Silent Laughs: Chaplin, Keaton or Lloyd?

[silentscreen]

I like all the silent comedians and they all have their specialty. Chaplin with his Little Tramp characterization, pathos, and grace, Buster with his athleticism and outrageous stunts, and Lloyd with his everyman persona. I like Lloyd's nerdy ordinary guy the best though. I seem to relate to him the best.

[MikeBSG]

They all did stuff that I liked, and they all did stuff that I didn't like.

For me, Chaplin's short films are merely okay. "The Pawnshop," "One A.M." and all the others I've seen have provided a laugh or three, but not much more. However, I love Chaplin's features from "The Kid" on through "Modern Times." They are terrific.

Keaton's shorts have some real masterpieces: "One Week," "The Boat," "The Goat," "The Playhouse." Those send me into gales of laughter. I like most of Keaton's features, but, oddly, I like those that haven't been annointed as "masterpieces." I tend to lose interest during "The General" and "Sherlock Jr." My favorite Keaton features are "Our Hospitality," "Go West," "Seven Chances," "Three Ages," "Steamboat Bill Jr." and "The Navigator." Also, I think "Battling Butler" and "The Cameraman" are serious misfires.

Lloyd's shorts don't really inspire me, but then I haven't seen that many of them. I do like the features that I've seen: "Grandma's Boy," "Girl Shy," "The Freshman," "Safety Last" and "The Kid Brother" are fantastic. However, "Speedy" leaves me cold.

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm surprised you would say that about The Cameraman along with Our Hospitality it's one of my favorite Buster movies.

One of the things I like best about it is that Buster is given a 'proper' leading lady and it's a refreshing change.