Griffith Observatory
Carrying on with the Raymond Griffith love — he’s the subject of this week’s edition of The Forgotten.
Meanwhile, here he is in THE NIGHT CLUB (accidentally posted yesterday — you can now go back to yesterday’s post and see a clip from HANDS UP! as originally intended).
In this sequence, Ray has just been jilted at the altar — but some good news soon shakes him from his gloom. Enjoy this masterclass in childish silliness, as the great comic is hit with many emotions at once and doesn’t know what to do with his hands (in reality, the comic is, needless to say, in complete control) — I particularly like the segue from man-of-the-world dirty joke mode to three-year-old coming over all bashful. He packs a lot in to this moment, and it’s ALL hilarious.
shadowplay 
March 10, 2011 at 2:43 pm
That clip was great. particularly impressive was how little was needed to create our response. A couple of ideas, some sidelong glances and Griffith’s shifting emotional state and concomitant physical reactions all without moving more than a few inches to or fro. Excellent stuff David. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
March 10, 2011 at 3:02 pm
You’re welcome! While the bulk of the silent era is underappreciated, it’s still amazing to me that somebody as funny as this can be so forgotten.
March 10, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Yep..Its time these got some long neglected recognition ..The clips have been fresh and original..You can tell its been awhile since these were dealt with by those Vic Mizzy style music cues… :o))
March 10, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Yes, the scoring in The Night Club is a bit obtrusive. I may have just found a source for Miss Bluebeard, in which Ray supports Bebe Daniels — hope I can get it!
March 11, 2011 at 12:35 am
I kinda like the music in a sort of nostalgia for 1960ish robert youngson nostalgia for fractured flicker days.
He kinda looks like Charlie Chase at a glance…like Chase,it would be nice to see this guy get a second chance at another look by one and all interested in silent film.
March 11, 2011 at 1:21 am
What else can we do to promote him?
March 11, 2011 at 3:29 am
I don’t know, really. The silent aficionados are well acquainted with him, and he’s something of a polarizing figure among them (In one of the silent comedy forums I’m a member of, in one thread an argument occurred over whether he was funny at all). If they can’t agree, I don’t see how he’ll ever get more notice by a wider audience. I like disreputable characters myself, so I can see liking Griffith even though I’ve only seen one of his films. Oh, and according to information gleaned from that thread, there are 10 shorts and 16 features in which he appears that are not lost. though some of his appearances in the features are uncredited or small.
March 11, 2011 at 6:22 am
Theres a tremendous amount of film sites and blogs in cyber space largely run by and and or frequented by fans of classics that are anywhere from 14-54 years of age and on that some of these things are new…Keaton did get full recognition till the 60s and still goes on strong as newer people find ways to perfect his films and sell his image..
March 11, 2011 at 1:37 pm
26 films! And I’ve seen six. Something to look forward to.
I’m not necessarily talking about fame, Keaton or Chaplin style. But I figure he should be up there with Langdon, at least some of whose work is commercially available. A single comedy feature with a couple of shorts would both raise awareness and create a demand for more, I feel.