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Reviews
Outdoor Pajamas (1924)
Old fashioned farce!
This Charley Chase short comedy is one of a series he made featuring a character called Jimmy Jump. The title refers to the fact that he sleeps through the morning of his wedding day and when he awakes rushes out in his pyjamas. He gets involved in a number of comic situations (including the obligatory one of being chased by a policeman).
I think Charley Chase was actually very under-rated, or at least he is now. I've seen a number of these short films and although this isn't his best it still raised a number of genuine laughs. A lot of comedies from this period just aren't funny anymore but Charley Chase films are different, not just slapstick.
Back to this particular film and the second half develops into a farce where everyone involved converges on the same house and they're all gunning for Charley! Definitely worth a look if you like silent comedy and even if you're not into silents I could recommend it as a decent example of the genre to give a try.
Broncho Billy and the Greaser (1914)
Not very politically correct
I watched this short film last night, it being my second 'Broncho Billy' film. As with the first 'The Making of Broncho Billy' it was the western genre in its most basic form. That's not meant to be a criticism. It's just that the story is very simple, which it had to be to work well in the silent era.
I guess pretty commonly for this time the villain was 'non white' in this case a 'half breed' American Indian. The actor playing this part was also the only one of the three main characters guilty of overacting, but then he was the villain! Also there is a sign in the bar "No Drinks for Injuns", although this was probably accurate at the time.
The film wasn't 'all action' like the other 'The Making of Broncho Billy'. It was slightly longer at almost 15 mins so spent a little more time developing the plot. Quite a few of the usual clichés were in evidence but for 1914 it wasn't badly done. It's better for instance than a lot of the very poor comedies from the same year.
I guess it's definitely of interest to silent fans and especially the western kind.
The Making of Broncho Billy (1913)
Simple early western
This is perhaps the simplest form of western you can get. Broncho Billy gets into a confrontation in the bar but can't do anything because he hasn't got a gun / can't use a gun so he goes away to learn, goes back and confronts him again.
The version I watched last night lasted only nine minutes and although it ended quite abruptly I think it was pretty much complete. Although fairly primitive it was quite enthusiastically made and therefore worth watching. You can definitely see from this one why the Broncho Billy films were so popular at the time.
This is the first 'Broncho Billy' film I've seen and the emphasis was very much on fast paced action, in stark contrast to the William S.Hart productions around the same time (which I like very much). The final scene was a little unrealistic but it's definitely worth a look for fans of westerns and especially silent ones.
The Michigan Kid (1928)
Beautiful Renee Adoree
I watched this film last night and was in the end a little disappointed. Conrad Nagel puts in a fine performance in the title role and Renee Adoree is always beautiful and a decent actress.
Although the plot relies heavily on coincidence the scene is very well set during the first half of the film which I thoroughly enjoyed. However the second half is a bit of a letdown by comparison. The main reason is the poor effects during the scene on the raging river and waterfall. This was reminiscent of 'The Ice Flood' a couple of years earlier. I also got the feeling that having set up the story the director struggled to end the film satisfactorily.
Having said all this the film is still well worth watching, particularly for silent movie fans and especially fans of Renee Adoree.