Review: "Chain of Fools"

Keaton...Lloyd...Semon...Linder...Normand...they're all links in the "Chain of Fools."

Trav S.D.’s book offers yet another look at the world of silent cinema -- he explores the roots and history of this beast known as comedy itself, how it manifested itself on nitrate and how it has evolved into the bread and butter of sites like YouTube. In addition to an in-depth look at the vaudeville and stage comedians who came before, and an even-handed look at the famous and lesser-known silent film comedians of the time, he offers, perhaps, a more balanced and less cynical look at the body of work offered by silent stars after their heyday was well behind them.

Milla Davenport, Mabel Normand, Harry McCoy & Roscoe Arbuckle in a Keystone comedy

“Chain of Fools” is obviously written by a true lover of the form who is versed in the standard literature on the subject (notably Walter Kerr’s “The Silent Clowns”), and it's worth noting that Trav himself has paid homage to the form by writing and starring in his own silent shorts. The love for the genre comes through with every word, as does his dedication to set the record straight on some misconceptions.

Mabel Normand and Mack Sennett with Keystone players

Trav also traces the final days of slapstick and the strains of it that continue through to current comedians. Although his opinions of certain comedians are sure to rub some readers the wrong way (his opinion of Abbott and Costello is justifiably low) the honesty he approaches the subject with is refreshing. While some are taken down a peg, others are finally given their due. Mabel Normand and her fellow pioneering comediennes get their moment in the spotlight, as do Charley Chase and others. He also gives credit to heirs of the silent comedy throne, comedians like Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason and Chris Farley who directly or indirectly, found inspiration in the form and have kept it going.

For anyone new to the world of silent comedy, “Chain of Fools” is definitely a good place to start. Not only does it give readers an overview of the big names involved (from Sennett to Chaplin to Roach), it also calls out specific films as more or less required viewing. It’s also an excellent read and resource for devoted fans of the genre and history surrounding it with space dedicated to the films of Larry Semon and Harry Langdon, as well as Billy West and Max Linder. Overall, “Chain of Fools” is an excellent, informative and enjoyable read written by one silent film lover to another.

Intrigued? You can buy “Chain of Fools” through Amazon either as a paperback or an ebook for the Kindle.

"Sparrows" Lands at the Music Box

"Lillian Gish is the kind of woman who needs to be saved from the ice floe. Mary Pickford is the kind of woman who will save you from the ice floe." - Christel Schmidt

Mary Pickford will forever be the spunky, tough young woman with the angelic face and head full of golden curls. Although she did a number of films that presented her in another light, the power and emotion behind performances found in "Daddy Long Legs" and "Tess of the Storm Country" continue to resonate with us in a way that, frankly, "Coquette" doesn't achieve. Pickford's performance in "Sparrows" is one of these emotional and memorable roles.

Pickford plays Mollie, a young woman who has had to grow up quickly since becoming the default mother to her fellow orphans on the grimes farm, In reality, the Grimes family runs an undercover baby farm where children are frequently abused, mistreated and forced to starve. It's only because of Mollie's care that the children have survived so long. Although their living situation is horrendous and she's even witnessed the death of the youngest member of their little family, she refuses to let her spirit or her faith be broken.

When Mollie is given a new little one to watch after, she immediately falls in love with her and claims her as her own. What she doesn't realize is that Baby was kidnapped from her father in the hopes of collecting a hefty ransom. as the cops begin to close in on the kidnappers, Grimes attempts to kill the child, forcing Mollie to devise a plan for all of the orphans to escape the farm for good. Not only do Mollie and the children brave the dangers of the swamp and escape to freedom, the baby is reunited with her father and Mollie convinces him to adopt all of the children as his own, ensuring they'll be able to stay a family forever -- a well-deserved happy ending for this wonderful film.

I was fortunate enough to see a screening of "Sparrows" presented by Pickford biographer Christel Schmidt at the beautiful Music Box Theatre, accompanied by Dennis Scott on the in-house organ. It was a wonderful experience made, perhaps, a little more poignant in the light of Roger Ebert's passing just days before. As Scott explained, Ebert often spoke of his love for the Music Box, saying that the live organ accompaniment set it apart from every other theater in Chicago. Schmidt also took the opportunity to share outtakes from "Sparrows," its original theatrical trailer, and countless photos and production stills detailing Pickford's incredible career.



