SilentComedians.com

snorrem · Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 703 Location: Norway

I watched several Lloyd Hamilton silent shorts a couple of months back. I'd only seen one of his films from before (the one directed by Arbuckle) and thought it was pretty amusing. Naturally, having heard all those glamoring words --"Hamilton is the one actor of whom I am jealous," Chaplin, "Hamilton was one of the funniest men in pictures," Keaton, etc.-- my expectations were high. And I have to say, he DID satisfy my expectations; for the most part.

To begin with the positive: Hamilton created an original screen character, unlike anyone else at the time. His humor was often more suitable to adults than children, and that goes for his character, too. A magnificent performer, I love his character. Besides this, all of his solo silent films (of those I've seen) consist of at least one (and usually several) brilliant gags and set-ups. The rather dark atmosphere of his films appeal to me very much as well.

However, there is ONE thing that quite annoys me, and I wonder if I'm the only one who've noticed this: the problem is not with Hamilton himself, but the continuity in his films. Very often there is absolutely no connection between the incidents that occur; one moment he is a tax-gatherer fighting to do his duty, the next his professional position is completely forgotten and he sets off to do something else. His profession is not mentioned once again throughout the film. I know that many comedies tend to become somewhat "episodic"; the talkies of W.C. Fields is one example. But there is always a certain loose thread throughout Fields's films which remind us that it is, after all, a story we are following. In Chaplin's Pay Day, Charlie is at work in the first reel and trying to go to bed without awakening his wife the next, but at the end of the film he is thrown out of the house and goes back to work again. "Work" is the key-word for the film which makes it a complete story.

In Hamilton's case, it seems to me that Lloyd and his gag-men, however brilliant at comedy construction as they were, didn't have that much of insight into story construction. But perhaps the lack of story is part of the whole point, to embrace his films with a flavour of surrealism which is seldom found in other comedies of the time? What do you others think? I'm surprised that apparently no one has brought up the topic before.

Richard M Roberts · Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 329

Turpinutz · Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 857 Location: Philadelphia

snorrem · Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 703 Location: Norway

WaverBoy · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 284

Salty Dog · Joined: 25 Nov 2006 Posts: 58

WaverBoy · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 284

Thanks!

Laughsmith · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 77

Thought you might get a kick out of the following Lloyd Hamilton ad for Twilight Baby:

Very elaborate! Notice that an Arbuckle comedy is playing as well.

- Paul E. Gierucki

Laughsmith · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Posts: 77

I neglected to mention that the Arbuckle film playing alongside TWILIGHT BABY was THE GARAGE.

-- Paul E. Gierucki

WaverBoy · Joined: 29 May 2007 Posts: 284

Good choice for your next release, eh? C'mon Mr. Gierucki, tell us you've got a print of this in your basement...

But seriously folks, a Laughsmith compendium of restored surviving Hamilton films with original music scores would be beyond sublime. I'll I've seen is THE MOVIES and clips from the Slaphappy comp, and I like what I've seen so far. I may just have to knuckle under and get the Looser Than Loose comp.

snorrem · Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 703 Location: Norway

I just want to say something I've wanted to say for months now (well I didn't find another way to put it): I've really grown to like Ham's films as an entirety, not just his character and gags. Yeah there's a lack of continuity in them but SO WHAT?? The whole point with Ham, as I now see it, is to emphasize his bad luck in all situations; WHATEVER he does it turns out bad, with one catastrophe leading to another one (and probably even worse).