To kick off a new series on the history of American comedy films, Alex and Jonathan travel back to the early days of cinema and look at the physical comedy of the early film clowns in Safety Last! (1923), City Lights (1931), and Duck Soup (1933). We discuss the transition from live performances in theater and vaudeville to the movies, how Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin helped to incorporate character development into comedy films, and how the Marx brothers blended physical and verbal comedy which set the stage for the new era of sound comedy.
Also on Apple Podcasts
Skip to:
- (9:20) – Safety Last!
- (24:33) – City Lights
- (40:35) – Duck Soup
- (59:01) – Overall
- (1:05:44) – Coming Attractions
Resources referenced in this episode:
- WATCH: Safety Last! on YouTube
- READ: Conversations at the AFI: The Golden Age
- WATCH: City Lights on YouTube
- WATCH: Duck Soup on Internet Archive
- WATCH: 4’33” on YouTube
- Relate previous episodes:
- Further watching:
- Hundreds of Beavers (2023)
Coming Attractions – The Screwballs
- Trouble in Paradise (1932)
- His Girl Friday (1940)
- Some Like It Hot (1959)
Intro/outro music:
Ash by Mike Braudrick
Receive new episodes directly:
The Filmlings 