I had no fewer than FIVE show biz people I might have written about today, and got perhaps a third of the way though a post on one of them, but it has been like pulling teeth. When that happens, I listen to the universe: what am I MEANT to do today? I think I know. For it is also the birthday of Fred Karno, as well as the release date of the films Cruel, Cruel Love (1914), and Harry Langdon’s Long Pants (1927)…AND my two disk set of Accidentally Preserved, Volume 5 arrived in my mailbox yesterday. See links for my reviews of Volume One, Volume Two, and Volume Four. I’m not sure why I skipped Volume Three, but you can get it here. Review it your own damn self!
The theme of the new one is that the four preserved films are all from the collections of San Francisco based Dr. Jon Mirsalis, a preservationist and silent film accompanist especially known for his work on Lon Chaney (he created the internet’s oldest and largest Lon Chaney website and co-produced Undercrank’s two Lon Chaney releases (here and here). The films in the current selection are a bit more random, but will still be of interest to the intrepid seeker of new (old) screen experiences. Comedy lovers will be most interested in Mack Sennett’s1928 two-reeler Love at First Flight, with Lige Conley, Daphne Pollard, Madeline Hurlock, Andy Clyde, and Pussums the Cat!
We continue the theme of felines with Lorraine of the Lions (1925) which stars Patsy Ruth Miller as a circus performer stranded on an island with a gorilla named Bimi and a bunch of big cats who raise the girl as one of their own, Tarzan style. If that’s not zoological enough there’s the western Hoofbeats of Vengeance (1929) starring Rex the Wonder Horse! It’s topped off by Emory Johnson’s melodrama The Fourth Commandment (1927) starring Belle Bennett. (The Fourth Commandment — that’s that tedious and misguided one about “Honor your father and mother.” Tell it to the Manson children!)
Anyway, if you like the sound of this very special set, come to Surf Vaudeville at Coney Island USA on April 27. Copies will be among the door prizes for lucky winners! If ya just can’t wait, here’s more on info on the product and how to get it; its official release date is April 9.
For more on silent movies please see Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube, soon coming out on audiobook!
(Travalanche) 
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