Century Comedies -- Consistently Good -- February 29, 2024

Motion Picture News, 02-February-1924

Baby Peggy Montgomery had been Century's biggest comedy star. She moved on to starring in features for Universal and Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Captain January was based on a book by Laura E Richards. Shirley Temple starred in another adaption. 

Motion Picture News, 02-February-1924

Motion Picture News, 02-February-1924

I hope the kids at New York's Hebrew Orphan Asylum enjoyed Baby Peggy's first feature, The Darling of New York. 

Motion Picture News, 23-February-1924

Century carried on with other comedy series. "A Barrel of Real Fun!"

Motion Picture News, 23-February-1924

Al Herman had just finished directing his thirtieth Century comedy for the Stern Brothers. 

Motion Picture News, 16-February-1924

Giant Jack Earle starred with Harry McCoy in Century's "Keep Going." Robert Kerr directed. 

Motion Picture News, 23-February-1924

Young Buddy Messinger starred in "Quit Kidding," directed by Al Herman.

Motion Picture News, 09-February-1924

Century Studio was at 6100 Sunset Boulevard, which is now a parking lot. At the corner of North Gower, it was near what is now Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles. 

Film Daily, 11-February-1924

I know almost nothing about Sherwood MacDonald and I know even less about Butterfly Comedies. I think this is the only time I have seen the word "filmbrand."

Motion Picture News, 23-February-1924

Christie Comedies: "Fast and Funny." "The Best Bet for a Balanced Program." "In the Front Line of Laughmakers." Lots of tag lines. 

Motion Picture News, 16-February-1924

Please excuse the racism. Jimmie Adams seems to have done a lot of blackface. William Beaudine directed "Aggravating Papa." 

Motion Picture News, 02-February-1924

Christie Comedies are "Crammed With Laughs and Action." Dorothy Devore was a popular Christie star. Scott Sidney directed "Stay Single." 

Film Daily, 25-February-1924

Film Daily, 08-February-1924

Al Christie was planning to make feature-length comedies."  

Film Daily, 25-February-1924

Dorothy Devore and Walter Hiers were going to star in the first Christie feature, Hold Your Breath. 

Motion Picture News, 23-February-1924

Film Daily, 08-February-1924

Camera, 02-February-1924

The Christie Studio was at 6101 Sunset at Gower. There is nothing remarkable there now. 

Dumb Dora Does Her Daily Dozen -- December 29, 2023

Motion Picture News, 01-December-1923

Baby Peggy Montgomery was Century's biggest comedy star.

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Baby Peggy's first feature film appearance was in The Darling of New York, which was directed by King Baggott.

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Baby Peggy had recently signed a contract to make features for Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Her first production would be Captain January, an adaption of the book by Laura E Richards. Shirley Temple later starred in an adaption of the same book. 

Photoplay, December, 1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Pal the Dog was another popular Century star. 

Film Daily, 22-December-1923

Christie advised exhibitors to stop stoking the egos of big producers and start entertaining their customers with well-made short films. 

Film Daily, 14-December-1923

Educational offered free ad mats for their short subjects. These could be run as stand-alone newspaper ads or inserted into larger ads. Dorothy Devore as "Dumb Dora Does Her Daily Dozen" in "Kidding Katie." Lots of Ds and Ks. I like the dog.

Film Daily, 28-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Educational released series of short comedies made by many different producers. Cameo Comedies were one-reelers.

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

"Laurel is making 'em all look to their laurels." That is an awful picture of Stanley. 

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

"Real people doing really funny things in a really human way." Hal Roach's Spat Family movies were situation comedies. 

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

Hal Roach's Our Gang pursues Baby New Year 1924. 

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Snub Pollard appeared in a series of two-reelers for Hal Roach. 

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Harry Langdon in His First Mack Sennett Comedy -- December 12, 2023

Variety, 27-December-1923

Vaudeville comic Harry Langdon appeared in his first short comedy for Mack Sennett, "Picking Peaches."

Motion Picture News, 01-December-1923

Film Daily, 02-December-1923

I do not know what was going on here. Langdon had just left Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures to sign with Sennett. In 1924, Sennett released a movie called "Listen Lester" with Harry Myers. 

Sennett Signs Langdon -- November 14, 2023

Film Daily, 22-November-1923

Producer Mack Sennett signed Harry Langdon to star in a series of short comedies to be released by Pathé. I assume that Sennett bought the contract that Langdon had signed with Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. 

Langdon in Sennett Comedy -- October 20, 2023

Film Daily, 22-October-1923

For many years I thought Harry Langdon's first film was "Picking Peaches," made for Mack Sennett. More recently I have learned about Harry Langdon making some movies for Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Here we see Principal loan Langdon to Mack Sennett.

First Harry Langdon Comedy is Completed -- August 17, 2023

Motion Picture News, 25-August-1923

For many years I thought Harry Langdon's first film was "Picking Peaches," made for Mack Sennett. More recently I have learned about Harry Langdon making some movies for Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. "The Skyscraper" was his first. I cannot find anything about it.

Motion Picture News, 25-August-1923

Motion Picture News, 11-August-1923

Film Daily, 13-August-1923

Harry Langdon -- Camera Unnerves Stage Comedian -- July 16, 2023

San Francisco Chronicle, 01-July-1923

Veteran vaudeville comedian Harry Langdon was naturally nervous while shooting his first scenes for Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Alf Goulding directed. 

Century Comedies -- They Stand Unequalled -- August 26, 2022

Motion Picture News, 05-August-1922

Century Comedies promoted their stars: Lee Moran, Brownie the Century Wonder Dog, Johnny K Fox and Queenie the Horse. Their biggest star, Baby Peggy was moving on to feature films. 

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Betty May was signed to be Lee Moran's leading lady. 

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Arvid Gillstrom had a long career directing short comedies. Century moved him from the Brownie series to Lee Moran's. 

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Lee Moran's former partner Eddie Lyons was starring in comedies for Arrow. 

Motion Picture News, 05-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Uncle Dan Mason, who had played the Skipper in a series of short comedies based on Fontaine Fox's comic panel The Toonerville Trolley That Meets All the Trains, moved to FBO to star in a series of Plum Center Comedies.

Motion Picture News, 12-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Motion Picture News, 12-August-1922

I don't know much about Gloria Joy, whose "Joy Comedies" were to be released by FBO. Sherwood McDonald directed.

Moving Picture World, 19-August-1922

William Fox produced several comedy series, starring Lupino Lane, Clyde Cook, Al St John and the Lee Kids. The other article mentions the start of Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures Corporation. We will see more about that in later months. 

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Lupino Lane was a remarkable acrobatic comedian. Ida Lupino was his cousin. 

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Sisters Jane and Katherine Lee had been in movies for nearly ten years. "The Baby Grands."

Moving Picture World, 05-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 05-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 05-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 19-August-1922

Harry Cohn, his brother Jack and Joe Brandt provided the initials for C.B.C. Film Sales Corp. The Hallroom Boys Comedies were a long running series of short comedies, based on a comic strip by Harold MacGill.

Educational released the Mermaid Comedies, which starred Lloyd Hamilton and others. 

Moving Picture World, 05-August-1922

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Paul Terry made the animated Aesop's Fables series.

Moving Picture World, 26-August-1922

Max Fleischer and his brother Dave made the animated Out of the Inkwell series.