Silent Screen Comedians, who is your favorite?

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the ringo kid

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I'm bringing this up because last night on TCM, they had several Harold Lloyd skits. Anyway, just wondering who your favorites are? Mine will always have Buster Keaton in the number one space. I used to not like Lloyd but, love his skits since last 20 or so years.

Lastly, who used to be in 2nd, was, Charlie Chaplin, he's now third.

So, in order,
Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin. Thankfull, all still did well when talkies came on to the scene.
 
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I never saw many by Lloyd, I saw a list of old time comedians and checked him out on youtube. He did his own stunts.

I like Buster, wasn't his most famous the dropping of a brick wall and the 2nd floor window opening going over him. Lots of trust with some slide rule fellow on that one.

Chaplin made serious movies with a comedy.

Fatty like under aged girls and that ruined his career I believe.

My most favorite Silent and later talkies was Laurel and Hardy.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXBmUOjgWJE[/ame]
 
Fatty Arbuckle was a victim of the press of the day and their lurid stories of sex and murder that were proven false. The girl in question came in his room and collapsed when he wasn't there. Upon returning he called for help to no avail. He could get no work for years, finally given a bit part in a movie, but died before shooting began. A sad end for a talented comedian.:(
 
Harold Lloyd for sure,He had half a hand and had a special glove made to look like a real one. Watch his right hand next time you watch his movies.

Chaplin of course.

I enjoyed Ben Turpin and Harry Langdon also.
I had a crush on Lilian Gish even though She was before my time.

But My all time favorites are Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
 
Keaton, followed by Laurel and Hardy, especially Stan Laurel. Honestly I didn't enjoy Laurel & Hardy nearly as much when they made the transition to talkies.

A fairly frequent actor in the silent L&H stuff was a guy named Jimmy Finlayson, who could execute the most outrageous double take ever seen on film. :D
 
Marcel Marceau--oh, wait, that wasn't a comedian? My bad...

"Everyone loves a mime!"

"No, everyone loves a clown. People try to run over mimes!"


A quote from the TV show Newhart, which always stuck with me!

I went to an outdoor Buster Keaton film fest once. He was pretty funny! I'd list him as my favorite, with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd second and third.

Now I'm going to have to watch "Chaplin" again! Robert Downey Jr. was awesome in that.
 
Fatty Arbuckle was a victim of the press of the day and their lurid stories of sex and murder that were proven false. The girl in question came in his room and collapsed when he wasn't there. Upon returning he called for help to no avail. He could get no work for years, finally given a bit part in a movie, but died before shooting began. A sad end for a talented comedian.:(

Rosco 'Fatty' Arbuckle was tried for the 'rape' and 'murder' of the young actress THREE TIMES. When he was acquitted in the third trial, the jury wrote an apology to Mr. Arbuckle, and demanded to read it into the record.

But, his reputation was ruined, and was never in a film again.

Fatty Arbuckle was a comic genius. He helped Charlie Chaplin with the more physical aspects of his early comedies, providing invaluable advice that made Charlie an early success. He is also credited with discovering Bob Hope, and helping him get his career started.

Charlie Chaplin hired Fatty Arbuckle to help with some of the gags in his later silent films, to help him financially.

It was said that Fatty Arbuckle suffered from severe shyness around women. He was a well known and very popular movie star, but when approached by women, he was scared of them.

Strangely, he was also a master at ballroom dancing. He was a heavy man, but he carried himself extremely well, and danced like he was a slender man.

It was also said that he was a kind and generous man, who was well liked by many people who counted him as a friend. None of his friends could help him when he was unjustly charged with rape and murder, though. They were forced to distance themselves from Mr. Arbuckle. His life was completely destroyed by the false charges.:mad:
 
I never saw many by Lloyd, I saw a list of old time comedians and checked him out on youtube. He did his own stunts.

I like Buster, wasn't his most famous the dropping of a brick wall and the 2nd floor window opening going over him. Lots of trust with some slide rule fellow on that one.

Chaplin made serious movies with a comedy.

Fatty like under aged girls and that ruined his career I believe.

My most favorite Silent and later talkies was Laurel and Hardy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXBmUOjgWJE

Lloyd and Keaton both, did their own stunts. The Keaton wall scene was totally unplanned according to a documentary I saw. His reactions from it were totally real. They kind of did a tribute to that scene in a scene with Lee Marvin n, The Dirty Dozen.

The Keystone Cops get honorable mention.
 
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Harold Lloyd for sure,He had half a hand and had a special glove made to look like a real one. Watch his right hand next time you watch his movies.

Chaplin of course.

I enjoyed Ben Turpin and Harry Langdon also.
I had a crush on Lilian Gish even though She was before my time.

But My all time favorites are Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

I've never had the pleasure of watching a Stan and Ollie silent, till the posted one above.
 
Back when I was a kid, I liked Harold Lloyd the few times I saw him. I can't say I have a favorite silent movie comic, as I never saw many of the old silent movies.

"Fatty like under aged girls and that ruined his career I believe. "

That was much more true for Charlie Chaplin. I never heard anything about Fatty Arbuckle messing with young girls. By most impartial accounts, Arbuckle played no part the death of Virginia Rappe, but he was tarred and feathered by the news media, as it was a sensational story. One tale was that he became so reviled that at some movie theatre in, I think, Montana, the local cowboys pulled out their guns and perforated the screen when he appeared. Despite his acquittals, his career was effectively torpedoed.

From Wikipedia:
"After three manslaughter trials, Arbuckle was formally acquitted; his acquittal in the third trial was accompanied by an unprecedented statement of apology from the jury stating, in part, that "Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We feel that a great injustice has been done him… there was not the slightest proof adduced to connect him in any way with the commission of a crime." Arbuckle's case has been examined by scholars and historians over the years and is still speculated about today, and a number of detailed books about the case have analyzed the incident and subsequent trials."
 
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