Reviews

Black and white, NTSC, full frame, scene selection. Ten-DVD collection + Compilation Movie, $149.95. Individual DVDs $19.95. Orders: 1-866-242-0328. Check or money order to The SlapHappy Collection, 2266 Daisy Lane, La Canada, Ca. 91011. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and PayPal accepted. Shipping $2. slaphappycomedies.com.

You get a bigger kick out of something if you take it undiluted, one gulp after another. You get the full flavor, the essence. It’s that way with food and drink and some other things too. Slapstick comedy can benefit from a slow buildup of its plot but you don’t always need it.

It’s often better if you cut right to the chase, literally.
That’s closer to how the less sophisticated audiences of the 1920s experienced it and how its comedians and directors designed it to be experienced. Of course, purists will always want to see the silent shorts complete, such as in Slapstick Encyclopedia and other recent compilations. That way they get to see the situations build and the characters develop, though that wasn’t really necessary for slapstick.

That was proven in 2001 by a PBS series called Slaphappy.
Produced by Larry Stefan and Videobrary’s Paul Lisy, it comprises thirty half-hour episodes featuring the best, most outrageous scenes from dozens of silent slapstick shorts. Now, it is finally available on DVD. This is a great collection to own and share with your entire family. It’s closer in concept to the Robert Youngson feature film compilations of the 1960s than any other slapstick release I’ve seen.

Each DVD contains three episodes focusing on specific areas of the genre. Each episode includes superb quality clips, rare stills, anecdotal narration, sound effects, and a hot jazz score. The clips from each film are introduced by a discreet caption at the bottom of the screen with the title and year it was released. Each clip has its own chapter stop, so it’s easy to go right to anything you want to see. The narrator speaks only when he was pertinent information to impart and doesn’t attempt to contribute his own puns and witticisms. You can choose to watch without narration by switching it off in the audio setup menu. But be sure to listen to it to gain a greater appreciation for the films and their creators.

I never knew there are musicians forming bands to recreate the vintage jazz and ragtime of the 1920s and 1930s, nor did I ever know that there’s a record company (Stomp Off Records) existing just to turn out their CDs. But these bands do a remarkable job and their music supplies the soundtrack of Slaphappy. This is vastly superior to the scratchy vintage records I’ve heard playing as the music for some other silent films. The music wasn’t created to fit the music but it does. The producers apparently had the entire Stomp Off Records catalog to go through to find the right music.

Sound effects add a touch of realism to these most unbelievable scenes. The sounds are added to give emphasis to actions, such as doors closing, bodies hitting the floor, punches and swats finding their targets. No slide whistles or other false sounds, just the basic noises we need to hear to get a sense of presence.

How big is it? How good? Whatever praise you’ve read about silent slapstick shorts applies here, for these 400 clips are likely what those writers were talking about. SlapHappy isn’t only about gags, the studios and the comedians, but also about the planning and work that went into creating the art of slapstick. Good slapstick artists knew how to use every gimmick to get laughs: pratfalls, animation, breakaway props, camera tricks, there was no end to what they could come up with. No other genre of the time used more special effects. I found some of these gags astonishing for their cleverness and the skill required to accomplish them. Here are works of pure genius, sadly to this day unrecognized for the brilliance of their conception and the artistry of their creation. No one in Hollywood worked harder to make movies than the comedy shorts casts and crews.

The cast of comedians is a long one. The more names on this list are unfamiliar to you, the more fun discoveries you have to make: Lloyd Hamilton, Lupino Lane, Charley Chase, Mabel Normand, Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Louise Fazenda, Dorothy DeVore, Colleen Moore, Gale Henry, Anita Garvin, Wallace Lupino, Snub Pollard, Paul Parrott, A Ton of Fun, Oliver Hardy, Bobby Ray, Billy Bevan, Andy Clyde, Harry Langdon, Clyde Cook, Larry Semon, Stan Laurel, Mark Jones, Our Gang, Big Boy, Joe Rock, Neil Burns, The Smith Family, Bobby Vernon, Jimmy Adams, Billy Dooley, Jack Duffy, W.C. Fields, Will Rogers, Bert Williams, Buster Keaton, Cliff Bowes, Al St. John, ‘Sunshine Sammy’ Morrison, The Keystone Cops, Ford Sterling, Harry Gribbon, Ben Turpin, Alice Day, Jack Cooper, Johnny Arthur, Lige Conley, Gaylord Lloyd, Sid Smith, Monty Banks, Syd Chaplin, Billy Bletcher, Little Moritz, Chester Conklin, Bud Duncan, George Rowe, Bud Jamison, Vernon Dent, Mack Swain, Max Linder, Poodles Hanneford, Carter deHaven, Billy West, Billy Franey, Buster Brown, Slim Summerville, Clem Beauchamp and Raymond Griffith.

