Comments on: Forgotten silent film genius Larry Semon

Forgotten silent film genius Larry Semon

mediareport — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:13:50 -0800

Part II - Heyday. Part III - Trouble Brewing. In 1920, he was the world's 2nd-most-famous Hollywood star, with a contract and creative control rivaling Chaplin. In 1921, he made a popular series of films with Oliver Hardy as his main comic foil, six years before Laurel & Hardy became a household name. In 1925, he directed a truly bizarre silent version of The Wizard of Oz, just as wild overspending, erratic behavior and lawsuits ruined his career. The Larry Semon Research site has an interesting picture gallery.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:26:01 -0800

It was great to read that write-up of the Semon Oz movie, but what's the deal with the sudden tirade against "political correctness" in the middle of it?

By: mr_roboto

mr_roboto — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:29:20 -0800

Really interesting stuff, mediareport. I noticed that too, Faint of Butt. It's almost like the author has some sort of obsessive-compulsive tic that the movie set off. The funny thing is, there are lots of interesting things that can be said about race in popular entertainment in the first half of the twentieth century, but he doesn't manage to say any of them....

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Mon, 01 May 2006 13:10:31 -0800

Semon's Oz is an interesting footnote, but unwatchable as a movie. The current DVD release makes it even worse by having an...actress? read all the title cards over a soundtrack of new age loops. Dreadful.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 01 May 2006 13:22:22 -0800

There are some decent reviews of some of Semon's early shorts, like Stage Hand, The Bell Hop and Head Waiter at allmovie.com, along with an informative review (minus "pc" digressions :) of his Wizard of Oz. PinkStainlessTail, I think Netflix has a version that's better than previous ones; their DVD has a bunch of the early Oz versions from 1910-1930 or so, including Semon's. And to be honest, it's a bit tedious, but I liked Semon's Oz, in that "so bad it's fascinating" kind of way, sure, but also as a historical curiosity that's really not as godawful as most folks say it is. It has some interesting special effects, for one thing - stuff I'd never seen before in silent films.

By: Yer-Ol-Pal

Yer-Ol-Pal — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:12:54 -0800

After reading the Oz review I was intriged by G Howe Black. Found him on The Internet Movie Database. Real name was Spencer Bell. Born in Lexington Ky in 1887. Died 1935. According to IMDB he was in 27 movies. I have Oz on DVD ( no new age loops on mine) I find it rather trippy and surprisingly good effects for when it was made.

By: rob511

rob511 — Mon, 01 May 2006 14:33:24 -0800

From the Oz writeup:

There is a long series of gags and mishaps that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. Larry is kicked into a cactus patch by a mule. (Do cacti grow in Kansas?) ... A goose steals Larry's lollipop ... [and] squirts Larry with some milky substance.

Just how did Larry pronounce his name?

By: Prospero

Prospero — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:00:48 -0800

@PinkStainlessTail--by "current release" you aren't talking about the version that's included in the recently-released four-disc edition of the Victor Fleming Wizard of Oz, are you? (I hope not--I bought that and haven't gotten around to watching it yet, and was looking forward to the silent version.)

By: Prospero

Prospero — Mon, 01 May 2006 15:03:50 -0800

Oh--three discs, not four.

By: briank

briank — Mon, 01 May 2006 17:02:49 -0800

Excellent post. I know of Larry Semon only through the inevitable mentions of him in various books about Laurel and Hardy, so this is mostly new for me.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 01 May 2006 17:25:07 -0800

Don't forget the rumors that he faked his own death in 1928. His Hollywood legend is now complete.

By: rleamon

rleamon — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:12:38 -0800

After a spurt of activity, he collapsed and was spent.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:18:06 -0800

it's actually not too bad, if you forget it's supposed to be the Oz we're familiar with--i found it a hoot, actually, in that corny, embarassing, slapstick way all Laurel and Hardy, etc, films were back then--not up to Chaplin or Keaton levels but totally entertaining. (there used to be a torrent around of it--it's worth looking for)

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:21:46 -0800

Prospero: it was this single disc edition, so you should be fine. Looking at the reviews, I'm not the only one who found this release terrible.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Mon, 01 May 2006 18:32:46 -0800

That's not the one I have, PST. This version at Netflix also mentions a "new orchestral score," so at least that part is fixed. I'm with amberglow; it's worth watching at least once.

By: ktoad

ktoad — Tue, 02 May 2006 10:32:30 -0800

This was fascinating! Thanks for the FPP, mediareport. A pity most of his stuff is unavailable. I'd like to watch his earlier work and evaluate it for myself.