Roach Clips - Hal Roach Comedy Shorts

[JackFavell]

I'm so excited, I hope I can remember what I already have, and figure out which ones to record.

The only one I know I have for sure is The Bohemian Girl. Oh, wait! The one I have is Fra Diavolo! Sheesh. Confusing.

[JackFavell]

Billy Gilbert just flipped off a cop! It was so subtle I almost missed it - his finger was covered with a piece of hose which had gotten stuck. Ben Blue then overkilled the joke, by doing the same thing barehanded. If I'm shocked today, I wonder how audiences in 1933 felt?

[moira finnie]

Billy Gilbert just flipped off a cop! It was so subtle I almost missed it - his finger was covered with a piece of hose which had gotten stuck. Ben Blue then overkilled the joke, by doing the same thing barehanded. If I'm shocked today, I wonder how audiences in 1933 felt?

Audiences wouldn't have been fazed a bit if they saw Robert Armstrong giving the bird to another pilot in The Lost Squadron (1932) the year before. Some grad student should do a study (if they haven't already) on the number of times that this rude but effective gesture showed up in movies prior to the production code.

What do you think of Ben Blue in these Taxi Boy Shorts? The only other movie that I remember seeing him in prior to this was As Thousands Cheer and The Russians are Coming.

[ken123]

Thomas Mitchell gave the ladies of the Law & Order League" the bird " in Stagecoach. The taxicab shorts are bad, and the Harry Langdon shorts were worse yet IMHO.Rookie of the Year was great.

[JackFavell]

Ken-

I forgot about Thomas Mitchell - that one is as subtle as they come and I still wasn't sure after I noticed it that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.

Moira -

Wow! I forgot As Thousands Cheer - it's been years and years since I saw it.

Ben is OK, not as bad as I thought he might be from reading the Movie Morlocks piece about the Taxi Boys last week.

Unfortunately, the gags are strung together badly, and some of them do not make sense. I am spoiled by Laurel and Hardy's inventiveness and their attention to detail. Plus L&H have a straight through-line from beginning to end of their short subjects, whereas The Taxi Boys don't. They seem to be improvising, and go from from one unconnected event to another. I did like the one in the cemetery, since it had the best plot and more Gilbert. Ben Blue is the "star" from whom Billy takes his cues, which I find disappointing. Ben looks like he got his character from watching someone who was mentally challenged, and that makes him uncomfortable to watch. What he does is well done, but I'm not sure it's funny. Billy seemed to switch halfway through the series to a Catskills Borscht belt German accent which is much better than the stuttering character who never gets a word in edgewise. I think he's a sweet genius, and even in these sub-par films, little flashes of comic timing and worthiness come out.

[moira finnie]

Good one, Ken. I'd forgotten about Mitchell in Stagecoach too.

I want to like Ben Blue in these shorts, and after thoroughly enjoying Billy Gilbert in the The Little Rascals was prepared to like his work here. Instead I find Blue moves like an over-wound mechanical toy in these. I keep expecting his poses and gestures to mean something funny, beyond "I have a bad case of dyskinesia." It seems like sort of a waste, since I like these two actors in most other appearances in movies.

[JackFavell]

Do you think the problem is that these are essentially two "react-ers"? Neither is really a character who can propel the action. I wanted to like them as well, but find them each struggling.

[movieman1957]

I'be ginning to wonder if Gilbert wasn't the hardest working man at the Roach lot. When you figure he was doing L&H, Todd & Pitts, The Taxi Boys and I think he even did a few "Boyfriends" shorts it is a wonder he had time to eat. However, it is quite obvious he had time to eat.

[JackFavell]

Ha! Not only that, but he shows up in the occasional feature movie too!

[JackFavell]

God....Thelma was great in Love Fever.

[moira finnie]

I like the Boyfriend Shorts much more.

Grady Sutton rocks. I love his simple-mindedness, his Southern drawl, and his sweet-natured peevishness.

[JackFavell]

I agree, Grady is as good here early on, as he is in everything else I've seen him in, even in his feature films. His voice is so distinctive, I couldn't help but turn around when he showed up.

I loved seeing Franklin Pangborn this morning. It took me a while to make sure it was him. It's nice to see Charlie Hall turn up once in while here too.

I liked the "Boyfriend" shorts a lot better, too! It sure did look like Mickey Daniels, Grady and David Sharpe were doing their own back flips, pratfalls, and aerial stunts. Well, maybe not the aerial stuff.


So far this month, I think that any shorts directed by Robert MacGowan are good. He has the touch.

[Lzcutter]

I'm watching the State of the Union speech right now but Tivo'ing General Spanky. I hope it's as fun as it sounds.

All hail, Spanky!!!!!!!

[JackFavell]

Sons of the Desert was better than I remembered it - which is saying a lot - probably had something to do with watching it with Alice this time, like two peas in a Pod-uh.

I discovered that I had never seen General Spanky before!

Pick a Star this morning had a really cute bit with Laurel and Hardy - I didn't pay attention to the cast list and came in halfway through. Jack Haley is adorable, with or without his tin can. Mischa Auer was lots of fun too, I had no idea how tall he was.

[movieman1957]

"Two peas in a pod-uh" has always been a bit of a catch phrase in our house. Did you get to record "Way Out West"? Some funny bits and a nice little dance from Stan and Babe. There is even a little quartet of singers that if memory serves me right, includes Chill Wills.