The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on August 8, 2012

Related to yesterday’s post, Ike (first ‘Alkali Ike’, then ‘Universal Ike’ after the actor moved from Essanay to Universal Studios) was another pre-Tramp/Fatty character portrayed in multiple films — this time, by Augustus Carney, and in almost 50 different movies   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on August 7, 2012

Before Roscoe was ‘Fatty’, before Chaplin was ‘The Tramp’, and before Harold Lloyd was ‘Lonesome Luke’ (or ‘The Boy’), John Cumpson was ‘Bumptious’, a slapstick character he portrayed in 13 different movies. How Bumptious Papered the Parlor   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on August 6, 2012

Ferdinand Zecca reportedly came up with the idea for Slippery Jim after reading about the escape acts of Harry Houdini. That inspiration worked out nicely for me as this is my favorite film from 1910. It’s visually and structurally closer to films from the early 1910s than to those from...   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 27, 2012

In honor of tonight’s Opening Ceremonies — Guy’s Une course d’obstacle. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649427/ Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrRedditStumbleUponDiggEmailLike this:Like2 bloggers like this.   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 26, 2012

Bob Ross remixed by Symphony of Science’s John Boswell, aka melodysheep, for PBS Digital Studios. Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrRedditStumbleUponDiggEmailLike this:Like3 bloggers like this.   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 25, 2012

The similarities to The Policemen’s Little Run, released earlier the same year, are obvious. Each have their own merits and choosing one over the other ultimately comes down to personal preference. More significant than the movie itself are the circumstances revolving at the time around the fi   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 24, 2012

Perhaps the most fantastic slapstick of the century’s 1st decade, the influence of Melies is obvious [note: R.W. Paul, producer and cinematographer of "The '?' Motorist", built the 1st camera used by Melies]. However, unlike most works by his fellow cinemagician, Walter R. Booth’s &#8220   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 23, 2012

Let’s say you’re Louis Feuillade and you want to top two previous movies centered around mattress hi-jinks (Guy’s The Drunken Mattress and Melies’s The Tramp and the Mattress Makers). How would you go about doing this? Why, utilizing the entire bed of course! With the shortes   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 20, 2012

As one might expect, the pioneers of motion pictures (being photographers themselves) often used the photographing process itself as a plot device within their films. With the evolution of prank-based comedies towards slaptick, a natural transition existed for these meta-ish films to introduce situa   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 18, 2012

Alice Guy continues her exploration and expansion of the slapstick genre by moving from horizontal space (as utilized in the “chase” films) to vertical space. In Le piano irrésistible, music seeps through walls and ceilings to charm all those within hearing range. On a related note, Guy   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 16, 2012

Although rudimentary and often too-easily dismissed, Those Awful Hats is a must-see for all fans of early cinema and film history. Reasons being (in no particular order): We’re treated to a live-action PSA of the famous theater slides which asked women to remove their giant hats so as to not   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 13, 2012

Mr. Flip, played by cross-eyed comedian, Ben Turpin, is quite the ladies’ man…and by “ladies’ man”, I mean borderline sexual harasser who constantly receives his just desserts [sp]. Speaking of which, this film (directed by Gilbert M. “Broncho Billy” Anderso   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 9, 2012

Short recording of 1890s vaudeville slapstick act, “Robetta and Doretto”, performing one of their routines (Chinese Laundry Scene). It’s funny that even in these plot-less few seconds we glimpse elements familiar from the earliest slapstick movies. http://www.imdb.com/titl   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 7, 2012

Alice Guy’s Les Maçons provides plenty of comedic action, and with slapsticky coppers pre-dating those of Keystone by a decade. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649371/ Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrRedditStumbleUponDiggEmailLike this:Like5 bloggers like this.   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 5, 2012

Terribly slow beginning, but notable for the chase sequence beginning at the 8:10 mark and featuring some of the very few external shots by Méliès. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228447/ Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrRedditStumbleUponDiggEmailLike this:Like7 bloggers like   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 4, 2012

A beautiful woman causes mayhem with weak-willed men (some things never change). Add a laugh track and Louis Feuillade’s Une dame vraiment bien could be a modern “Hidden Camera” TV-show. But what’s up with the ending?!? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208539/ Sha   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 3, 2012

Of historical importance for being among the group of early chase films. Not the best of the bunch – old-fashioned pacing takes much of the blame for this – but not bad either. Louis J. Gasnier’s Le cheval emballé also contains a unique reverse-action shot, which may have been the   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on July 2, 2012

A bit macabre, a bit surreal, and quite clever — The Thieving Hand, directed by J. Stuart Blackton. We also find out what Thing was up to before he became so helpful to The Addams Family. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0288252/ Share this:FacebookTwitterPinterestTumblrRedditStumb   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on June 29, 2012

Significant not just for having the comedic lead portrayed by a woman, but also a woman of color. Bertha Regustus, listed on IMDB with just a single movie credit, is a delight in this film directed by Edwin S. Porter. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0234086/ Share this:FacebookTwitterPi   read more

The Giddy Blog Posted by chrisgiddens on June 28, 2012

Under-appreciated gem by Lewin Fitzhamon about an elderly man caught in a powerful sneezing fit as a result of retaliatory pepper from a whipper-snapper he mildly pranked at the film’s beginning. The humorous effects are creative and crescendo appropriately to the grand finale. http:/   read more