The Greatest Silent Film Comedian

For the new layout I added a poll last month (by the way there is a new one, on the right hand side of your screen). The question: Who was the greatest silent comedian? These were the results:

#1 Buster Keaton: 43%
#2 Charlie Chaplin: 26%
#3: TIE Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd both with 10%
#4: Fatty Arbuckle 4%
#5: TIE Charley Chase and Raymond Griffith both with 2%

Quite obviously there are a lot of Buster fans on my site. For a few weeks he and Charlie were just votes apart but Buster won with a landslide. The problem I find with most 'Great Comedian' lists is they stop after Harold Lloyd (traditionally 3rd). Below is my opinion on the matter.

#1: Charlie Chaplin

A self professed 'Chaplinite' I might be a bit biased. I really feel Charlie was a genius beyond anything we've seen in film before or after. Not only was he innovative but he could make you feel as well as laugh. The only person who even came close during silents to him in terms of greatness would be Mr. Griffith (who ironically hated comedy).

However I do feel Charlie 'took' from others. He liked to say he just entered film and revolutionized it with his sheer genius. In reality I think he owes a lot to Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand. Mabel was in film long before Charlie, and it is usually said she was the one who saw the genius in him (Mack Sennett had no time for such things). If you watch some of her early shorts or even "Tillie's Punctured Romance" you can see just how Chaplin-like she is. Charlie could never give credit to women but I do feel credit is due.

The question was who is the greatest silent comedian? The reason I give Charlie the top slot beyond his sheer genius is what I call 'the chase factor'. Every comedy had to have a chase...well into the 30s. Harold Lloyd took pride in this aspect...yet his chases bore me. Most chases bore me...they're full of silly gags and no plot development. I usually end up feeling they're a waste of time. But with Charlie he makes you think during his chases...and even a few laughs are had. I also like the fact he didn't rely on chases...but when he did he did them well. He was amazing in talkies as well, but nothing will ever be better than "City Lights".

#2: Buster Keaton

IF Charlie Chaplin never existed, or had been solely a talkie star, I would put Buster in the number 1 spot. I can see why people like him so much: he has a very modern wit in his silents. Quite a few shorts end with him pretending to off himself...and yet it still makes you laugh!

However it can be very hit and miss for me. I adored "Our Hospitality" but I hated "Seven Chances". If City Lights is Charlie's genius moment then The General is Buster's. And as good a film it is I can not place it higher than City Lights. Its honestly not even my favorite Buster film, though I know most people usually rank it as his finest moment.

While I definitely appreciate the wit I also enjoy Busters acrobatics. Charlie could do some moves but Buster was definitely the King of Acrobatics...and considering he had been doing it since he was 3 its not much a surprise. That's the most amazing part about The General: trains don't stop that fast. Buster had to be right on with his movements or he would be run over. There's no one quite as brave or amble and there probably never will be again.

Buster had his chases (The General is in essence one long chase) but they never seem to do much for me. However during these chases he usually inserts one of his acrobatic bits (Our Hospitality would be one) which makes them easier for me to swallow. However a lot of them just seem to go on and on without much funny or plot advancement...which is another reason I have Charlie at #1.

#3: Harold Lloyd

I'd put Harold at third strictly because many of his films aren't 'comedy'. Its usually some type of story (complete with chase) with comedic moments. Harold's masterpiece is usually said to be "Safety Last!" and I can see that. Its hard not to appreciate climbing the Orpheum...let alone the fact that Harold was missing quite a few fingers from a prop accident.

In fairness when he wanted to be funny he was very funny. "Girl Shy" is usually cited as the first romantic comedy and it is just fantastic. However THE CHASES AHH!!! Harold's fans love him for the chases, gag filled to the max. Girl Shy ends on one such 10 minute long chase. Okay I didn't time it but it does go on forever. His chases usually are filled with gag after gag (such as Girl Shy he has to keep finding a new way to get to her wedding) but I don't find any of them that funny and they drag the plot rather than advance it. I'm sure his fans will hang me for that but I stand by it.

In fact the only chase of his I really enjoyed would be his masterpiece, Safety Last! The building climb is in essence one long ''chase''. Again there are gags, but given the context they are so breath taking its hard not to enjoy it (such as the clock bit). However I wouldn't say it was funny, it was more thrilling (wondering: would he fall?). He could be funny, and he could make a thrilling chase, but sometimes I feel he just let the gags get in the way. However fans of gags love him for that, so I might just be in the minority.

#4: Mabel Normand

What irks me (as a woman who loves comedy and a Mabel biographer) is that when the 'great lists' are made 2 very vital people are left off: Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand. There is a reason for this beyond pure sexism (as Fatty is obviously male). Both found their careers stalled by scandal and personal issues by the early 20s and as such they made less features than the great 3 and depending what year/scandal it was sometimes their films would pass with barely a notice.

As much as people enjoy debating the great 3 they never bother debating the top female comediennes. Admittedly there weren't many...and Mabel by far was the most prolific. Constance Talmadge and Dorothy Gish (both sisters of major stars) would likely be the other names on the list, but both came into their own after Mabel. In fact according to Griffith's wife Dorothy idolized Mabel.

I ALMOST would put Mabel in the #3 spot (and obviously others agree with me judging by the tie) but yet I have to put her at #4. Compared to the other comedians she stopped short of reaching her genius potential. What would be her masterpiece? Some might say Mickey and I might agree, though there's a strong argument for The Extra Girl. If Mickey indeed was her masterpiece that would back up the unfulfilled label: it was her first solo feature. Or maybe she just never reached masterpiece, maybe there was something greater that could have came from her had she been healthier. That's the thought that places her below Harold.

Unrealized or not Mabel was extremely vital to comedy as we know it. She was there when Keystone was founded, she was part of the first thrown pie, the first comedic feature, and that whole Chaplin thing. She could be wildly funny, and its almost a shame that we have so few of her features left today. In Molly O and Mickey there's a cake eating moment which is hilarious, and her walk with the lion in The Extra Girl was fantastic.

Mabel also had the chases. Unfortunately Sennett was behind a lot of them and they just go on too long. He never seemed to be able to cut anything out and the 20 minute weird halted chase of Molly O is more annoying then anything Lloyd ever did. Admittedly it has the kitsch factor taking place in a zeppelin...but still it really takes away from the whole film. He should have ended it right after the bedroom scene much like Harold should have ended Girl Shy differently. Mickey had 3 chases (her relatives chasing her train, the horse race, and the final rapey race) all of which weren't funny but at least ended when they should have.

The saddest thing about Mabel is had she been healthier I think she could have eventually given even Buster a run for his money. It's quite a shame.

The Rest

Sadly I have not seen enough of the other men's films to rank them. I'm quite sure Fatty Arbuckle deserves a spot on that list...after all he discovered Buster Keaton! Charley Chase is quite possibly the only comedian who made chases that I enjoyed but I haven't seen any of his features. Raymond Griffith acted with Mabel but I am not very familiar with the rest of his work. Marion Davies might deserve a nod below him as well, though I have yet to see what is considered her best work. I also think Mary Pickford deserves a nod, though she wasn't strictly a comedienne her comedic bits are fantastic.