THE AMAZING YEARS OF CINEMA: The Clowns, 1981

Video and comments courtesy of "SirMixItAllUp"



From a 1981 TV series "The Amazing Years of Cinema", hosted by Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Fairbanks speaks of how films were first shown in Music Halls, with many of the films populated by the Music Hall performers.

This extract features Leopold Fregoli (an 1897 clip is shown)

Gilbert Saroni, a well-known vaudeville performer and female impersonator, filmed by Edison in 1898.

Harry Relph, known on the stage as "Little Tich", is featured and discussed. A long extract of his "big boots dance" (1899) is shown with the sound sychronized to a phonograph record made for that purpose. Also very short appearace shown of Little Tich in a clip of Georges Méliès' "Paris to Monte Carlo in Two Hours". Le Raid Paris-Monte Carlo en deux heures (1905)




Pathé and Gaumont studios locations in Cote d'azur, taking advantage of the sunlight, is discussed.

clip shown of famous comic parody of Arsène Lupin, by

Ferdinando Guillaume, the well-known French stage clown and movie comedian, is discussed, with long clip from his film "Tontolini and his Donkey" (1911).

André Deed (1879-1935) is covered next - his comic character, Boireau, and his move to Itala in 1908. Long clips shown of his film "How Cretinetti Pays His Debts" (1911)




André Deed (1879-1935) clip from film "How Cretinetti Pays His Debts" (1911) is concluded

Then the roller-skating craze of these years is mentioned in relation to the comic film "The Fashionable Sport" (1912) by Cretinetti and "The Rink" by Charlie Chaplin.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr then speaks about the career of his friend, Charlie Chaplin.