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American Slapstick, Vol. 2 | 
 enlarge | Directors: Hal Roach, Alfred J. Goulding, William Watson
Actors: Harold Lloyd, Louise Fazenda, Oliver Hardy, Bebe Daniels, 'snub' Pollard
Studio: Facets / All Day Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $19.00
You Save: $15.95 (46%)
New (30) Used (5) from $18.25
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 72130
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 3
Running Time: 440 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 96585
UPC: 736899118228
EAN: 0736899118228
ASIN: B001889C8E
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: July 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
They were the bad boy superstars of the Jazz Age. They told jokes without words, with punch-lines made from brickbats and cream pies. At a time when pop culture was in its infancy, they made movies that would last for ages. They dressed in drag, wore crazy moustaches, showed a complete disregard for private property, and drove way too fast. This 3-disc collection is their legacy, a deluxe sampler of silent comedy rarities, B-sides, and one-hit wonders. Brace yourself for: Comedians in skirts (some of 'em girls!), the nut who used too much glue, the Frenchman with a mouthful of marbles, Charlie Chaplin comedies that don't have Charlie Chaplin in them, the girl everyone thought was crazy, the incomparable Snub Pollard goes looking for trouble, famous brothers doing their thing, and a portrait of Harold Lloyd as young man.
These never-before-on-home-video comedy shorts have been mastered from archival elements and rare collections, some of them previously thought lost altogether, and are presented with new musical scores. Hold on to your porkpie hat here comes AMERICAN SLAPSTICK VOLUME TWO!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Glimpses of How Closely Current Comedy Borrows from the Riches of Silent Film August 7, 2008
David Crumm (Canton, Michigan)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you love silent film, if you find yourself drawn to archival collections of rarely seen movie gems and especially if you have a taste for broad comedy - you'll enjoy this new set from Facets.
There are two shorts from the `30s at the very end of the set - but it's essentially a collection of silents. And, because this is a silents set, you'll want to know that the audio track is entertaining. You'll hear some Scott Joplin here and other piano riffs from long ago. Some silent DVD releases in recent years have gone out of their way to enhance the audio experience, including offering multiple audio settings for the films. This is a single standard soundtrack -- nevertheless, lots of fun and well performed.
Here's what I think is most intriguing about this collection:
I reviewed this 3-disc set in the same week that the Seth Rogen comedy, "Pineapple Express," hit theaters and I got hooked on jotting down all the comic bits in these silent comedies that I had just seen in the new Rogen comedy. In fact, a clever film student could take the script of "Pineapple Express," listing all the slapstick bits one after another - and edit clips from silent films to fill the same script, virtually start to finish.
It's remarkable, really. Here's an example: In one fight scene, Rogen and his nemesis wrestle with Rogen's bulky figure half bent over a low counter, flipping around and tangling together. That's standard business from silent film. In this collection, it's Harold Lloyd fighting over the counter in a general store.
One bit after another, they're all here. Before I was done, I stopped jotting down the corresponding scenes because there were dozens.
What's more, in this set of comedies, you'll meet some rarely seen comic heroes - like Lloyd Hamilton, who is basically a Seth Rogen from the silent era. Like Rogen, Hamilton certainly didn't cut the typical figure of a leading man. Yet, he was attractive to the girls in his films, largely because of his loveable, hapless, persistent style. Like Rogen, his trademarks were a pudgy figure, a puzzled expression alternated with a confident smile, and his big round face. In "Pineapple," Rogen plays virtually the entire film in an ill-fitting suit, which was a Lloyd Hamilton trademark, as well.
This new collection is great fun - plus, if you've a taste for cultural history, you'll make all sorts of connections while you're chuckling.
 Fine film treasures, only fair quality August 1, 2008
jachorn (Venice, CA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I just received my copy of the three-disc set. I like the general way in which they have presented the material. Excellent musical scores composed for each film are worth noting. The organizing of each section is also thoughtful: by studio, star or genre. The quality of most of the films is not first rate however. When compared to the quality of KINO or Image Entertainment or even Lobster Films, these films are slightly out of focus and look like copies from videos at times. I'm no expert in this area, but like the first box they put out, the quality is only fair. On the other hand they have some real gems assembled, few if any of which are to be found on other discs (though I do have some on VHS).
This is a nice filler for the collector, with Gaylord Lloyd, Alice Howell and Anne Cornwall among others to be discovered and enjoyed. just wish I didn't have to squint a tad to do it!
