Large Association of Movie Blogs
Large Association of Movie Blogs

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Congratulations To The Silent Comedy Watch Party on Episode #100!


One of the key things, in addition to our pets, that got this household through many months of lockdown in 2020-2021 was watching The Silent Comedy Watch Party, presented with wit and panache by intrepid film historians, authors and curators Ben Model and Steve Massa on Sundays.



On this Sunday, St. Patrick's Day, the series will return to YouTube for its 4th anniversary extravaganza and episode #100 - HOORAY!


One of the many things I love about the series is that, unlike 99% of silent era comedy programs, The Silent Comedy Watch Party does not limit the focus strictly to The Big 3, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.





While we at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog love those guys, unquestionably the other silent movie laughmakers, lesser known but often hilarious, richly deserve kudos, bravos and huzzahs for their contributions to film humor.


It's noteworthy that acrobatic Al St. John, the ever-persnickety Johnny Arthur and wacky redhead of silents Alice Howell - all very funny performers - are featured in Silent Comedy Watch Party episode #100.



The following graphic for Silent Comedy Watch Party episode 50 shows just a few of the amazing comics featured in the series.


The dyed-in-the-wool silent comedy aficionados at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog extend big time thanks to The Silent Comedy Watch Party for repeatedly delivering big laughs during 2020, a difficult time (even for those fortunate enough to not lose family members and friends to coronavirus) and continuing to do so with good-natured enthusiasm in only slightly less bat guano crazy 2024.




Silent Comedy Watch Party logo by Marlene Weisman

Friday, March 08, 2024

More Classic Comedy And Animation Screenings in March and April


There is a treasure trove of vintage comedy and animation screenings going on right now in New York City, with very cool shows across the country from The Empire State in Orinda, California from my friends from the Psychotronix Film Festival happening on April 6.

Tomorrow night, classic comedy expert Nelson Hughes celebrates the tenth anniversary of his series That Slapstick Show with TEN hilarious Pre-Code 2-reelers, some featuring the poet laureate of "the slow burn," character actor/comedian/director Edgar Livingston Kennedy, at QED Astoria in Queens.



Prints are courtesy of the Library of Congress! Tickets are available for That Slapstick Show: Pre-Code Comedies here. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Classic comedy films begin at 7:00.



If you happen to be the most intrepid and physically hardy of film buffs, reside in NYC and have the time free, you could attend the two matinee shows of sheer animated splendor from the Max Fleischer Cartoons: The Art & Inventions Of Max Fleischer retrospective at MoMA and then head for QED Astoria for big laughs courtesy of Edgar Kennedy and his world-class comedian pals!


Say hello to intrepid curators Thad Komorowoski and Nelson Hughes if you have a chance - and dig those excellent Hal Roach comedies and Fleischer cartoons!



Cartoons by Fleischer Studios are, peg boards down, the all-time favorites of the gang at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog.



When it comes to classic cartoon goodness, Uncle Max delivers!



MoMA's The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer retrospective extends to March 14.



Saturday, April 6 the Psychotronix Film Festival crew, led by Sci Fi Bob Ekman, Scott Moon and Robert Emmett from KFJC, shall rock the house with an evening of big screen fun at the Orinda Theatre.



Yours truly, who unfortunately lacks a working Star Trek teleportation device or an unlimited travel budget, will, much to his chagrin, not be there for the psychotronic festivities at Orinda or the April 10-14 shows by the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, but shall be on hand (with 16mm reels) - trains, planes and automobiles willing - for the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival at Foothill College on May 4.



And, if current cinema floats the glass bottom boat for San Francisco Bay Area cineastes, South Bay residents can check out San Jose's Cinequest film festival this weekend. The 2024 edition of Cinequest extends through St. Patrick's Day.

Monday, March 04, 2024

March 7-14: Fleischer Cartoons ROCK New York City's Museum Of Modern Art



This blog has posted about the amazing and ever-inventive animation of Fleischer Studios numerous times over the 1,328 posts thus far.


The inspired work of Fleischer Studios remains, over a century after its first films for J.R. Bray were distributed to movie theaters, revered among animators, filmmakers and classic movie aficionados.



