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.

Rudolph Valentino, can't watch any part of his movies with a straight face.

Marcel Marceau--oh, wait, that wasn't a comedian? My bad...

Harold Lloyd and Fatty Arbuckle.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Buster Keaton. (That guy was an incredible athlete. Amazing stunts.)

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.

Buster Keaton in the General!

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.

I've got to agree with Chuck on Keaton in "The General".

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.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Stan & Ollie

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"from my cold dead hands" C.H.

There is one scene in the General where Keaton is stoking the engine's firebox and the girl hands him a stick. The look on his face makes any dialogue unnecessary.

ben turpin
roscoe fatty arbuckle
buster keaton

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There's nowt so queer as folk

"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.

Arguably the best silent film comedy ever made. Buster Keaton was just brilliant in that film.

Steamboat Bill is almost as good.

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.

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.

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."

My favorite silent screen comedians? I just turn off the volume on my television and watch any political debate...but I vote for Stan and Ollie, only because of the chemistry between the two, the perfect timing, and the stare Ollie would give the audience whenever he became frustrated...another fine mess you've gotten us in to...

Chris Farley may not qualify as a silent screen actor but just looking at him always made me laugh. What a goof!

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"The Dude abides"

The "tons of funs" were a group of slapstick extremely obese comedy group. I remember watching their "shorts" when I was under eight years old, probably on Saturday morning television - Andy's Gang or the Buster Brown show??

In fact, I remember nothing about the group except I thought they were hilariously funny and, of course the name.

I have always liked Buster Keaton and Laurel & Hardy. James Finlayson was another who complimented the work of other comedians.

Fatty Arbuckle's brother lived not to far from me and was the historian for San Jose.

and Harold Lloyd, though I wasn't as familiar with him except in 'Safety Last'.

Keaton's 'wall trick' wasn't as amazing as his demeanor while the wall was falling around him.

I think 'Modern Times' is my favorite Chaplain vehicle but the house in 'The Gold Rush' was more than hilarious.

I can't say that I ever saw a Fatty Arbuckle movie...just what I heard about his ruination.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

All I have seen of Fatty Arbuckle is just clips on TV. Only a very small percentage of the hundreds or thousands of silent films made prior to 1930 have survived until today. The nitrate film stock used at that time deteriorated quickly, but a greater reason is that after "talkies" took over the market, many of the film studios simply dumped wholesale all of the old silent films in their inventories just to recover storage space, considering them worthless. Those surviving have generally been found in out-of-the-way places around the world, not in film studio libraries, and often in poor condition.

A little more trivia: Fatty Arbuckle was Al (Fuzzy) St. John's uncle.

Chaplin was the greatest. Started a little earlier than Keaton and Lloyd. Keaton did do all his own stunts. Lloyd was great but he did not do all his stunts. Some were done by a stunt man. The scene in Safety Last where he's hanging from the hands of a clock was kind of a trick shot. They built the clock on the roof of a building. Then they placed the camera where it's at an angle so Lloyd is shown hanging high over the street. If he actually had fallen he was only 10 or 15 feet from the roof top. There's a great series from 1980 about 13 parts and it covers the beginning of Hollywood. They had stills that showed how Lloyd did it. They also interviewed the stunt man who doubled for Lloyd and others, Harvey Parry. It's still a great movie and a wonderful scene. Not taking anything away from Lloyd I'm a fan. Yes I think Chaplin was number one but I laugh harder at watching a Laurel and Hardy short, silent or talky than any other comedians. They are my favorite.

That's an instant plus in my book.