A rare opportunity to see two of the twentieth-century's greatest comedians side by side. Harry Lauder was a stage vaudevillian whose world renown at its peak rivaled that of Charlie Chaplin's, although his success was mostly limited to music hall venues. In this short film, Lauder joined Chaplin for a couple of skits, including a mimicry of each other's well-known gait. This eight-minute short was part of an unfinished fund-raising project for injured soldiers during the war effort.
There are more frames to this footage too. See the PBS series American Masters, "Unknown Chaplin" which aired several years ago, hosted by Joanne Woodward and narrated by James Mason.
fortbruce 3 months ago
Fascinating. 2 masters of comic timing with Chaplin leavening the slapstick with some melodramatic moves. Wish I could lip-read to know what they were saying.
pierstheoneandonly 3 months ago