The studio that created Ko-ko, The Inkwell Imps and Betty Boop and successfully brought Popeye and Superman from the comics to the silver screen unquestionably are the favorite cartoon producers of this blogmeister and the KFJC Psychotronix Film Festival.


We're thrilled to hear that at NYC's MoMA, Fleischer Studios will at long last get their long overdue due.



The title of the retrospective, Max Fleischer Cartoons: The Art & Inventions Of Max Fleischer, is parallel to Ray Pointer's excellent tome covering the filmmaking career, art and technological innovations of Max Fleischer.



Have we at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog done multiple binge-watches of Kokos, Inkwell Imps and Talkartoons? Yes.



The lineup for Max Fleischer Cartoons: The Art & Inventions Of Max Fleischer is as follows:

Thursday, March 7, 7:00 p.m.
Greatest Hits — with Q&A
Ko-Ko’s Earth Control (1928)
Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
Snow-White (1933)
Dinah (1933) – Screen Song (restored from UCLA and ASIFA-Hollywood’s preservation neg)
Betty Boop And Grampy (1935)
Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor (1936)




Friday, March 8, 4:00 p.m.
Silent Program 1 — with piano accompaniment from Ben Model
The Clown's Little Brother (1920)
Boxing Kangaroo (1920)
The Runaway (1924)
The Cartoon Factory (1924)
Ko-Ko’s Kane (1927)
Fadeaway (1926)
Ko-Ko Plays Pool (1927)


Friday, March 8, 7:00 p.m.
The Pre-Codes

Barnacle Bill (1930)
Ace Of Spades (1931)
Minding The Baby (1931)
In My Merry Oldsmobile (1931)
Chess-Nuts (1932)
Mask-A-Raid (1931)
Ko-Ko Lamps Aladdin (1928)
(repeats Monday March 11, 4:30 p.m.)


Saturday, March 9, 1:00 p.m.
Matinee Program 1
Can You Take It? (1934)
Educated Fish (1937)
Betty In Blunderland (1934)
Betty Boop’s Bizzy Bee (1932)
Poor Cinderella (1934)
Ko-Ko's Kink (1928)
Buzzy Boop At The Concert (1938) (courtesy of UCLA and ASIFA-Hollywood)

Saturday, March 9, 4:00 p.m.
Spooky! Surreal!
Swing You Sinners! (1930)
Betty Boop’s Hallowe'en Party (1933)
Red Hot Mama (1934)
Ko-Ko's Hot Dog (1928)
Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)
The Cobweb Hotel (1936)
Goonland (1938)
(repeats Wednesday, March 13, 4:00 p.m.)

Saturday, March 9, 7:00 p.m.
Betty’s Beginnings
Dizzy Dishes (1930)
Barnacle Bill (1930)
Mysterious Mose (1930)
The Bum Bandit (1931)
Silly Scandals (1931)
Bimbo’s Express (1931)
Mask-A-Raid (1931)
(repeats Tuesday, March 12, 4:00 p.m.)


Sunday, March 10, 1:00 p.m.
Matinee Program 2



Somewhere In Dreamland (1936)
Play Safe (1936)
A Clean Shaven Man (1936)
Small Fry (1939)
The Mechanical Monsters (1941)
Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions (1933)
Mother Goose Land (1933)


Sunday, March 10, 1:00 p.m.
Silent Program 2 — with piano accompaniment from Ben Model
Jumping Beans (1922)
The Puzzle (1923)
Ko-Ko The Knight (1927)
Ko-Ko’s Kozy Korner (1928)
It’s The Cats (1926)
Ko-Ko Beats Time (1929)
Noise Annoys Ko-Ko (1929)


Monday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Color Classics

The Cobweb Hotel (1936)
Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba & The Forty Thieves (1937)
The Arctic Giant (1942)
Poor Cinderella (1934)
Play Safe (1936)

The Kids In The Shoe (1935)
Small Fry (1939)
(repeats Thursday, March 14, 4:00 p.m.)