Obscure silent comedy shorts May 27, 2008
Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Prominent in this assortment of silent comedies are Harold Lloyd and his brother Gaylord, along with the usual cast of Hal Roach players. Charle Chaplin doesn't appear here, but is represented by imitators like Billy West. Also, his half-brother Syd stars in three of these. There's a few with female headliners, some from Lloyd Hamilton Corp (Educational Studios), and several nearly-forgotten Hal Roach releases. Two 1930s sound shorts complete the program.
Due to this material's obscurity, AMERICAN SLAPSTICK, Vol. 2 will best appeal to silent movie fans looking to give their collections depth. For anyone just starting a silent comedy library (and who prefer DVD multi-packs), recommended are the more mainstream artists available on these 'budget' sets: THE BUSTER KEATON COLLECTION, SMILES & SPECTACLES - The Harold Lloyd Treasury, CHARLIE CHAPLIN - 51 Features, or LOST AND FOUND: The Harry Langdon Collection.
CONTENTS:
HAROLD LLOYD:
Bliss (1917) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Evans
By the Sad Sea Waves (1917) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/Fred C. Newmeyer
Don't Shove (1919) - Harold Lloyd/Bebe Daniels/Bud Jamison/Noah Young/Fred C. Newmeyer/'Snub' Pollard
Hey There! (1918) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/King Zany
Luke Joins the Navy (1916) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/Bud Jamison
HAL ROACH 'B' SHORTS:
The Dippy Dentist (1920) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/'Sunshine' Sammy Morrison/Gaylord Lloyd
Dodge Your Debts (1921) - Gaylord Lloyd/Estelle Harrison/George Rowe/William Gillespie
Looking for Trouble (1919) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/Gaylord Lloyd/William Gillespie/Mildred Davis
Shiver and Shake (1922) - James Parrott/Jobyna Ralston
Whirl o' the West (1921) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/Hughie Mack/Eddie Boland/Sammy Brooks
At Your Service (1921) - Sidney Smith
EDUCATIONAL STUDIOS:
Breezing Along (1927) - Lloyd Hamilton/Estelle Bradley/Eva Thatcher
A Fresh Start (1920) - Jimmie Adams/Marvel Rea/Frank J. Coleman/Lige Conley
Jonah Jones (1924) - Dick Sutherland/Lloyd Hamilton/Babe London/Dorothy Seastrom
Post No Bills (1923) - James Parrott/Marie Mosquini/Bobby Ray/Jack Ackroyd/Ford West
CHAPLIN RELATED:
Caught in a Park (1915) - Syd Chaplin/Chester Conklin/Alice Davenport/Edgar Kennedy/Polly Moran/Mack Swain
Charley Out West (1919) (no data available)
Charley's Aunt (1925) - Syd Chaplin/Ethel Shannon/James E. Page/Lucien Littlefield/Leo White
Gussle's Wayward Path (1915) - Syd Chaplin/Claire Anderson/Mack Cooley/Will Mason/Phyllis Allen
The Hobo (1917) - Billy West/Oliver Hardy/Leo White/Bud Ross/Virginia Clark
Oh! Shoot (1923) - Bobby Dunn/Eddie Lyons
HEARTS AND HAVOC:
Be Reasonable (1921) - Billy Bevan/Mildred June/Eddie Gribbon/Kewpie Morgan/Bobby Dunn
Call the Wagon (1923) - Neal Burns/Charlotte Merriam/Babe London/George B. French
Kid Speed (1924) - Larry Semon/Dorothy Dwan/Oliver Hardy/Frank Alexander
THE LADIES:
Cinderella Cinders (1920) - Alice Howell/Richard Smith/Rose Burkhardt/Mattie Fitzgerald/Leo Sulky
Faro Nell (1929) - Louise Fazenda/Jack Luden/Frank Rice/Harry Woods/Charles Mack
A Hash House Fraud (1915) - Louise Fazenda/Hugh Fay/Fritz Schade/Harry Bernard/Chester Conklin
Hold Still (1926) - Anne Cornwall/Jack Duffy/William Blaisdell/Jimmie Adams
"TALKIES":
Hollywood Runaround (1932) - Monte Collins/Gertrude Messinger/Matthew Betz/John T. Murray
Playboy Number One (1937) - Willie Howard/Janet Reade/Louis Sorin/Ruth Leavitt/Charles Slattery
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