Raymond Griffith, a.k.a. The Silk Hat Slicker

"Griffith seems to me to occupy a handsome fifth place — after Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd, and Langdon — in the silent comedy pantheon." Walter Kerr

The latest Kickstarter from Ben Model, silent film accompanist, historian and Undercrank Productions home video producer, began on March 19 and ends tomorrow, focuses on the unique and hilarious headliner of Paramount feature films of the 1920's, the one, the only Raymond Griffith and a new release on Blu-ray and DVD of two of his feature films, Paths To Paradise (1925) and You'd Be Surprised (1926).



Griffith has his fans: the funding goal of $11,500 was surpassed on the first day of the Kickstarter, which ends on April 2. Here's a clip from Paths To Paradise, in which the always dapper Griffith co-stars with Betty Compson, the star of numerous Christie Comedies who headlined feature films through the 1920's. Note the presence, in the gang chasing Raymond and Betty, of silent and sound comedy film perennial Edgar Kennedy.



This blogger remains primarily familiar with Griffith via a spotlight in The Silent Clowns, the terrific book by Walter Kerr, as well as a chapter in Leonard Maltin's The Great Movie Comedians. His characterization could best be described as "Joe Cool," unflappable in all situations. 



The influence on comedy of the distinctive "never let 'em see you sweat" ethos of Raymond Griffith, described by writer Matthew Ross as The Sheik of Silent Comedy, would continue decades after his onscreen career ended, especially in the animated cartoons of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones.

While Tex Avery, in interviews conducted by Joe Adamson and other film historians, never noted any specific influences on his approach to comedy, Jones was an avid silent movie buff and especially a fan of Buster Keaton. The silk hat slicker's aplomb under maximum pressure is key to his comedy - and seems to, like the quiet understatement contrasted with danger and mayhem so promiment in the cinema of Buster Keaton, have found its way into the unflappable Bugs Bunny and Droopy.

The Kickstarter page for "Raymond Griffith: The Silk-Hatted Comedian" adds:
The films in the project will be seen in new 2K digital scans of archival 35mm materials preserved by the Library of Congress, and will be scanned by the Library of Congress' lab.

This Kickstarter covers all costs for the Blu-ray and DVD's production and release, as well as the making and shipping of backer copies. I am aiming to be able to have the Blu-ray finished and sent to you by the end of November 2022, and ready for the public for a January 2023 release.

Backers of this project will receive a copy of the finished Blu-ray, or DVD if you don't have a Blu-ray player. Kickstarter backers will get their copies of the Blu-ray before it becomes available commercially to the general public. (note: the last reel of Paths to Paradise is missing, but this is the only way the film survives; still...the film's story is basically complete at end of what survives, and we will try to fill in missing info with a title card.)

We are thrilled to support this Kickstarter and hope it continues well surpassing its fundraising goal over the next 24 hours. The silent comedy aficionados at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog enjoyed seeing Paths To Paradise a few years ago at the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and will enjoy seeing it on Blu-ray. The Kickstarter ends on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 6:00 PM EDT.