realms of absurdity and outrageousness, his anarchic vision dividing audiences who found him infantile and witless from those who applauded the ambitions of his sight gags, his subversions of standard comedic patterns, and his films' acute criticisms of American values. Regardless of opinion, he was not only one of the biggest stars of the postwar era but also one of the most powerful, and as the writer, director, and producer of many of his features, he qualified as a comic auteur firmly in the tradition of Chaplin and Keaton.

Born Joseph Levitch in Newark, NJ, on March 16, 1926, he was the son of borscht-belt comics, spending the majority of his childhood living with relatives but joining his parents each summer as they performed in the Catskills. From the age of five on, Lewis occasionally performed in his parents' act, and later quit high school in order to travel with his own comedy routine, which consisted primarily of mocking famous entertainers while their records were played off-stage. His early years as a performer were lean, and he often resorted to work as a soda jerk, a theater usher, an office clerk, or any one of a number of short-lived jobs. During the summers, he too made the rounds of the Catskills' borscht circuit, but otherwise enjoyed little success.

In 1946, Lewis met another struggling performer, a handsome singer named Dean Martin. Later that year, while playing Atlantic City's 500 Club, another act abruptly quit the show, and Lewis suggested Martin to fill the void. Initially the two performed separately, but one night they threw out their routines and teamed on-stage, a Mutt-and-Jeff combo whose wildly improvisational comedy quickly made them a star attraction along the Boardwalk. Within months, Martin and Lewis' salaries rocketed from 350 to 5,000 dollars a week, and by the end of the 1940s, they were the most popular comedy duo in the nation. In 1949, they made their film debut in George Marshall's My Friend Irma, and their supporting work proved so popular with audiences that their roles were significantly expanded for the sequel, the following year's My Friend Irma Goes West. With 1951's At War With the Army, Martin and Lewis earned their first star billing. The picture established the basic formula of all of their subsequent movie work, with Martin the suave straight man forced to suffer the bizarre antics of the manic fool Lewis. Critics often loathed the duo, but audiences couldn't get enough. In all, they made 13 comedies for Paramount, among them 1952's Jumping Jacks, 1953's Scared Stiff, and 1955's Artists and Models, a superior effort directed by Frank Tashlin. For 1956's Hollywood or Bust, Tashlin was again in the director's seat, but the movie was the team's last; after Martin and Lewis' relationship soured to the point where they were no longer even speaking to one another, they announced their breakup following the conclusion of their July 25, 1956, performance at the Copacabana, which celebrated to the day the tenth anniversary of their first show.

Working again as a solo performer, Lewis also served as producer on his first post-Martin star vehicle, 1957's The Delicate Delinquent. Reviews were good, and later that same year he starred in The Sad Sack. With 1958's Rock-a-Bye Baby, he teamed again with Tashlin, the first of six Lewis comedies the director helmed; they next united for The Geisha Boy. Under Norman Taurog, Lewis returned in 1959 with Don't Give up the Ship. At the time of its release, he signed an exclusive contract with Paramount for ten million dollars and 60 percent of his box-office profits, the biggest payday of its kind in Hollywood history; at its peak, his popularity was so great that he even starred in a DC Comics book. Lewis celebrated his success by making another feature for Taurog, 1960's Visit to a Small Planet, before returning to work under Tashlin for Cinderfella.

With 1960's The Bellboy, Lewis made his directorial debut. Here his comic vision began to truly take flight, with only a bare-bones plot and virtually no dialogue to best serve his ambitious gags. He also directed and produced 1961's The Ladies' Man, a lavishly filmed, vicious satire on American femininity, followed by The Errand Boy, another collection of sight gags which earned favorable comparison to the work of Jacques Tati. Under Tashlin, Lewis next starred in 1962's It's Only Money. Returning to the director's chair, he filmed his masterpiece, The Nutty Professor, a comic retelling of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale which, while dismissed by American critics, solidified his following among European filmgoers, especially the staff of the influential Cahiers du Cinema.

In between 1963's Who's Minding the Store? and 1964's The Disorderly Orderly, both written and directed by Tashlin, Lewis also helmed The Patsy, his most ambitious work to date. In 1965's The Family Jewels, he not only wrote and directed, but also played seven different roles. The picture was among his first not to become a major box-office success. He subsequently traveled to France to star in John Rich's Boeing Boeing. There "Le Roi du Crazy" (as he was dubbed) was met by adoring fans and critics with a three-week film festival, as well as a complete retrospective at the Cinematheque Francais. However, the feature was Lewis' last for Paramount, who found his insistence upon complete artistic control to be at odds with the increasingly disappointing box-office showings of his films.

