Editorial Review:

Description:
Various directors. U.S. 1920-26. Total time: 131 mins. B&W.

Six of slapstick's most bizarre and hilarious entries.

Contents:
Yukon Jake (1924 - Ben Turpin)
The Grocery Clerk (1920 - Larry Semon)
Three Of A Kind (1926 - Frank "Fatty" Alexander, Hillard "Fat" Karr, "Kewpie" Ross)
Dry and Thirsty (1920 - Billy Bletcher)
Family Life (1924 - Mark Jones, Ruth Hiatt)
Now You Tell One (1926 - Charley Bowers)

The lesser-known actors in KINO's eighth and final edition of SLAPSTICK ENCYCLOPEDIA produced some of the most entertaining and strangest comedies of the silent era.

PROGRAM for "Slapstick Encyclopedia Vol. 8":

YUKON JAKE-- Directed by Del Lord, of later 3 Stooges fame. Sheriff Cyclone Bill (Turpin) singlehandedly rids Mustang Gulch of all its bad men, and even rescues Nell (Kingston) from kidnappers. Bill also dreams that Sennett bathing beauties frolic with him in the snow, and he gets chased by a real-life bear.

THREE OF A KIND-- The Ton of Fun perform a song, dance and novelty act (in rented tuxedos) as "the Barrel Brothers" at Ye Bucket O' Blood nightclub. An unappreciative audience member hands out produce from a wooden crate and a general war breaks out.

DRY AND THIRSTY-- Prohibition spoof stars Billy Bletcher as Horace Radish. His desperate search for a drink at the Bootleggers Haven Hotel may land Horace in jail for life.

FAMILY LIFE-- A Jack White Mermaid Comedy. Neighbors in a cardboard-thin duplex bungalow drive each other crazy. One family is evicted for damaging the home and they move to a lakeside tent. Sight gags include a back-heavy rowboat, a fish that won't take the bait and a wreck of a car that can't keep all four wheels on the road simultaneously.

NOW YOU TELL ONE-- Extraordinary two-reeler stars Charley Bowers-- he was a Keaton-clone of sorts and a brilliant animator. The story: Members of a Liars Club compete for "Liar of the Year." Their stories: Forty-seven pachyderms attend a dinner hosted by Mussolini at the U.S. Capitol. One man swam the English Channel by riding the back of an underwater bicyclist. While searching for the Lost Chord, Sen. Foghorn disappears inside his hat!
A member brings Bowers to the meeting; he tells of his invented formula that grows every variety of produce on a single monstrous plant. Bowers demonstrates his potion door-to-door with hilarious results. By far the best short here!

THE GROCERY CLERK-- With Larry Semon working at Big Ben's market, there's sure to be non-stop chaos. The town playboy's attempt to steal $25,000 in bonds from Ben's mailroom safe is thwarted by Larry.


MILL CREEK's SLAPSTICK FESTIVAL features 35 shorts starring Chaplin, Keaton, Chase, Fields, Arbuckle, Laurel, Normand, Summerville, Keystone Kops, Little Rascals and the 3 Stooges.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(4.2) Dry and Thirsty (1920) - Billy Bletcher/Vera Reynolds/John Dempsey
(5.7) Family Life (1924) - Mark Jones/Ruth Hiatt/Otto Fries/Sunshine Hart/Tommy Hicks
(5.3) The Grocery Clerk (1920) - Larry Semon/Frank Alexander/Lucille Carlisle/Monty Banks/Frank Hayes/Jack Duffy/William Hauber
(7.7) Now You Tell One (1926) - Charley Bowers
(3.2) Three of a Kind (1926) - Hilliard Karr/Frank Alexander/'Kewpie' Ross/Lois Boyd
(6.0) Yukon Jake (1920) - Ben Turpin/Bud Ross/Natalie Kingston/Kalla Pasha/John J. Richardson/Tiny Ward

Average Rating:

Rating: - As surreal as slapstick gets!
The lesser-known actors in KINO's eighth and final edition of SLAPSTICK ENCYCLOPEDIA produced some of the most entertaining and strangest comedies of the silent era.

PROGRAM for "Slapstick Encyclopedia Vol. 8":

YUKON JAKE-- Directed by Del Lord, of later 3 Stooges fame. Sheriff Cyclone Bill (Turpin) singlehandedly rids Mustang Gulch of all its bad men, and even rescues Nell (Kingston) from kidnappers. Bill also dreams that Sennett bathing beauties frolic with him in the snow, and he gets chased by a real-life bear.

THREE OF A KIND-- The Ton of Fun perform a song, dance and novelty act (in rented tuxedos) as "the Barrel Brothers" at Ye Bucket O' Blood nightclub. An unappreciative audience member hands out produce from a wooden crate and a general war breaks out.

DRY AND THIRSTY-- Prohibition spoof stars Billy Bletcher as Horace Radish. His desperate search for a drink at the Bootleggers Haven Hotel may land Horace in jail for life.

FAMILY LIFE-- A Jack White Mermaid Comedy. Neighbors in a cardboard-thin duplex bungalow drive each other crazy. One family is evicted for damaging the home and they move to a lakeside tent. Sight gags include a back-heavy rowboat, a fish that won't take the bait and a wreck of a car that can't keep all four wheels on the road simultaneously.

NOW YOU TELL ONE-- Extraordinary two-reeler stars Charley Bowers-- he was a Keaton-clone of sorts and a brilliant animator. The story: Members of a Liars Club compete for "Liar of the Year." Their stories: Forty-seven pachyderms attend a dinner hosted by Mussolini at the U.S. Capitol. One man swam the English Channel by riding the back of an underwater bicyclist. While searching for the Lost Chord, Sen. Foghorn disappears inside his hat!
A member brings Bowers to the meeting; he tells of his invented formula that grows every variety of produce on a single monstrous plant. Bowers demonstrates his potion door-to-door with hilarious results. By far the best short here!

THE GROCERY CLERK-- With Larry Semon working at Big Ben's market, there's sure to be non-stop chaos. The town playboy's attempt to steal $25,000 in bonds from Ben's mailroom safe is thwarted by Larry.


MILL CREEK's SLAPSTICK FESTIVAL features 35 shorts starring Chaplin, Keaton, Chase, Fields, Arbuckle, Laurel, Normand, Summerville, Keystone Kops, Little Rascals and the 3 Stooges.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(4.2) Dry and Thirsty (1920) - Billy Bletcher/Vera Reynolds/John Dempsey
(5.7) Family Life (1924) - Mark Jones/Ruth Hiatt/Otto Fries/Sunshine Hart/Tommy Hicks
(5.3) The Grocery Clerk (1920) - Larry Semon/Frank Alexander/Lucille Carlisle/Monty Banks/Frank Hayes/Jack Duffy/William Hauber
(7.7) Now You Tell One (1926) - Charley Bowers
(3.2) Three of a Kind (1926) - Hilliard Karr/Frank Alexander/'Kewpie' Ross/Lois Boyd
(6.0) Yukon Jake (1920) - Ben Turpin/Bud Ross/Natalie Kingston/Kalla Pasha/John J. Richardson/Tiny Ward