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Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Postage Due

Scenes from POSTAGE DUE (1924)
Moving Picture World, 16 Feb 1924, p. 589

1924 silent film comedy where James Finlayson plays the part of a United States Postal Inspector.

With Stan Laurel, Ena Gregory and George Rowe. Hal Roach comedy two-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 17 Feb 1924.

Sources: Motion Picture News Booking Guide, Vol. VI, April 1924, p. 83; ‘Postage Due’ – Pathe, Exhibitor’s Trade Review, 16 Feb 1924, p. 32; ‘Postage Due’ (Pathe – Two Reels), Motion Picture News, 16 Feb 1924, p. 756.

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

A Man About Town

Store detective James Finlayson hides from suspected shoplifter Stan Laurel
Scene from A MAN ABOUT TOWN (1923)
1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as Hunko, a store detective.

With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. Hal Roach comedy one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 16 Sep 1923.

A conductor tells Stan Laurel to follow a girl to be sure of transferring to the right car. Stan follows the wrong lady, who leads him into a lot of trouble. He is taken for a shoplifter but manages to evade the police. When he imagines he has at last caught the right car, he finds himself on the police wagon. This single-reeler is satisfactory entertainment.

Source: Exhibitor’s Trade Review, 15 Sep 1923, p. 716.


Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Near Dublin

James Finlayson smashes a chair on Stan Laurel's head
Scene from NEAR DUBLIN (1924)
1924 silent film comedy where James Finlayson plays the part of Sean O’Hare [a pun on shorn of hair], brick merchant.

With Stan Laurel and Ena Gregory. Hal Roach comedy two-reeler. Directed by Ralph Ceder. Distributed by Pathé. Released 11 May 1924.

Sources: Motion Picture News Vol. XXX No. 17 Booking Guide Section, 25 Oct 1924, p. 69; The Film Daily, 4 May 1924, p. 12; Moving Picture World, 10 May 1924, p. 226.

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Pick and Shovel

Katherine Grant, Stan Laurel and James Finlayson in a publicity shot for PICK AND SHOVEL (1923)
Source: Exhibitors Trade Review, 16 Jun 1923, p. 102

1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as the foreman in a coal mine.

With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. All three main characters essentially reprise their roles from THE NOON WHISTLE. Hal Roach one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 17 Jun 1923.

Scenes from PICK AND SHOVEL (1923)
Source: Motion Picture News, 7 Jul 1923, p. 76


Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

The Noon Whistle

James Finlayson and Stan Laurel in THE NOON WHISTLE (1923)
Source: Exhibitors Trade Review, 5 May 1923

1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as T. O’Hallahan, the foreman in a sawmill.

With Stan Laurel and Katherine Grant. Hal Roach comedy one-reeler. Directed by George Jeske. Distributed by Pathé. Released 29 Apr 1923.

Notable as the first Hal Roach film to feature Stan Laurel as a star.

Stan Laurel starts as star in Hal Roach one-reel comedy, NOON WHISTLE
Source: Motion Picture News, 28 Apr 1923


Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

A Tough Winter

1923 silent film comedy where James Finlayson plays the part of the hard-hearted landlord. Watch James fall through the ice at the end of the YouTube clip below.

Starring Snub Pollard with Marie Mosquini. A Hal Roach comedy two-reeler, the film parodied the 1922 documentary NANOOK OF THE NORTH. Directed by Charley Chase. Distributed by Pathé. Released 4 Feb 1923.

Sources: Motion Picture News, 3 Feb 1923; The Film Daily, 23 Jan 1923; The Charley Chase Filmography, The World of Charley Chase.

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Roughest Africa

James Finlayson in ROUGHEST AFRICA (1923)1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as ‘Lieut. Hans Downe’.
Starring Stan Laurel as ‘Prof. Stanislaus Laurello’ and also briefly featuring Katherine Grant as ‘Mrs. Laurello’. Directed by Ralph Ceder. Produced by Hal Roach. Released 30 Sep 1923.

James Finlayson in ROUGHEST AFRICA (1923)The film was a burlesque of the jungle adventure documentaries by Martin and Osa Johnson (e.g. 1921’s TRAILING AFRICAN WILD ANIMALS) and H.A. Snow (e.g. 1922’s HUNTING BIG GAME IN AFRICA WITH GUN AND CAMERA). It was the first in a series of such spoofs partnering James with Stan, the second being FROZEN HEARTS and the third being THE SOILERS.

Source: Tullar's Weekly, 5 May 1924, p. 3
Source: Tullar’s Weekly, 5 May 1924, p. 3
Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Short Kilts

James Finlayson in Short Kilts

1924 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as ‘McGregor’s son’.
Starring Stan Laurel. Directed by George Jeske. Produced by Hal Roach. Distributed by Pathé. Released 3 Aug 1924.

You’d have thought they’d cast someone older to play his father – or got him to wear a wig!

Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Raggedy Rose

James Finlayson in Raggedy Rose

1926 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as the butler ‘Simpson Sniffle’.
Starring Mabel Normand. Directed by Richard Wallace in collaboration with Stan Laurel (under F. Richard Jones supervision). Produced by Hal Roach.

Review of Raggedy Rose in Motion Picture News
Motion Picture News, 6 Nov 1926, p. 1779
Categories
Comedy Film Hollywood Silent Film

Sold at Auction!

1923 silent film comedy with James Finlayson as Sylvester Finkelbuster, Chief of Police, aka ‘The Man Who WAS Sold’.
Starring Snub Pollard. Directed by Charles Parrott (aka Charley Chase). Produced by Hal Roach. Distributed by Pathé. Released 27 May 1923.

Source: Motion Picture News, 26 May 1923.