Classic short subjects

[Joel1963]

Many eons ago, I read a book on classic comedy short subjects (with sound, not silents) and it made my mouth water to see many of them. I saw very few Laurel and Hardys, but The Little Rascals (Our Gang) was a TV staple for decades. Charley Chase's shorts were mentioned as being particularly funny, and I saw quite a funny one on YouTube last night, from Turner Classic Movies. Also favourably mentioned were shorts by Edgar "Slow Burn" Kennedy, a regular in Laurel and Hardy shorts and the father of a family in his own short subjects
I have thought for years that these shorts were the precursor to today's sitcoms, and they should get wider TV exposure, and/or be available on DVD.

Some questions

1. Are these shorts already being shown extensively on TCM?
2. Would such a project be viable, in terms of attracting a reasonable audience?
3. For film buffs out there, would it be viable in terms of surviving prints?

Thanks!

[JohnBeas]

TCM does show lots of these shorts - especially between movies. Also they occasionally run specials where for a full day they'll play only shorts grouped by either theme or artist. If you're really interested in catching these subscribe to their magazine or check out their website for more detailed information.
My favorite would be Harold Lloyd (his are silents). When I was a kid (early 70's) they used to show an hour of old shorts on Sunday mornings on a local TV station which included lots of Lloyd and Laurel & Hardy. I also like the "Dogville shorts" - they used dogs as "talking" actors in westerns, dramas, etc. (I don't think these are on DVD but TCM shows them occasionally).

[Joel1963]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I used to have a U.S. satellite dish (I live in Canada) but had to leave it behind because the building I'm in won't allow dishes. So no more TCM for me, at least for now.

[reechie]

Another Laurel and Hardy regular I'd love to see a DVD devoted to was Thelma Todd, who made a number of popular shorts with ZaZu Pitts and Patsy Kelly for the Roach Studios. Somewhere in storage, I have a couple of VHS tapes recorded from the now defunct Hallmark Channel, who ran many Roach shorts, in a series hosted by Leonard Maltin. I have a soft spot for Thelma thanks to her appearances in The Marx Brothers' Monkey Business and Horse Feathers. She was quite a funny comedianne, but unfortunately, she's more well known today for her unfortunate and mysterious death than for her work. I'd love to see more of her work, and other Roach shorts, more readily available.

[rmos]

One of the funniest Charley Chase shorts I've seen is "The Heckler." He plays an obnoxious fan at baseball games when a couple of thugs try to use him to throw a game they have bet on. Chase made the film for Columbia Pictures in 1941 (one of his last film before he died at age forty-six.)

I think SONY should get these Columbia shorts, like Chase, Andy Clyde, Vera Vauge and the other comedians who were working at Columbia in the '40s, out of their vaults and release them on DVD before everyone who might appreciate them is pushing up the daises.

[wayneklein]

Many eons ago, I read a book on classic comedy short subjects (with sound, not silents) and it made my mouth water to see many of them. I saw very few Laurel and Hardys, but The Little Rascals (Our Gang) was a TV staple for decades. Charley Chase's shorts were mentioned as being particularly funny, and I saw quite a funny one on YouTube last night, from Turner Classic Movies. Also favourably mentioned were shorts by Edgar "Slow Burn" Kennedy, a regular in Laurel and Hardy shorts and the father of a family in his own short subjects
I have thought for years that these shorts were the precursor to today's sitcoms, and they should get wider TV exposure, and/or be available on DVD.

Some questions

1. Are these shorts already being shown extensively on TCM?
2. Would such a project be viable, in terms of attracting a reasonable audience?
3. For film buffs out there, would it be viable in terms of surviving prints?

Thanks!


Warner inherited a lot of them from Turner, RKO and others. They often put them on as extras for some of the older films where there really aren't any viable extras or an audience for extras.

[Joel1963]

I'd also love to get the Columbia Three Stooges shorts (another longtime TV staple), but they're pretty expensive.