Customer Reviews

First Kings of Comedy Collection (The Golden Age Of Comedy / When Comedy Was King)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This DVD consists of "The Golden Age of Comedy," and "When Comedy Was King." These two full-length documentaries about silent film comedy were created by Robert Youngson in 1957 and 1960, respectively. Some people even say that these movies were largely responsible for the revival of silent film comedy in the 1960's. In any event, they were an eye-opener at the time of their release, and will still be an eye-opener to anyone not familiar with the Keystone Cops, Charlie Chase, Harry Langdon, Buster Keaton, and the silent films of Laurel & Hardy, particularly their wonderfully clever 1929 short, "Big Business," which serves as the finale of "When Comedy Was King."

Although "Golden Age of Comedy" won an Academy Award, ironically it is the sequel, "When Comedy Was King," that probably is the better of the two. The comedy sequences in each film are all priceless, but the sequel is better arranged and paced, and the narration is quieter and better integrated into the action. Golden Age's narration was done like the old-fashioned Fox newsreels -- a little on the breathless side and a bit shrill to boot. That style is fine for a 5-minute newsreel, but after an hour or so in a feature-length film, it can become grating and annoying.

The print quality of "Golden Age" is flawless. This looks like a pristine new print and may even be from 35mm elements. Most of the comedy sequences are also in superb shape, even though they were already 30-40 years old at the time they were copied for this 1957 documentary. Unfortunately, the "Comedy Was King" transfer appears to have been taken from a 16mm reduction print which also suffers from a fair amount of wear in numerous places, particularly in some of the Keystone sequences. It's still a very good transfer, especially in the opening Charlie Chase sequence, and it's certainly an improvement over the various bootleg editions that have been available from time to time, but there's just no comparison with the print quality of "Golden Age." Since "Comedy Was King" is the better film, in my opinion, it's a shame that Genius Entertainment couldn't locate a better print for the DVD transfer. The audio is fine on both films, and the music soundtracks, particularly the one for "Comedy Was King," are tremendous.

So for the amazing price of $14, you certainly would be well advised to snap up a copy of this DVD and enjoy every minute of it. Genius Entertainment is to be commended for picking up these two films, which undeservedly languished since their original release, and finally issuing them on DVD.

A trivia note: in 1957, producer Robert Youngson could not find a distributor for "The Golden Age of Comedy". Every major studio thought he was crazy and no one would touch the film; "Who would want to see that old silent stuff?" was the usual response. So he finally distributed it through the Distributor's Corporation of America, a bargain-basement indie outfit that also handled Ed Wood's infamous "Plan 9 From Outer Space." After the film won an Academy Award, it was picked up by 20th Century Fox, and Youngson was hailed as a genius. Go figure.

I was just a little bit afraid to watch "Golden Age of Comedy" and "When Comedy Was King" again, remembering the yackety, way-too-eager to please narrators and their all but non-stop patter. I also remembered the sometimes deceptive editing of the excerpts, turning slower, occasionally clumsy footage into snappy comedy (it's probably safe to say that most of Mack Sennett's comedies never looked as good on their own as they did in Youngson's documentaries).

However, if there's a lot of narration, at least it's informed (William Everson apparently had a hand in "Golden Age"). Watching either or both of these anthologies is an excellent crash course in the history and vocabulary of silent film comedy. "Golden Age" launched the Youngson comedy documentaries and "rediscovered" (and preserved) the great pie fight from Laurel & Hardy's "Battle of the Century." The second movie, "When Comedy was King," built upon the successful elements of the previous film and gave more time to material from the Hal Roach Studios. Both movies succeeded in reviving interest in silent-era comedy, and prompted a further string of documentaries from Youngson, as well as misfire ripoffs like "Fractured Flickers."

Overall reproduction of both documentaries is pretty good, though "Comedy was King" could have been better. This is particularly galling since Youngson seldom used anything but first-generation source material, and the resulting quality, seen in a good reproduction (or ideally, in a movie theater), is breathtaking.

All griping aside, these movies are a great way to introduce kids to silent film comedy and its superstars. It might not hurt today's comedy makers to have a look at 'em too.

The DVD is a delight, as it combines two of Youngson's best silent-comedy compilations, which will make you roar with laughter. The DVD presentation is the best I've seen for a Youngson movie. My problem is that the WHEN COMEDY WAS KING transfer was not done as carefully as it should've been. There's cropping in many scenes, particularly in the Chaplin/Keystone segment at the start. It's most evident in a shot where Chaplin walks in front of an eatery with a sign in their window that should read "DINNER 25 CENTS". On all of the other DVD releases for WHEN COMEDY WAS KING, the whole sign can be seen, but on this set, you can only see the left-half of the sign, so it reads like "DIN 2". That makes it harder to understand the narrator when he says, "Read that sign of 30 years ago... and weep."

My advice: Buy this set for THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY, but also buy the standalone WHEN COMEDY WAS KING dvd, so you don't have to put up with this problem.

Yes, the narration is excessive at times, but the Robert Youngson compilations introduced new generations to the silent-film comedy of producers Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Most importantly, "The Golden Age of Comedy" (1958) and "When Comedy Was King" (1960) helped elevate Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to the pantheon of immortal comedians. This value-priced "double feature" offers vintage slapstick from Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Langdon, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Will Rogers, Gloria Swanson, Snub Pollard, Ben Turpin and the sadly underrated Charley Chase. Nevertheless, it is Stan and Ollie who steal the show with hilarious excerpts from their classic 1927-29 shorts: "Two Tars," "Big Business," "We Faw Down" and "The Battle of the Century." If you want to know more about Youngson, there is an entire chapter devoted to the silent-film preservationist in author Scott MacGillivray's "Laurel and Hardy: From the Forties Forward" (1998).

These are hard to find Laurel and Hardy shorts. With one click, the videos were on their way. The service at Amazon is great and the videos are in sterling quality and exactly what I ordered.

This is a review for the DVD set entitled THE FIRST KINGS OF COMEDY,
a collection of two Robert Youngson silent film compilations from 1957 and 1960.

The titles of the two Youngson films are THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY and WHEN COMEDY WAS KING. Both of these films when originaly released were surprise hits and as one
who saw them and loved them both I am very happy that they are available on a low priced DVD.

Both movies have narration and a few sound effects, just to sweeten the on screen action. The audiences that these movies hoped to attract were probably not all that familiar with the conventions of silent movies and a little audio help didn't
stop the laughs for anyone in the theater. And I'm sure that most of us watching the antics of these comedy greats will forgive a litle audio overenthusiasm, after all, exageration is the soul of comedy.

The first film, THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY has wonderful sequences by just about everyone save Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. I'm certain that they were excluded because of ownership issues. Nontheless, it is a wonderful compilation of silent comedy sequences.

The second film, WHEN COMEDY WAS KING, does have Buster Keaton and Harry Langdon as well many others not included in THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY and once again serves up a smorgesboard of laughs from the silent era. Another top effort by Mr. Youngson and
perfect for introducing the silent comedy greats to young people as well as reminding
many of us who have been around a while that the movies were funny before they could talk.

Yes, it would be great to see all of these films in thier entirety but many folks just
don't want to take the time or make the effort without a little sampler first.
THE FIRST KINGS OF COMEDY is a refreshing look at what was once consideed funny and demonstrates that this material, dated though it may be, still is funny. Which is
why I have rated THE FIRST KINGS OF COMEDY five stars.

These are classic comedy film clips that will keep you laughing
all the way through the two discs. Many superstars of silent
films are presented. Excellent stuff!

This is more than just a movie. This deserves to be shown in museums. Especially the second half, When Comedy Was King. While there isn't enough (and never will be)shown by some of these true comedy geniuses, and there isn't anything shown of Harold Lloyd, these clips show enough examples of the long lost art of silent comedy to fascinate anyone of any age.This was when cleverness was king, and while I found the narration fun and informative, it wasn't essential. While fans of the genre may be familiar with the likes of Chaplin and Keaton, there are some real pleasant surprises here by the likes of Billy Bevan, Charlie Chase, and the silent Laurel and Hardy,and particularly don't miss Edgar Buchanan at the ice cream parlor.This is true comedy, a hilarious night for the whole family.

Throughout the '40s through the '60s, documentarian Robert Youngson would create documentaries on the days gone by. From early mechanics, early technology to early sporting events. But in the late '50s, Youngson would create two documentaries on the silent film era.

Two films that would pay tribute to the stars of yesteryear and also expose silent films to a generation of Americans who were not familiar with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Harry Langdon to name a few.

In 1957, Youngson would create "The Golden Age of Comedy" and in 1959 "When Comedy Was King". Documentaries which would introduce the silent comedians of that time and feature clips from their silent short films or their feature films while providing narrative and information on the talent, their popularity of the time and also their troubles.

In "Golden Age of Comedy", Youngson would focus on Mack Sennett, Laurel and Hardy, Will Rogers, Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow, Ben Turpin, Harry Langdon, the animals of the silent era and more.

In "When Comedy Was King", Youngson focused on The Good Old Days with Charlie Chaplin, the Immortal Baby with Harry Langdon, Hal Roach, The Great Stone Face with Buster Keaton, The Wacky World of Mack Sennett, The Fiddle and the Bow with Laurel and Hardy.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

Both "The Golden Age of Comedy" and "When Comedy Was King" are provided in standard definition, black and white. Fortunately, the clips that are featured on both films are in good condition, no scenes with film warping or excessive damage were featured.

Audio in presented in Dolby Digital with music, sound effects and narrative by Robert Youngson. Dialogue is clear and understandable.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on this DVD.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Back in the late '50s, Robert Youngson's tribute to the silent film comedians/slapstick comedy in his two films "The Golden Age of Comedy" and "When Comedy Was King" was well-received at the time.

Youngson, a documentarian who was passionate about things from the older days, did his part in making sure that people don't forget the silent stars, America's first popular talent and piecing together archived short film and feature film footage to showcase these talents. It's literally a compilation film with sound effects, music and narration by Dwight Weist.

And while many silent film fans would recommend the amazing Kevin Brownlow and David Gill documentary "Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film" created back in 1980, the problem is finding a copy of this release that will not hurt your pocketbook as it is out-of-print and sold by third party for an expensive price.

So, unless you have several hundred dollars to spend on VHS (which may be in bad condition) or the LD release (if you have an LD player), finding excellent documentaries on silent films are hard to come by.

With the release of "The First Kings of Comedy Collection", you get both of Robert Youngson's comedy silent film documentaries on one DVD and if you are not familiar with a few of the silent film comedians, the documentary does make a good primer and if you like what you see, you can search out the silent film DVD's of these talents on Amazon or ask questions to the knowledgeable silent film fans of Nitraville.com.

With that being said, for those who are knowledgeable about silent films, then these individuals will be most perturbed by the lack of inclusion of one of the silent comedy kings, Harold Lloyd. And for Harold Lloyd fans, the lack of inclusion of Lloyd is a disservice. Why wasn't he included? Was it difficult to get permission to use footage for this documentary? Or perhaps, Robert Youngson didn't care for Lloyd? We'll never know. But because of this, some people may feel both documentaries are good primers but not exactly complete.

The other negative for some is that the documentaries are reminiscent of those old '50s films you would watch in class. In other words, some may find the narration dated.

But it all comes down to one's preference. For me, I could care less if the narrator sounds dated, these two are late '50s/early '60s documentaries after all. I would rather have the original narrator, Dwight Weist's narration than have a redub in a modern setting with new music. I found these two films fine as is.

And speaking of the narration, once again, this is subjective on the viewer of how they feel about it. It's one thing to read people complain about how the narrator sounds dated but to read complaints of how narrator Dwight Weist sounds too enthusiastic about what he is discussing is a non-issue for me. If anything, hearing the narrator enthusiastic about the subject matter, made the documentaries lively and fun. For others, some prefer a more academic or perhaps dry narration.

And last, the fact is that there is focus primarily on Max Sennett and Hal Roach Studios for the archived footage featured. Because comedy in the 1920's is widespread and many will have their favorites, some may have a problem with the subject matter being too limited, focusing on talent that are well-known and popular. While Chaplin and Keaton are featured in this documentary, some may feel that there is not enough.

One can suspect that because most people tend to focus on Chaplin and Keaton, this was probably Youngson's way of exposing people not familiar to silent films of other talents out there beyond Chaplin and Keaton. While I'm not sure how many silent films were accessible to audiences during the late '50s or '60s as opposed to the revival of silent films in the '70s, I would imagine that a lot of silent film festivals probably had more access to films starring Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and Hal Roach films.

I will say that "The First Kings of Comedy Collection" was a DVD that made me want to search out the films that I have never seen before but were featured on the DVD. For example, I have many Carole Lombard films in my DVD collection, but I do not have any of her silent films. The same goes with Jean Harlow and also for a few of the Hal Roach Studios films that do not star Harold Lloyd or the kids of "Little Rascals" (both which were not featured in either documentary).

But watching these two documentaries did make me want to watch more Laurel & Hardy, more Ben Turpin, more Hal Roach films like the 1929 film "A Pair of Tights" and hopefully others will be inspired to search out these films or shorts featuring these talent after watching the two documentaries.

While this DVD does makes a good primer for beginners, I also recommend people to read any of Kevin Brownlow's books especially "The Parades Gone By" (and other silent film books available today). But until Brownlow's "Hollywood" is ever released on DVD, a beginner wanting a primer on silent comedy can easily enjoy the two documentaries featured in "The First Kings of Comedy Collection". It may not be for everyone but if you are curious about the subject matter, "The First Kings of Comedy Collection" is also a DVD that can be found for under $10 these days.

Overall, "The First Kings of Comedy Collection" is a recommended set of two documentaries that can satisfy beginners to slapstick comedy but also for those who want to experience two documentaries that possibly inspired many audiences to become silent film fans during that era in time.

You can`t beat this deal with a stick. Or slapstick.
Two of Robert Youngson`s documentaries on the silent comedy era for under $10.
Laurel & Hardy, Chase, Turpin, and many more are covered with classic clips and commentary.
It doesn`t matter if you are a fan of silent comedy, or if you have never seen one before, you will love these films.