The theme that kept appearing throughout the screening and Schmidt's presentation was the fact that Pickford was truly a powerhouse. She rose from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Hollywood, producing and overseeing her films and co-running United Artists. She also maintained ownership of a lot of her filmography which ensured that that survived the test of time intact. Pickford was a pioneer in more ways than one, and it's safe to say that had there been no Pickford, there would have been no Lucille Ball or Desilu.

When I left the screening, I was struck by the incredible legacy Pickford left and the overwhelming joy being able to see one of her classics on the big screen left in me. The girl with the golden curls lives!

You can buy Schmidt's book, "Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies," here.

Cecil Hepworth & "Rescued by Rover"

Lassie and all of her legendary cinematic canine companions owe a debt of gratitude to a filmmaker named Cecil Hepworth and a collie named Blair.

Cecil Hepworth

In 1905, Hepworth made one of the first true narratives to come out of British cinema - “Rescued by Rover.” The film’s plot is simple enough -- Baby (played by Hepworth’s daughter) is kidnapped by a beggar while out for a stroll with her nurse. When the news is broken to the rest of the family (father played by Hepworth himself, mother played by Hepworth’s wife), loyal Rover (played by Hepworth’s dog Blair) makes it his mission to save the baby, traveling across streams and through London slums in the process. Because of Rover’s determination, the baby is saved and the family is happily reunited.

"Rover" and the "Rescued"

Yes, the plot is simple, but this film was the first of its kind. This tale of man’s best friend predates and, indeed, makes possible the antics of Rin Tin Tin, Lassie and the hundreds of doggie stars to follow them. Blair’s shining moment in this film would also pave the way for animals stars like Vitagraph’s Jean and Keystone’s Teddy. In fact, Teddy would go on to star in a film parodying the melodrama tropes of being tied to the train tracks and rushing to find help, starring none other than Gloria Swanson as the damsel in distress.

Jean, the Vitagraph dog | Mack Sennett with Teddy

But the idea to make the family pet the hero wasn’t the only innovation Hepworth introduced to film. In fact, Hepworth was one of cinema’s earliest pioneers, and had been experimenting with the medium since at least the late 1890’s. “How it Feels to be Run Over,” made five years before “Rover,” was innovative and experimental by putting the audience (through the lens of the camera) in the shoes of an unfortunate pedestrian.



Also from 1900, “Explosion of a Motor Car” features Hepworth’s attempt at trick photography (a technique that was to become synonymous with Georges Melies).



“Rover,” on the other hand, doesn’t feature any experimental camera work or trick photography, instead it is innovative in its storytelling. Although it’s a short film, only about six and a half minutes long, it features a lot of clever, coherent editing and cutting to help keep the story moving. The flow from scene to scene is logical and helps keep the narrative understandable, while the clever cuts that shorten Rover’s journey help keep the momentum going and keep the audience riveted. D.W. Griffith would go one to perfect the race to the rescue, but keep in mind, Hepworth achieved this technique in 1905. That’s two years before Griffith appeared in his first film and three years before he began directing!

To say this film was popular would be an understatement. At a time when many films were still one and two minutes long, and featuring brief scenes that had more of a documentary quality to them than narrative, Hepworth gave audiences a fully formed, engaging and fast-paced narrative. The film was so popular that it had to be remade two times to keep up with demand and replace worn out negatives.

You can watch “Rescued by Rover” in its entirety below, and  keep an eye out for another post about Hepworth. I have a feeling we'll be revisiting him in the future.

Dorothy Gibson & "Saved from the Titanic"

April 14, 1912, 11:40 pm. The Titanic strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic that would cause it to sink the next day. Although we've seen the story of the Titanic dozens of times, through various TV and film variations, the story that could potentially offer us the most insight into this legendary tragedy was lost in a vault fire 99 years ago.

Dorothy Gibson had only been in films for a year when she set sail on the Titanic with her mother. She had gotten her start with IMP company and in July 1911, she signed with the U.S. branch of the Paris-based Eclair Studios. She found fame and praise for her light comedies as well as her dramas, but her experience on the Titanic would push her into a new level of fame.

While Gibson and her mother were playing bridge with some of their fellow passengers, the ship struck the iceberg. The women escaped on the first lifeboat launched and arrived in New York via the ship Carpathia. It was when she arrived that Gibson's manager asserted she should appear in a film based on the disaster. Gibson went a step further, penning the scenario for the film from her experiences. The film, titled "Saved from the Titanic" and even featured Gibson wearing the clothes she was rescued in.

Moving Picture World praise the "Saved" as a "surprising and artistically perfect reel," while also praising Gibson for her ability to deal with the trauma of the event while still being able to perform at the top of her game. In addition to having the distinction of being a first person account of the disaster, it was also the very first film about it, released just 29 days after the sinking. Although Gibson, along with Mary Pickford, was the highest paid movie star in the world, it didn't push her to continue her film career. She retired from the film industry in May 1912. Unfortunately, the only known print of "Saved from the Titanic" was destroyed in an Eclair Studios vault fire in 1914, depriving the world of one of silent film's most intriguing performances and stories.

Eclair was not the only studio or, indeed, company, eager to profit off of the Titanic tragedy. Warner's Features released footage of Captain Smith and billed it for what it was -- footage of the captain on the sister ship of the Titanic, the Olympic, during inspection shortly before it set sail. Although the footage was not of the Titanic itself, the notice noted that the Olympic's construction was similar to that of the Titanic, and that this was the only filmed footage of the late captain ever taken.

At some point, however, other distributors also acquired the footage and altered it so that it could be marketed as footage of the Titanic itself just before setting sail. They even scratched and damaged the film so that the names of the ships were obscured.

You can watch the footage of Captain Smith on the Olympic below.

A Trip to the Music Box Theatre with Georges Méliès

I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to see these films, all of them around 110 years old, on a theater screen being presented by Méliès’ family. Last Saturday, The Music Box Theatre and Alliance Francais paid tribute to one of the great pioneers of silent film. Recently, Martin Scorsese honored the work and influence of Méliès through the film “Hugo,” but the sad truth is that the recognition Méliès now receives follows decades of being forgotten by the public. Although his work "A Trip to the Moon" remains one of the most iconic films of the silent era, it was pirated by American studios (Thomas Edison's studio being one of the most notable offenders), preventing Méliès from benefiting financially and enjoying the success he deserved. In the years since his death, however, film scholars and fans have come to appreciate and respect Méliès for all of his contributions to cinema, and his family is still proudly presenting his work around the world.

Beginning his film career in 1896, Méliès embarked on a journey to bring a world he knew intimately -- magic -- to film. He discovered early on that there were tricks films could provide that could not be duplicated on stage. Méliès became the first filmmaker to realize the advantage that stopping the camera or blocking off portions of the film could afford -- tricks that Buster Keaton, among others, would later use to their fullest potential.

A great example of Méliès’ pioneering work in the realm of special effects can be seen in 1902’s "The Man with the Rubber Head." In the film, Méliès inflates his 'rubber' head --bearing his own features -- using forced perspective and clever editing. Clocking in at only two-and-a-half minutes, the film is short in length but nothing short of impressive.

Méliès was also a pioneer in the realm of colored film. Although Technicolor would not be introduced for another 20 years, several of Méliès’ films featured brightly colored scenes created by workers painstakingly painting clothing, flames and backgrounds, one film cell at a time. A beautiful example of this effect is preserved in “The Merry Frolics of Satan” from 1906.


In recognition of his 150th birthday, Méliès’ great-granddaughter Marie-Hélène Lehérissey-Méliès and great-great-grandson Lawrence Lehérissey-Méliès have been touring with “The Man with the Rubber Head,” “The Witch” and 14 other films spanning Méliès’ career, and presenting them to audiences around the world with live narration and piano accompaniment. For the Chicago engagement, actress Barbara Robertson provided the narration in English. The narration and musical accompaniment approximate the experience that filmgoers would have experienced in the early days of film, and this particular experience was made even more special by the excited crowd, full theater and The Music Box’s starlit ceiling.

Didn’t get a chance to see the films at The Music Box? Approximate the experience with this playlist, featuring all of the films shown at the cine-concert, from the iconic “A Trip to the Moon” to the first ever product placement in a film in “Bluebeard.”

You can also read my past post on Méliès here.