Also available is the Slaphappy feature film, a ninety-minute compilation of clips from the series. It costs $19.99 alone but comes free if any three individual DVDs are bought in one order. If you can’t get the set, I strongly recommend this feature. It has Stan Laurel, Larry Semon, Oliver Hardy, a Ton of Fun, Monty Banks, Billy Dooley, Bobby Vernon, Colleen Moore, Mark Jones, Lige Conley, Lloyd Hamilton, Al St. John, Lupino Lane, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harry Langdon, Raymond Griffith, Mabel Normand, The Keystone Cops, Ben Turpin, Chester Conklin, Fatty Arbuckle, Mack Swain, Billy Bevan, Mabel Normand, Charley Chase, Clyde Cook, Snub Pollard, Our Gang, Paul Parrott, Harold Lloyd and Will Rogers.

For those slapstick fans who know these great films by title, you’ll be pleased to find the feature’s clips include Frauds and Frenzies, Horseshoes, Stick Around, Heavy Love, Play Safe, Easy Curves, Sappy Service, Ella Cinders, Family Life, Air Pockets, Careful Please, Stupid but Brave, Roaming Romeo, The Champion, Cops, The First Hundred Years, The Masquerador, A Scoundrel’s Toll, Mabel Fatty and the Law, Love Loot and Crash, A Clever Dummy, The Waiters Ball, A Movie Star, Whispering Whiskers, The Extra Girl, Mighty Like a Moose, Starvation Blues, It’s a Gift, The Sun Down Limited, Dear Ol' Pal, Number Please, The Fraidy Cat, and Big Moments from Little Pictures.

Here are the DVD’s episode topics:

Volume 1: A selection of hilarious clips from Charley Chase, acrobatic Lupino Lane, and Lloyd Hamilton. The Mack Sennett Studio’s best comics. And then a look at great gags, some of which are not just funny, they’re unbelievable feats.

Volume 2: Some of the best slapstick chases ever put on film. The Hal Roach Studio. Then comedies involving handymen and laborers.

Volume 3: Al Christie Studios. The remarkable Larry Semon. Then a look at the great supporting comics (Eric Campbell, Bud Duncan, Wallace Lupino, George Rowe, Bud Jamison, Snub Pollard, and others).

Volume 4: An overview of the movie comics who came to the screen from vaudeville and examples of the skills they perfected there. Educational Studios, one of the best producers of slapstick. Then an excellent half-hour is devoted to Charley Chase.

Volume 5: Clips from the lesser but still important comedy studios. Buster Keaton. Then the great slapstick teams who had their own styles and gags (Lupino Lane and Wallace Lupino, Snub Pollard and Marvin Loback, A Ton of Fun, Oliver Hardy and Bobby Ray, Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin, and Billy Bevan and Andy Clyde).

Volume 6: More comedy studios, including works by Carter deHaven, Billy West, Max Linder and Billy Franey. A panorama of classic sight gags. Next a look at the comedians whose gags were dangerous and thus as thrilling as they were funny (Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Monty Banks, Harold Lloyd, Lupino Lane, and others).

Volume 7: An overview of the Keystone Studio, its finest performers, and their most memorable moments. More great gags. Then a look at comedies featuring families (Mark Jones, Our Gang, Big Boy, Joe Rock, Neil Burns and the Smith Family).

Volume 8: Surreal comedy (the best of the impossible gags). A selection of some of Charlie Chaplin’s best gags. Then comedies that feature guys pursuing gals and how their marriages turn out in clips from Hoot Mon, Be Your Age, Getting Gertie’s Goat, Hooked, Pay or Move, Bumping into Broadway, Own Your Own Home, The First Hundred Years and His Trysting Place.

Volume 9: Our Gang silent comedies. Comedy directors (Leo McCarey, Hal Roach, Del Lord, Max Linder, Larry Semon, Buster Keaton and more). Then a look at how silent comedies spoofed hit movies, with clips from The Masquerador, Big Moments from Little Pictures, The Daredevil, Dogs of War, A Movie Star, and Roaming Romeo.

Volume 10: A look at the films Laurel and Hardy made separately before they teamed, with of course a clip from their first together, Lucky Dog. Then a look at slapstick films set on the battlefield and other military situations. Finally comes a look at the great comediennes who contributed so much to the films of other comics or starred in their own series. These neglected talents include Mabel Normand, Louise Fazenda, Dorothy DeVore, Colleen Moore, Gale Henry, Miss Fatty, Anita Garvin, Martha Sleeper and Madeline Hurlock.

There are no lesser volumes. They are all awesome entertainment.
The SlapHappy Collection is the funniest DVD set I’ve seen. I have never laughed as much at anything I’ve ever reviewed. If you can’t find something in SlapHappy that makes you laugh aloud, you should see a doctor!

(reviewed by Paul Holbrook November, 2004 for The Big Reel)