In 1966, after landing at Columbia to direct and star in Three on a Couch, Lewis hosted his first Labor Day telethon to raise funds in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The star-studded event quickly became an institution, annually bringing in millions upon millions in charitable contributions. Lewis next starred in the Gordon Douglas space comedy Way, Way Out, followed by 1967's The Big Mouth, which he directed and co-wrote. He next appeared in Jerry Paris' Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River and George Marshall's Hook, Line and Sinker, subsequently directing (but, for the first and only time, not starring) in 1969's One More Time. None of the movies found favor with audiences or critics, however, and after the failure of 1970's Which Way to the Front?, Lewis' career in Hollywood was in grave condition. While seeking funding for his next project, in 1971 he wrote a book, The Total Filmmaker. With financing from the Swedish-based Cinema and Film Enterprises, in 1972 Lewis mounted The Day the Clown Cried, a disturbing tale focusing on a famous clown forced by the Nazis to lead children to their deaths in the gas chambers. Widely speculated to be either a transcendent masterpiece or an obscene failure, the radical feature was never released, remaining trapped in legal limbo. Lewis spent the remainder of the decade out of film, appearing instead in the disastrous Broadway production Helzapoppin' as well as in concert and on the lecture circuit. Finally, in 1979 he wrote, directed, and starred in Hardly Working; though not released until two years later because of financial entanglements, the movie proved to be a major success, grossing over 50 million dollars in North America alone.

In late 1982, Lewis was declared clinically dead after suffering a massive heart attack. He was miraculously revived, and the excessive lifestyle that led to his near-death experience became the subject of his 1983 feature Smorgasbord, which later premiered on HBO as Cracking Up before finally bowing in theaters in 1985. In the meantime, Lewis garnered some of the best reviews of his career for his work in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy, but his performance did not lead to work in other major Hollywood productions. As a result, he traveled to France, appearing in the 1984 comedies To Catch a Cop. The dismal Slapstick of Another Kind also arrived in 1984, with only small roles in the 1987 telefilm Fight for Life and Susan Seidelman's 1989 effort Cookie, as well as an extended supporting turn in the television series Wiseguy. By the 1990s, Lewis experienced something of a resurgence. Although he remained unable to secure directorial work, he did appear in the major studio films Mr. Saturday Night and Funny Bones. Additionally, he starred on Broadway in a successful revival of Damn Yankees and in 1996, The Nutty Professor was remade by Eddie Murphy.

 

Lucille Ball

 

Lucille Ball was born August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. Setting her mind on becoming an actress early, she left high school at age 15, and with her mother's blessing, enrolled in John Murray Anderson Drama School in New York City. Though she auditioned repeatedly, Ball was told she had no talent, and was never accepted to the school. With no experience behind her and very few acting roles for women available, Ball took a job as a model, using the name Diane Belmont. Moderately successful, Ball became an Earl Carrol showgirl and began modeling for popular fashion designer, Hattie Carnegie. Carnegie chose Ball to be the Chesterfield Cigarette Girl in 1933. The position won her national exposure for the first time, and caught the attention of Hollywood. Lucille Ball's first role was an appearance in Eddie Cantor's musical, "Roman Scandals" in 1933.

Ball continued to audition for movies, and caught bit parts in low budget feature films like, "Blood Money" in 1933 and "Kid Millions" the following year. The success of her first roles would lead to bigger and better parts. Ball would appear in over 60 films by the late 1940s, including feature films starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Bob Hope.

After performing in the musical "Too Many Girls," in 1940 with popular Cuban band leader, Desi Arnaz, Ball fell in love with her co-star, and married him later that year. Band and career schedules clashed often, and the newlyweds often found themselves on opposite sides of the country. Lucy filed for divorce in 1944, but managed to patch things up just one day before the divorce was to be finalized.

The young couple decided that the only way to make their marriage work was if they worked together on a project. Ball and Arnaz pitched an idea to CBS that would involve the unlikely marriage of a wild red head to a Cuban band leader. At first, CBS officials balked at the idea, claiming that the American public would never accept such a couple. So, the husband and wife team formed their own production company called "Desilu," and hit the road, taking their show idea and turning it into a popular and highly praised vaudeville act. When CBS still refused to consider the show, the Ball and Arnaz used their own money to film the pilot episode of the show. "I Love Lucy" premiered in October of 1951, and instantly became the most popular television show in America. CBS picked it up before the show's thirty minute episode was over.

"I Love Lucy" ran successfully for 6 years. The first four years on the air, "I Love Lucy" was number one in the Neilsen Ratings. During its entire history, the show never fell below number three. "I Love Lucy" won more than 200 awards, 5 Emmys and the respect and admiration of the country.

In January of 1953, the "I Love Lucy" introduced an eyebrow raising episode in which Lucy gave birth on the air to "Little Ricky." Pregnant with her real life first son, Desi Jr. at the time, a record 44 million viewers tuned in to watch the live birth.

