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When Comedy Was King

  • 1960
  • Approved
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
385
YOUR RATING
Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Wallace Beery, Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Charley Chase, Edgar Kennedy, Keystone Cops, Stan Laurel, Mabel Normand, Gloria Swanson, Ben Turpin, and The Sennett Girls in When Comedy Was King (1960)
ComedyDocumentaryHistory

A feature-length documentary devoted to the great clowns of silent comedy.A feature-length documentary devoted to the great clowns of silent comedy.A feature-length documentary devoted to the great clowns of silent comedy.

  • Director
    • Robert Youngson
  • Writer
    • Robert Youngson
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Buster Keaton
    • Oliver Hardy
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    385
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Robert Youngson
    • Writer
      • Robert Youngson
    • Stars
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Buster Keaton
      • Oliver Hardy
    • 11User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos1

    View Poster

    Top Cast47

    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • Self - edited from 'His Trysting Place, ' 'The Masqurader, ' and 'Kid Auto at Venice.'
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Charlie Chaplin)
    Buster Keaton
    Buster Keaton
    • Self - edited from 'Cops'
    • (archive footage)
    Oliver Hardy
    Oliver Hardy
    • Self - edited from 'Big Business'
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Hardy)
    Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
    Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle
    • Self - edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift'
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Fatty Arbuckle)
    Wallace Beery
    Wallace Beery
    • Self - Henry Black
    • (archive footage)
    Charley Chase
    Charley Chase
    • Self - edited from 'Movie Night'
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Charlie Chase)
    Edgar Kennedy
    Edgar Kennedy
    • Self - edited from 'A Pair of Tights'
    • (archive footage)
    Keystone Cops
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as The Keystone Cops)
    Harry Langdon
    Harry Langdon
    • Self - edited from 'The First 100 Years'
    • (archive footage)
    Stan Laurel
    Stan Laurel
    • Self - edited from 'Big Business'
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Laurel)
    Mabel Normand
    Mabel Normand
    • Self - edited from 'Fatty & Mabel Adrift'
    • (archive footage)
    The Sennett Girls
    • Self - edited from 'Yukon Jake'
    • (archive footage)
    Gloria Swanson
    Gloria Swanson
    • Self - Gloria Dawn - Bobby's Sweetheart
    • (archive footage)
    Ben Turpin
    Ben Turpin
    • Self - edited from 'Yukon Jake'
    • (archive footage)
    Billy Bevan
    Billy Bevan
    • Self - edited from 'Super Duper Dyne Lizzies, ' 'The Lion's Whiskers, ' 'Wall Street Blues, ' and' Wandering Willies'
    • (archive footage)
    Andy Clyde
    Andy Clyde
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Chester Conklin
    Chester Conklin
    • Self - edited from 'The Masquerader'
    • (archive footage)
    Vernon Dent
    Vernon Dent
    • Self - edited from 'Wall Street Blues'
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Robert Youngson
    • Writer
      • Robert Youngson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    7.4385
    1
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    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
    Documentary
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    History

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      One of the glaring omissions from this film is the absence of Harold Lloyd. Despite being good friends with Director Robert Youngson, Lloyd did not permit Youngson to use his films. Lloyd owned the copyright to most of his films and produced his own compilations.
    • Goofs
      At one point, narrator Dwight Weist remarks that a quarter century has passed since the death of Harry Langdon. In fact, he died in December of 1944, just over 15 years before this film was released.
    • Quotes
      • Narrator: [Last lines] So ends our visit to the era of the great silent clowns who mass-produced laughter and sold happiness and who passed into oblivian just before the years when the world needed them the most.
    • Connections
      Edited from Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
    • Soundtracks
      Dance of the Cuckoos
      Music by Marvin Hatley

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    Details

    • Release date
      • March 29, 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Instagram
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Als Lachen Trumpf war
    • Production company
      • Robert Youngson Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 1h 21m(81 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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