Vitagraph Comedies (1907-1919) [Disc 1/3]

Distributor: Kino Lorber

The history of screen comedy did not begin with Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. Prior to their appearances on the American screen, an entire generation of comedians was already establishing (and breaking) the boundaries of this rapidly evolving genre. While working at the Vitagraph Studios, music hall artists such as John Bunny, Frank Roberts, and Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew retooled their brands of comedy into something uniquely cinematic, advancing the art form and setting the stage for the slapstick explosion. This three-disc collection, presented by the Library of Congress, showcases the bold innovation of these overlooked pioneers, including the ingenious trick film The Disintegrated Convict, the gender-bending irrereverence of Edith Storey, and the epic scale of Larry Semon’s The Sawmill. Vitagraph Comedies also provides precious glimpses of comedians (e.g. Flora Finch or the comedy duo Montgomery and Rock) who are virtually forgotten today, because so little of their work has survived.

DISC ONE:
Vitagraph Comedies, Part One (2024, 13 min.) Video introduction featuring interviews with Rob Farr, Lynanne Schweighofer, Rob Stone, and George Willeman.
The Disintegrated Convict (1907, 6 min.) Music by Andrew Earle Simpson. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0233580
The Boy, the Bust, and the Bath (1907, 6 min.) Featuring Florence Lawrence. Music by Qingye Wu. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200500
Get Me a Step-Ladder (1908, 3 min.) Music by Dana Reason. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1856697
The New Stenographer (1911, 12 min.) Featuring Maurice Costello, Florence Lawrence. Music by Ben Model. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0001336
The Lovesick Maidens of Cuddleton (1912, 12 min.) Featuring Earle Williams, Edith Storey, John Bunny. Music by Andrew Earle Simpson. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223668
A Regiment of Two (1913, 28 min.) Featuring Sidney Drew. Music by Chris Rorrer and Daniel Mandrychenko. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0003324
Jane’s Bashful Hero (1916, 15 min.) Featuring Edith Storey. Music by Teil Buck. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223564
The Egyptian Mummy (1913, 15 min.) Featuring Lee Beggs, Constance Talmadge, Billy Quirk. Music by Andrew Earle Simpson. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444040
Sweeney’s Christmas Bird (1914, 14 min.) Featuring Hughie Mack, Flora Finch. Music by Liz Magnes. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216255
A Case of Eugenics (1915, 11 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Esin Aydingoz. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0005064
Auntie’s Portrait (1915, 13 min.) Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew. Music by Chris Lock. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0003641
Jane Was Worth It (1915, 28 min.) Featuring Edith Storey. Music by Ben Model. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223563
Mr. Jack Trifles (1916, 14 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Don Ross. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0828079
Captain Jinks’ Baby (1917, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Ivanna Cuesta Gonzalez. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0423954
Captain Jinks’ Cure (1917, 12 min.) Featuring Frank Daniels. Music by Annette Johnson. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221860
Damsels and Dandies (1919, 15 min.) Featuring Earl Montgomery and Joe Rock. Music by Ben Model https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010043

Extras:
Interviews with curator Rob Stone archivists Lynanne Schweighofer and George Willeman and film historian Rob Farr
Audio commentaries by film historian Anthony Slide