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The Wizard of Oz (1925) - Larry Semon with Oliver Hardy

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Dr. Mabuse:
Larry Semon's disastrous "Wizard of Oz" adaptation has little to do with L. Frank Baum and everything to do with slapstick humor. Imagine a Semon two-reeler expanded to feature length and you get the idea. Sadly, the commercial failure of this 1925 ego trip destroyed the silent comedian's career. Oliver Hardy fans might want to take a look, but it's a terrible film.

2/10

Umbrella Sam:

--- Quote from: GreenCanaries on April 21, 2020, 04:23:08 PM ---Also, I should point out that, while he has been identified as such over many years, "G. Howe Black" (yeesh) is, in fact, not Spencer Bell, nor is it Bell who appears in the other Semon shorts. A few years back, after a debate over his identity was raised on the SLAPSTICK NATION! Facebook group, comedy film historian Steve Rydzewski positively identified him as another black comedian of the time, Curtis McHenry. He has great physical talent, but the humor here... well, it isn't like our Dudley, where it's often "innocent" enough that it's easy to look past the undertones (that lightning in the head gag *groan*).

I look forward to when we eventually look at Semon's shorts, as there wasn't as much of a pressing need for story and character development, and Larry could run rampant with his eye-catching comic spectacles.

--- End quote ---

Thanks for the clarification on McHenry. I honestly felt uncomfortable referring to him by his billed name or the character’s name, so I kind of just picked the first name I saw without really looking into it more. My error.

He really does have a lot of physical talent, which was needed if you were in a Semon film. It’s a shame he wasn’t acting at a point where those talents could be properly showcased without the ridiculous stereotypes.

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