Tuesday, March 12, 7:00 p.m.
New York Stories
Stop That Noise (1935)
Any Rags? (1932)
Betty Boop’s Penthouse (1933)
Minnie The Moocher (1932)
Noise Annoys Ko-Ko (1929)
A Dream Walking (1934)
Ko-ko At The Circus (1926)
(repeats Thursday, March 14, 7:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, March 13, 7:00 p.m.
The Musicals

Popular Melodies (1933)
Brotherly Love (1936)
When Yuba Plays The Rhumba On The Tuba (1933)
The Old Man Of The Mountain (1933)
Time On My Hands (1932)
A Language All My Own (1935)
Honest Love And True (1938) (courtesy of Lobster Films)

Max Fleischer's granddaughter Jane Fleischer Reid has been working with historian, author and film restoration expert Thad Komorowoski and the best of the best cartoonologists and restoration experts - on making this tribute a reality.


Thad covered this epic animation retrospective in his February 28 post on Cartoon Research, Fleischer Cartoons at The Museum Of Modern Art. Thad writes:
It’s been a wonderful privilege and pleasure to be part of the Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored initiative for the past few years. Spearheaded by Jane Fleischer Reid (Max’s granddaughter) and in cooperation with Paramount and many international archives, this is the little restoration project that could.



It’s shown what’s possible with the right people in the right jobs, at the right time in history. Not just me, but Steve Stanchfield and his team at Thunderbean Animation, Fleischer licensee Mauricio Alvarado, Sam Davis, Ciara Waggoner, Devon Baxter, Jack Rizzo, Ray Faiola, Ben Model, Mark Kausler, Bruce Lawton, Paul Mular, Ray Pointer and Brandon Adams have all been pitching in and hard at work bringing these classics back to glory never thought possible.




The ingenious filmmaking of Max, Dave, and Lou Fleischer, Dick Huemer, Doc Crandall, Grim Natwick, Willard Bowsky, Dave Tendlar, Seymour Kneitel, Shamus Culhane, Myron Waldman, and so many others has been neglected for so long, and it’s so befitting their work is being shared and celebrated right where it was created.


This isn't the first time a Fleischer retrospective has hit New York City, where these cartoons were produced - Tommy Stathes of Cartoons On Film has done several NY animation programs featuring Ko-Ko, The Inkwell Imps, Bimbo and Betty Boop - but the first this writer can think of that is a multi-day extravaganza showcasing 35mm archival prints of these superlative animated cartoons.

The disturbingly detail-oriented here at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog have added hyperlinks to each of the titles that will be shown in MoMA's week-long retrospective.

Strongly and emphatically suggest reading Thad's Cartoon Research piece first and then peruse the above lists - giving thanks to the many super-talented artists who brought these outstanding animated cartoons to life - the aforementioned Bowsky, Tendlar, Crandall, Huemer, Natwick, Culhane, Kneitel and Waldman plus Ted Sears, Berny Wolf, Al Eugster, Nick Tafuri, George Germanetti, Orestes Calpini, Jim Tyer, Rudy Zamora and many more.



If you reside close to NYC or travel there for business or to see family, by all means check these shows out. Advance tickets for Max Fleischer Cartoons: The Art & Inventions Of Max Fleischer can be purchased on the MoMA website.


If you don't and can't be there, buy this Blu-ray.


There are excellent books about the studio that created Koko and Betty Boop, beginning with one by Max Fleischer's son Richard. We are big fans of Richard Fleischer's feature films, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and The Narrow Margin especially, and got a big kick out of this book.


The guy who writes this blog is a Talkartoon lovin' film collector/programmer/DIY curator slipped a few 35mm Fleischer cartoons into his three Pre-Code Follies shows at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and spent much of his 4+ decades of schlepping 16mm projectors and reels around to various San Francisco Bay Area venues presenting the highly imaginative work of 1920's and 1930's New York animators.



Until Thursday, this animation aficionado shall spend some quality time with Out Of The Inkwell, starring the one, the only Koko the Clown.






Friday, March 01, 2024

This Blog Misses Standup Philosopher Richard Lewis


March 2024 is not rabbit season or duck season, but, continuing a pattern which was painfully evident throughout 2022, open season on those who, like Bugs, Daffy and Chuck Jones, made us laugh out loud. The latest is the brilliant Richard Lewis.



Richard Lewis was, bar none, the fastest standup philosopher in the East - the fastest in the West was the late great Robin Williams - and an excellent actor to boot.



