Has the Parade Gone By?

The 60s were, in one instance, a delightful decade. A decade of humor.

Yesteryear's humor!

In those years of my childhood, I had the luxury of enjoying the nostalgia craze revival of the wonderful silent & early sound days. It seems like ALL the great old comedians were being honored in revival and, though we weren't born early enough to see them when they actually were at their peak, we were able to do so then.

There were constant televised showings of the Robert Youngson's silent compilations; Laurel & Hardy were long a staple on TV; NY's Joe Franklin, the Nostalgia King, aired frequent silent & sound one & two reelers; WNEW had REEL CAMP, the early morning (2 AM!) hour long program showing two reelers; Public TV had Chaplin two reelers as Holiday treats.

The 70s attempted to carry on this grand nostalgia tradition by bringing about a revival of Keaton & Chaplin movies routinely; 1972 saw the return of Chaplin at the Oscars & another rebirth of Chaplin movies; In the late 70s, A&E began showing Chaplin 'LOST & FOUND' two reelers (the Mutuals!); the Chaplin Centennial in the 80s was another opportunity we had where Chaplin movies were more visibly screened; then the LIVE orchestrated music of Chaplin films began a wave of Chaplin movies that carried on into the 90s.

But what about now? Who are the Archivists of Silent Comedy that will carry on this tradition? Youngson is dead, Franklin is off the air and now even Gill is gone. We do have a few revival houses that maintain the flame, such as here in NY. But we need more.

We await the new Chaplin Society. Hopefully it will push more screenings of Chaplin & silent films, in general. But what if it doesn't? Where's the next wave of interest in silent movies?

Cable TV should have an opening. But even Turner Classic Movies & American Movie Classics show silents infrequently.

Perhaps, the Chaplin Society can be the rallying point in which our concerns are met and we can present to these cable companies our petitions for more silent comedies.

Perhaps, this forum can help carry on the flame; by actively coming up with winning strategies and carrying them out.

Who knows? I just wanted to vent a little frustration and perhaps submit ideas for further discussion.

But maybe the holding of the flame DOES rest with us, we who love silent comedies so much.

If not us, then who?

~ Crooner

I'm sure they were.

<snipsky>

Perhaps someone who doesn't call Charlie a scumbag every chance he gets.

(Sorry, Croonie, but you're being a little bit hypocritical here...)

CC41689 (more in sorrow than in anger...)

'Who do you think you are

CC41689 wrote

Well, Sweetie, what I sorrow about is that we can't attempt to have a civil dialogue without diverting the discussion into our typically constant carping.

Nevertheless, is it the doctrine of this newsgroup that we can't have honest differences of opinions about Chaplin, the Man? I think Chaplin as Artist is practically without peer, nevertheless.

And you CAN differentiate between the artist and the man. Chaplin has!

I wasn't quite so lucky in rural PA as those in metropolitan areas, but my interest in silents WAS piqued by a PBS show that ran on Saturday nights, and 'Hooray for Harold Lloyd' that one of the Pittsburgh stations aired weekly.

One thing I remember distinctly that aren't around any more (and this is slightly off topic) are the wonderful old movies they used to run on Sundays and afternoons (anyone else have fond memories of 'The Big Money Movies?). That is where I discovered Abbott & Costello, Laurel & Hardy and The Marx Bros. What took their place? Stinking infomercials! I have 60 some cable channels, yet when I go down the listings on Sunday afternoon all I see is 'Paid Program, Paid Program, Paid Program' Death to the Infomercial! Give us back our silent/classic films!

Leslie (shuddering that the day may come when people wax nostalgic about 'The Principal Secret'. TaeBo or one of those slicer/dicer machines)

Naturally, *I* do, Leslie.

While you are theoretically correct about the downside of too much focus on Chaplin's faults, it is a fact of life on this newsgroup that *any* mention of Chaplin's failings has been met with overkill and personal attack.

Given that, Lou has been correct to defend his honor and the integrity of his views. Of necessity, this has resulted in lengthy threads with the 'fighting' you have mentioned.

I will go further and suggest that much of the 'fighting' here results from certain leftover Sixties values being superimposed on Chaplin's life, and a consequent dissent from that cultural attitude.

Leslie Evans wrote

Speaking about Abbott & Costello, some little known, or unnecessary facts, about them in their relation to Chaplin.

1) We all know by now that Chaplin told Costello that he wanted to redo THE KID, with Costello playing the tramp role. (No word, as of this writing, whether Abbott was going to play the Kid.)

2) Abbott & Costello's movie WHO DONE IT?, 1943, was supposed to be dedicated to Costello's idol Chaplin.

3) Costello, as a boy, impersonated Chaplin, complete with pratfalls, in a contest and won first place.

4) In THE ABBOTT & COSTELLO TV show, Costello wore a derby, as a tip of the hat to Chaplin.

5) Chaplin was able to do a great impression of Abbott & Costello doing a comedy routine.

6) Charles Reisner, associate director and actor in Chaplin movies, directed the A&C movie LOST IN A HAREM, which wasn't all that great tho.

7) Chaplin costar Martha Raye appeared in A&C's KEEP 'EM FLYING.

8) At about the time of A&C's BUCK PRIVATES, Chaplin called Costello 'the best comic working in the business today.'

9) Costello copied Chaplin's gag of milking a cow through unorthodox means.

10) I'd love to know what Chaplin thought of A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN. I think it was one of the best comedy-horror movies ever.

~ Crooner

It's one thing to have doubts about Charlie's life

You never disappoint me, George.

That doesn't make obsessively harping about Charlie's personal failings worth doing.

Especially when, in Croonie's case, it starts to seem like a personal vendetta...

CC41689 (who still thinks George is an honorable man)

'Who do you think you are