Poster

When Comedy Was King ()

Reference View | Change View
A feature-length documentary devoted to the great clowns of silent comedy.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Reviews:

Photos and Videos

2 photos

Complete, Cast awaiting verification

Edit
...
edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archiveFootage) (as Fatty Arbuckle)
...
Henry Black (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'His Trysting Place, ' 'The Masqurader, ' and 'Kid Auto at Venice.' (archiveFootage) (as Charlie Chaplin)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' (archiveFootage) (as Charlie Chase)
...
edited from 'Cops' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (archiveFootage)
Keystone Kops ...
(archiveFootage) (as The Keystone Cops)
...
edited from 'The First 100 Years' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Big Business' (archiveFootage) (as Laurel)
...
edited from 'Big Business' (archiveFootage) (as Hardy)
...
edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archiveFootage)
The Sennett Girls ...
edited from 'Yukon Jake' (archiveFootage)
...
Gloria Dawn - Bobby's Sweetheart (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Yukon Jake' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Super Duper Dyne Lizzies, ' 'The Lion's Whiskers, ' 'Wall Street Blues, ' and' Wandering Willies' (archiveFootage)
...
(archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'The Masquerader' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Wall Street Blues' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from A Pair of Tights' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Big Business' (archiveFootage) (as Jimmy Finlayson)
...
edited from 'The First 100 Years' (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'The Masquerader' (archiveFootage) (as Charlie Murray)
...
(archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'It's a Gift' (archiveFootage) (as Snub Pollard)
...
edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift' (archiveFootage)
...
Ambrose (archiveFootage)
Teddy the Dog ...
edited from 'Teddy at the Throttle' (archiveFootage) (as Keystone Teddy)
...
edited from 'Teddy at the Throttle' (archiveFootage)
...
Narrator
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'The First 100 Years; (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'The First 100 Years' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'The First 100 Years' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Teddy at the Throttle' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Cops' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' and 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Wandering Willies' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Wandering Willies' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' - 'a pair of tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Cops' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'Movie Night' - 'big business' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
...
edited from 'A Pair of Tights' (uncredited) (archiveFootage)

Directed by

Edit
Robert Youngson

Written by

Edit
Robert Youngson ... ()

Produced by

Edit
John E. Allen ... assistant producer
Alfred Dahlem ... assistant producer (as Al Dahlem)
Herbert Gelbspan ... associate producer
Robert Youngson ... producer

Music by

Edit
Ted Royal

Sound Department

Edit
Ralph Curtiss ... sound effects

Visual Effects by

Edit
Paul Guffanti ... film quality control
Maurice Levy ... optical effects
Samuel Lévy ... optical effects

Music Department

Edit
Charles L. Cooke ... orchestrator
Herman Fuchs ... music supervisor
Sylvan Levin ... conductor
Ted Royal ... orchestrator
Louis Turchen ... music supervisor
Al Chernet ... musician: banjo (uncredited)
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

Edit

Distributors

Edit

Special Effects

Edit

Other Companies

Edit

Storyline

Edit
Plot Summary

Robert Youngson's affectionate, nostalgic retrospective of the Golden Age of Silent Comedy with special attention to the three acknowledged comic geniuses of the period: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keatonm and Harry Landon. The two major comedy studios of the era, Mack Sennett and Hal Roach, especially Laurel an Hardy, are given credit as the great innovators of slapstick visual comedy. Written by duke1029@aol.com

Plot Keywords
Taglines Comedy is king. (Posters). See more »
Genres
Parents Guide Add content advisory for parents »
Certification

Additional Details

Edit
Also Known As
  • Quand le rire était roi (France)
  • Os Reis da Comédia (Brazil)
  • Latter er trumf (Denmark)
  • Kom så skrattar vi! (Sweden)
  • Risas y más risas (Mexico)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 81 min
Official Sites
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix

Did You Know?

Edit
Trivia One of the glaring omissions from this film is the absence of Harold Lloyd. Despite being good friends with Director Robert Youngson, Lloyd did not permit Youngson to use his films. Lloyd owned the copyright to most of his films and produced his own compilations. See more »
Goofs At one point, narrator Dwight Weist remarks that a quarter century has passed since the death of Harry Langdon. In fact, he died in December of 1944, just over 15 years before this film was released. See more »
Movie Connections Edited from Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914). See more »
Soundtracks Dance of the Cuckoos See more »
Quotes Narrator: [Last lines] So ends our visit to the era of the great silent clowns who mass-produced laughter and sold happiness and who passed into oblivian just before the years when the world needed them the most.
See more »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page


Clear your history

Recently Viewed