Ball and Arnaz's coupling had been labeled tumultuous in the late 1950s, and after 179 episodes of the "I Love Lucy Show," they decided to call it quits to save their marriage. While they said goodbye to the old show, they began taping another, named "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour." The 60-minute show didn't need the time and attention of their previous works, and Arnaz and Ball once again seemed happy and in love. Arnaz spent less time in the recording studio with his band, and more at home, working with"Desilu." By the end of the 1950s, Desilu became a powerful, respected corporation, producing such hit TV shows as "Star Trek" and "Mission Impossible."

After 20 years of marriage, Ball and Arnaz divorced in 1960. While Arnaz turned to alcohol and was rarely seen in public again, Ball took out a loan for $3 million and bought her ex-husbands half of Desilu. At the time, Desilu was the world's largest production facility and Lucy's take-over made her the first woman in history to hold such a position.

In 1962, encouraged by fans, Ball reintroduced Lucy to TV, as she starred in "The Lucy Show." It would run successfully for 6 years, and feature her real life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., and former co-star, Vivian Vance. When "The Lucy Show" went off the air, Ball wasted no time in reformatting the show and starring in yet another series based on the same character. "Here's Lucy," was instantly picked up by the networks and ran on prime time through 1974. It was during this same time when Ball spread her wings and began performing outside the lines of comedy. She won rave reviews for her appearance on Broadway in 1961s, "Wildcat." On the heels of that success, Ball teamed with Bob Hope for two feature films and co-starred with Henry Fonda in the critically acclaimed, "Yours, Mine and Ours."

Though she played a ditzy, wild hearted redhead, in real life, Ball was nothing of the kind. In 1967, she sold Desilu Productions for $17 million, netting some $10 million.

Ball remarried in 1968, taking Gary Morton as her second husband. Morton, a former comedian, worked with Ball to help create "Lucille Ball Productions."
In the late 70s and early 80s, Ball made only sporadic appearances on TV, usually as the guest star. In 1985, she portrayed a New York homeless woman in the TV film, "Stone Pillow." The following year, at the age of 75, she debuted "Life with Lucy," a half hour comedy series. It aired for only two months before being cancelled.
One week after undergoing open heart surgery, on April 26, 1989, Lucille Ball suffered a ruptured aorta and died. She was 77 years old. Ball is survived by two children. Desi Arnaz died of cancer in 1986. Today, "I Love Lucy" is syndicated in more than 80 countries and remains one of the most popular TV shows of all time.

 

Harry Langdon

 

(Born on June 15 1884)

(Died on December 22 1944 at age 60)

he was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films, and talkies. he was known as one of the most tragic silent movie actors of all time. :,-(

Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he began working in vaudeville then joined Vitagraph Movie Studios. He eventually went over to Keystone Studios where he became a major star. At the height of his film career he was considered one of the four best comics of the silent film era. His screen character was that of a wide-eyed, childlike man with an innocent's understanding of the world and the people in it. He was a first class pantomimist.

Most of Langdon's 1920s work was produced at the famous Mack Sennett studio. His screen character was so unique, and his antics so different from the broad Sennett slapstick, that he soon had a following. Success led him into feature films, directed by Arthur Ripley and Frank Capra. When Langdon had such good directors guiding him, he produced work that rivaled Charlie Chaplin's, Harold Lloyd's, and Buster Keaton's. His best films were The Strong Man (1926) and Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926). After his initial success, Langdon took creative control of his films and career, but his appeal faded soon afterward. His last starring silent feature was made in 1928; he wouldn't star in another feature until 1940. Capra later claimed that Langdon's decline stemmed from the fact that, unlike the other great silent comics, he never fully understood what made his own film character successful.

Harry Langdon's babyish character didn't adapt well to sound films; as producer Hal Roach remarked, "he was not so funny articulate." But Langdon was a big enough name to command leads in short subjects for Educational Pictures and Columbia Pictures. In 1938 he adopted a Caspar Milquetoast-type, henpecked-husband character that served him well, He also contributed to comedy scripts as a writer, notably for Laurel and Hardy. Langdon continued to work steadily in low-budget features and shorts, always playing mild-mannered goofs, into the 1940s. As a point of interest, when Hal Roach was in a contract dispute with Stan Laurel, one-half of the great Laurel and Hardy comedic pair, the studio paired Langdon with Oliver Hardy in a 1939 film titled Zenobia.

Harry Langdon kept busy right up until his death in 1944 (in Los Angeles, from a cerebral hemorrhage). He was interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. At the height of his career, Langdon was making $7,500 per week, a fortune for the times. Upon his death, the New York Times (Dec, 23, 1944) wrote respectfully of him: "His whole appeal was a consummate ability to look inexpressibly forlorn when confronted with manifold misfortunes--usually of the domestic type. He was what was known as 'dead-pan'...the feeble smile and owlish blink which had become his stock-in-trade caught on in a big way, and he skyrocketed to fame and fortune..."

In 1997, his hometown of Council Bluffs celebrated "Harry Langdon Day" and in 1999 named Harry Langdon Boulevard in his honor. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Harry Langdon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Blvd.