European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 28, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse Harold Loyd won special Oscar for antics As Star of silent screen comedy. Is1 during the past year. I have Bee having the time of my life introducing m comedies to a Brand new generation. From the Cannes film festival to Bangkok the. Reception has been simply wonderful far beyond my fondest dreams. Everywhere 1 have shown the films 1have been greeted by that sweetest sound human laughter. It has been amazing Tome that these comedies some of them 40 years old. Can still strike a responsive note of laughter with audiences of All Ages in ii Paru of Tolje world. During my travel 1 have been asked lot of questions about comedy in those Drys of silent dims and Early talkies so i be had to do some than Tang about that period in Hollywood history. It has been called the Golden age of comedy and 1guess it was. How did it come about one reason a that there were schools in which comedians could get their training. First of All there was vaudeville and burlesque which spawned Many great comedians. Then Tho studios themselves provided excellent schools. We had the Grant to school the Roach school the Christie school and two or three other studio which would take minor comedians and govt them experience and seasoning that could make them stars. So the screen was assured of a steady Stream of comedy Talent. The movies were in their infancy then and we All were experimenting with the infinite opportunities that the film medium offered for comedy. We were Able to nothings that simply weren t possible on the tag or in circuses or any other medium. Out of that a came stars who were popular and revered. Many of those silent comedies an now considered classics. Four Slenkle comedians and one team epitomize what was the Best of the Golden age of comedy. It might be interesting to Analow their style As an illustration of the variety of comedy in that Era. I place them Mort or leu in order of their Advent on the Hollywood scene. Charlie Chaplin of course was one of the world s great pan torn mists. He had a tremendous background of training in the English must Halls. This gave him a Nat ural Bent Lor timing for spacing and an innate knowledge of comedy. Like All gnat comedians be had an instinct Tor what is right and just How far he could go. A worked on the borderline Between comedy and tragedy. Some of hut themes could easily have seen dramas. But he pushed them Over to the Side of comedy. The Appeal of his Little tramp had the feeling of the Downtrodden Man the Strug cling 11 tilt mow whom nobody likes. He was the outsider. That fits into a lot of other people s lives and gained him immense sympathy. Charlie also developed Many mannerisms that helped make the character popular 12 the let to walk the tricks with or run Nind the hat his Vii of go into 11 round Corners the. These the liars Wen not Only Clevor and comical but ingenious in their Conception. He had a Fine sense of comedy am surrounded himself with Good gag men. He and i worked much the same in that regard. The gag men would come to us und throw their ideas at us and we would separate the when from the Chuff. We would take their ideas intact or else give them a twist of our own. Harold Lloyd was t funny himself som people say his material was funny. That s erroneous. My character was not essentially a funny character because he looked like anyone elite on the Street. Like Chaplin i represented a certain group. In my Case. It was Young people who were working at a certain vocation and always struggling against the bigger Guy. To was a boy who in spite of the Odds that were against him. Had determination Ond generally fought his a to the top or some How got out of the pred lament he was in. In some pictures i would ploy a Normal Young Man who was t Tunny in himself but could be funny by t Ming and spacing and in the Way he did things. Unlike Charlie i played a variety of roles a doctor a Farmer boy a hypochondriac Etc. It was t How i looked but How 1 reacted that made me funny. Buster Ken i on had great training in vaudeville with his family s net. He United to Roll himself into a Ball and his father would throw him All Over the stage even into the orchestra pit that s How he got his name. Buster. It looked As if he would kill himself taut he was a skilled Tumbler. He knew How to break his fall How to relax and be Limp. This knowledge helped a of us because he took a great number of Falls. Busier like Charlie had that sense of to Man and spacing that is so important to comedians. He developed the character of thu Stone fave. It was a difficult Char Jitter Laullon because you limit yourself to a certain degree if you never smile. He fave himself a comic appearance As Charlie did. But by limiting himself to the Stony expression he could not have the wide Range of pantomime that Charlie had. Still Buster s body movement was marvellously comic. Harry Langdon was another product of vaudeville. I saw him doing in act called s new car and 1 told a Hooch that he would make a Good comic for films. Hal went Down to the orpheus in los Angeles and saw hurry and he agreed. But they had a difference of opinion about $100 Worth and Harry went with another producer and then landed with Schnelt. After a few pictures. Hurry come to a it my said. Huo id i Don t seem c he i had sen his comedies und i thought i knew Why. They re working Vou too fast i told have n habit of doing thut at Sennett they did the flame to Chaplin slow Down. And make them play o you the Way Charlie docs Don t play to Harry slowed Dawn and he was much bettor. But he slowed Down a Little too much und finally i to id him one Day Harry i did t mean or you to drag Iii Harry wan colled the baby faced come Dian. It was an Apt description for his actions were like those of a Little boy. He d Start to do something then he change. Indecision was an integral part of his character. Also innocence he wat a Tine Winton a 1st and had All the essentials for Success. Unfortunately he Laeyt d the judgment to decide what he should and should t do. Later on he became his own bos and like Many in our business he was More fit to be the comic than to act is the guiding Light. He could have been infinitely greater if he Hod allowed someone else to direct his career. Laurel and Hardy started together in silent comedies and reached their greatest Success in the talkies. Laurel came to Roach at u Lime when i was to associated with Hal. Later he teamed up with Hardy and they formed a perfect complement another product of the English music nulls Laurel Way close to Charlie in his feel for pantomime. He was a great come Dian. Hardy was a Fine comedian and was just As Good in the team. But Laurel by Harold Lloyd written for a Roulfs Hunt been front on Hla own Whei 1 Don t think Hardy could have Reathe some hot hts none 01 he did the complementary Laurel. Their Appeal wan As a couple of i a Tang characters kind of in Between i and working men. They were always i Dies but always my differences that Wiget them into trouble. One reacted be really from the other one in the i situation. They developed Many character the slow Burn of Hardy a the cry Laurel had. The bickering Back and they also worked the borderline bet corned and tragedy but usually on broader Side. They were probably the Best team Ever had in com 4lea, and their through television has again Den their Worth. Some film historians have claimed sound killed the Golden age of c that is portly True. Sound did t. Kill our kind of comedy sound div it. Comedy could have gone on and b stronger because sound was an Clement that could have enhanced but some technical problems intern the sound equipment was rather Cru Tyli those Days. They were using the technique because the actors had to close to the microphone which Wai \ concealed. Most of the Early talkies made on sound stages and there we Little action. When they went there were difficulties with noises like air planes. Human factors played a role we. Of us like Chaplin Mary Pickford. J Ston Laurel and oliv., Hardy ,.ach.d of to the stars and stapes
