Posted by
cavalier973 on Sunday, April 05, 2009 1:42:49 PM
Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd are considered the "Big Three" of the silent film comedians. Chaplin was the king, obviously, since he had the funniest movies and who is most readily called to mind when "silent films" are mentioned. Buster Keaton (my favorite of the threee) has experienced a resurgence in popularity, it seems, because he is so interesting to watch, whether he's funny or not. Lloyd's popularity, however, can be a bit of a mystery. I've been reading a book, "The Silent Clowns", by Walter Kerr, and it explains that Lloyd reflected in his characters a belief that Americans had about themselves: that they were both agressive and well-intentioned. That, and the fact that he produced more films account for his legendary status.
The above link is the building climing scene from Lloyd's "Safety Last". Earlier in the film, Lloyd had concocted a promotional scheme for the department store in which he worked; he hired a guy who was adept at climbing to climb the department store building. The only problem is that the guy he hired somehow got on the wrong side of the law, and Lloyd had to take his place "for just one floor" so that he could elude the police, whereupon the climber would switch coats with Lloyd and continue the rest of the way. One can pretty much predict that Lloyd will wind up getting to the top himself. An interesting bit of information about this feat: Lloyd some time earlier had accidentally had part of his right hand blown off; he's climbing that building without the use of his right thumb and forefinger.
Update: Here is a very well-done video montage of some of Buster Keaton's stunts: