Today marks the anniversary of the release date of the Keystone comedy Between Showers. This funny silent comedy short is one of only a couple where two of my favorite comedy stars Charlie Chaplin and Ford Sterling can be seen side by side, literally duking it out. (Sterling was about to leave the studio; Chaplin had just come on.) The two men squabble over who gets to help a young lady over a mud puddle. To settle the dispute, we have Keystone Kop Chester Conklin, who isn’t very helpful. I guess the title is supposed to imply that it has recently rained, but it also suggests to me that Charlie hasn’t bathed recently.
For more on silent and slapstick comedy don’t miss my new book: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, just released by Bear Manor Media, also available from amazon.com etc etc etc
To learn more about show biz history, consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever nutty books are sold.