Used to love seeing him on Letterman and Carson back in the day!









The late night host I REALLY REALLY wanted to see as the host of The Tonight Show was Craig Ferguson. He didn't get that gig, unfortunately, but did have Richard as a guest on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.





Richard also appeared on Conan O' Brien's late night show, which is also much missed.





All the Richard Lewis standup comedy specials are worth seeking out on DVD or Blu-ray.



There have been podcasts by several who were friends of Richard Lewis, since his passing on Wednesday, with the most eloquent tribute thus far posted by Keith Olbermann.

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Thinking About The World's Fairs


Thinking of phenomenons no longer seen in 2024, the world’s fair and/or exposition, beginning in 1791 and extremely popular internationally through the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, is seldom found in 21st century United States of America. The World's Fairs were incredible, massive global events spotlighting new technologies, and the posters promoting them are frequently astonishing.



The list of expos, those chronicles of technological progress, remains quite impressive. While the fledgling United States was embroiled in civil war and reconstruction, epic expos rocked the world from Canada to New Zealand. Grant Wong's article The Rise & Fall Of World’s Fairs from the outstanding Smithsonian Magazine and several favorite animated films piqued my interest in this topic. The pixillated Pete-Roleum and His Cousins was produced by stop-motion master Charley Bowers and acclaimed feature film director Joseph Losey for the Standard Oil exhibit at the 1939 New York World's Fair.



Then there are two all-time favorite cartoons, one from Fleischer, the other from Charles Mintz Studio. Fleischer Studios made some terrific cartoons as part of its Max Fleischer Color Classics series - and All's Fair At The Fair is one of the very best. This features the Fleischer Studio's keen interest in futurism, robots and gadgetry - and turns put to be a rather charming and sweet cartoon.



Among this animation buff's three or four favorite Scrappy cartoons, all from that 1931-1933 peak period in the series: The World's Affair (1933). Love the very funny futuristic gags and caricatures!



The World's Fair that Mintz Studio animators Dick Huemer, Art Davis and Sid Marcus referred to - and had a great time in the process - was the 1933-1934 in Chicago, that toddlin' town.



The A Century of Progress International Exposition was indeed epic. Big thanks and bigger gratitude to the intrepid stock footage archivists at PeriscopeFilm for the following!



The earliest footage this blogger has found is from 1915.



Fatty and Mabel at the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair is a very enjoyable film. The two Keystone Comedies stars were at that time Hollywood royality and only equalled or exceeded by Charlie Chaplin. Their playfulness, chemistry, charisma and charm is on display here in this reel.



While the World's Fairs are mostly a thing of the deep past, there is luckily amazing historic footage from the expos up on YouTube. The Martens family has generously posted home movies from the 1939 New York World's Fair, shot in glorious Kodachrome. Nice work, Gustave Martens!



We thank those who brought their Brownie movie cameras to these epic events. Here, from beautiful Brussels, again in lovely Kodachrome and glorious 8mm - World's Fair, Expo 58.



From the lifetimes of the "okay, boomer" crew such as this correspondent, the three World's Fairs actually remembered are the 1962 Seattle extravaganza, known for the epic space needle. . .





Followed by the 1964-1965 World's Fair in New York.



The collaboration between urban planner Robert Moses and Walt Disney dominated the NY World's Fair.



An important sub-topic is the infuence of World's Fairs in general on Walt Disney, Disneyland and Disney World. The "it's a big big beautiful tomorrow" exhibit from Disneyland has a strong World's Fair vibe about it.



Loved seeing such Disney TV programs as the following as a youngster. My response: dinosaurs - COOL! Walt was a surprisingly good on-camera host.



And last but not least, there was EXPO 67 in excellent Montreal, Canada.





As usual, we're a bit tongue-tied for an ending here. Long before the advent of the internet, expos were few and far between in America, with the 1950's being the last decade of heydey in the United States. Haven't seen one in the U.S. since 1984, the year the Apple computer emerged from Silicon Valley garages. For more, watch the following superb documentaries!



Thursday, February 15, 2024

Born On This Day: Saturday Night Live's Chris Farley


Powerhouse comedian Chris Farley (February 15, 1964 - December 18, 1997) of Saturday Night Live and Second City Chicago fame has been gone a long time but still makes this writer laugh out loud.



Especially noteworthy: the Schiller Visions decaf coffee crystals sketch. . . No decaf for Chris!



With apologies to Tony Robbins, Matt Foley is by far my favorite motivational speaker!



A key assist on the following sketch, featuring Chris' proudly and defiantly unkempt "Bennett Brauer" character, goes to fellow comic and stalwart SNL cast member Kevin Nealon.



Particularly enjoyed the sketches in which Chris co-starred with Phil Hartman, arguably one of the greatest comic character actors ever in the Saturday Night Live cast.



The larger-than-life comedian's appearances on late night talk shows, especially those of David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, are frequently memorable.









Of his movies, Tommy Boy would be the one in which Chris transitions from pure Roscoe Arbuckle style slapstick to character actor in the same film. In addition to Farley's signature physical comedy, there is a vulnerability and likability.



He works quite well, especially in Tommy Boy, with SNL co-star and friend David Spade.



Adam Sandler paid tribute to his friend with this song.



Had Chris survived "comedians' disease" - which has been seen from silent movie comedians Lloyd Hamilton, Jimmie Adams, Charley Chase and bis brother, director/comic James Parrott to hard-partying standup comics too numerous to recount to Saturday Night Live's John Belushi - a second career excelling in character parts, a la John Candy, may well have been on the horizon.

Saturday, February 10, 2024

It's Gene Vincent Weekend at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog



Today's post (the second music-themed one of 2024) shall delve into classic 1950's style rock n' roll and rockabilly. One of the very best early rockers was Gene Vincent (February 11, 1935 - October 12, 1971).



My personal favorite Gene Vincent clip is that of he and his excellent band performing in Brussels in 1963. TRUST ME, to get the opportunity to rock out like this, literally lying down on the stage while soloing at high intensity on those Fender axes, is every guitarist's dream come true.



More importantly, the preceding clip also illustrates that, due to severe injuries he suffered in motorcycle and automobile accidents, Gene pushed through difficulties and an extraordinary amount of physical pain all the time.



Paul McCartney, who crossed paths with him often during the Beatles' early days, remembers Gene.





Gene's band The Blue Caps were among the great early rock groups and featured guitarist Cliff Gallop.



Gene and The Blue Caps followed Elvis Presley in appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show.



The Stray Cats paid tribute to Gene and Eddie "Summertime Blues" Cochran with the following excellent tune, GENE & EDDIE.



Not surprisingly, the Stray Cats' rendition of Gene's biggest hit, Be Bop A Lula, is not too shabby!



The tune that Gene and Eddie did together, WHITE LIGHTNING, remains one of the blazing early rock classics.



Gene and Eddie often performed together.



Now let's hear the original, which appeared in Frank Tashlin's brilliant, prescient and often satiric 1956 movie The Girl Can't Help It.



John Waters, an enthusiastic fan of The Girl Can't Help It, agrees and clearly enjoys both the rock n' roll and the gnarly quality of Gene and he Blue Caps.



Turns out both Gene and Eddie were in The Girl Can't Help It. Eddie's performance of 20 Flight Rock inspired rockers in movie theaters around the world.



Fortunately, some good documentaries were produced covering the life and career of Gene Vincent.



The last Gene Vincent performance I have seen is his set from the 1969 Isle of Wight festival. While early rock n'roll and rockability had long since given way in popularity by then to psychedelia and prog rock, who cares - Gene still sounds great.



This Isle of Wight performance is also seen in the following documentary, Gene Vincent: The Rock N' Roll Singer.




Rockabilly fans, go for that double dose of Stray Cats, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Sun Records era Elvis and early Beatles with gusto. Football fans, enjoy the 58th Super Bowl.



Pleased to see that my hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers, shall be in the game. I'm hoping for an exciting, high scoring and touchdown-filled contest that goes into overtime! Many outstanding players - tight ends George Kittle and Travis Kelce, running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Rashee Rice, Deebo Samuels and Brandon Aiyuk and, last but not least, top-notch quarterbacks Patrick "MVP" Mahomes and the unassuming but remarkably effective Brock "underestimate me at your peril" Purdy - will rock the gridiron in Vegas.