‘Putting Pants On Phillip’ (1927) is the first official teaming of Laurel and Hardy, though they had appeared in a handful of films together prior to this (but not as a team). They’re not really a team here either which makes this silent comedy a real curiosity. Laurel plays a
‘Double Whoopee’ (1929) is, for my money, the best of the L&H silent shorts. Though not as iconic as ‘Liberty’, ‘Two Tars’ or ‘Big Business’, the film has a motor that never quits–a very jazz-age, syncopated almost out-of-control rhythmic thrust that I find irresistible. The art deco hotel lobby setting
Sorry to have skipped a day, but not doing stuff is what Boxing Day is all about, right? Anyway, here’s a 1928 Laurel & Hardy silent called ‘The Finishing Touch’. The plot is beyond simple. L&H have inexplicably been hired to build a house. A cop and a woman who
‘That’s My Wife’ (1929), a late silent L&H short, traffics not only in cross-dressing but also in simulated male on she-male sex and some hard-core early punk dance grooves. I can’t explain it any further. Watch and enjoy an immaculately restored print of this wildly inappropriate outing as we continue
To see us through the holidays and to celebrate the joyous occasion of saying goodbye to this bizarre year, I will be posting a silent Laurel and Hardy comedy every day through January 1. I’ve loved L&H since I was a child but never took much interest in the silents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v32U0mjGz6g It turns out that Lenny B., after dismissing 95 % of rock and roll as ‘trash’, had a genuine affection for–and admiration of–The Beatles. Above is a seven minute clip of him in 1967 dissecting various aspects of the Fab Four’s music, at one point likening the melody of
Apropos of yesterday’s post featuring the short-lived Bobby Fuller singing ‘I Fought The Law’, above is more Bobby and his band. This time it’s from a pop & dance TV show called ‘Shivaree’ and features two of his other big tunes, ‘Let Her Dance’ and ‘Another Sad and Lonely Night’.
The above question is asked by Lou Reed in ‘Dirt’. If the answer is no then the above video–a mashup of two separate performances of Fuller’s hit ‘I Fought The Law’ will provide the answer. Featuring some excellent Go-Go-Girl action, the vids supply a look at Fuller just a year
Below is part 4 of 4 of an essay I wrote on director George Stevens in 2011. Click here for part one, here for part two and here for part three. Last week was Stevens 119th birthday. I had a plan: to work our way through “Shane”, my favorite Stevens
The below is a segment of an essay I wrote in 2011 on director George Stevens (‘A Place In The Sun’, ‘Shane’, ‘Giant’ etc.) Last week was Stevens 119th birthday. Click here to read part one and here to read part two of the essay. The other day I discussed