Friday, March 06, 2009

SHAW & LEE

Links suggested by Mike Naughton


Shaw and Lee in their 1928 film debut, the Vitaphone one-reeler The Beau Brummels...

From IMDB...

Shaw and Lee, “The Beau Brummels”
(1928) American
B&W : One reel
Directed by (unknown)

Cast: (unknown)

The Vitaphone Corporation production; distributed by [?] Warner Brothers Pictures, Incorporated? / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. Western Electric Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system. / Vitaphone production number 2686. / Full-sound film.

[?] Performance

Survival Status: Print exists in the UCLA Film and Television Archive film archive [35mm preservation positive].

Keywords: Synchronized sound film


Vaudevillians Al Shaw and Sam Lee take to the stage in identical ill-fitting suits with bowlers and bow ties. Standing shoulder to shoulder facing the camera, they begin and end with comic songs; between the songs is a string of jokes and quips. The first song is a parody of "In the merry, merry month of May" and the concluding song is a song about a song. At the end, they throw in a bit of tap dancing. The camera doesn't move.





And in 1949 in Hollywood Varieties.

2 comments:

  1. The timing on the 1928 is incredible. I await the day I see Shane and Pat in their version.

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  2. Is the m.c./singer who introduces them in the "Hollywood Varieties" clip Robert Alda? (Father of Alan and big Broadway star in his own right...also, the title role in the "George Gershwin Story"?

    In any event, they are terrific...Thanks so much Pat!

    Michael Karp

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