Happy Birthday, Charles Reisner! Born today in 1887 as Charles Francis Reisner (also frequently billed as "Riesner"), this German-American actor and film director of the 1920s and 1930s had made over sixty films between 1920 and 1950 and acted in over twenty films between 1916 and 1929.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota Reisner, years later, started his professional life as a prizefighter. He performed in vaudeville for ten years and eventually wound up writing lyrics for musical comedy on Broadway.
After a spell under the auspices of American theatre director Charles B. Dillingham, Reisner moved to California in 1915, finding a job as an actor in one-reel comedies at Universal Studios.
He added further credentials to his resume at Vitagraph before his arrival at Keystone, where he made the acquaintance of Charlie Chaplin.
Before long his innate ability to devise intricate visual sight gags got him involved as a gag writer (as well as occasional bit part actor) in classic Chaplin comedies at First National.
This included 'A Dog's Life' (1918), and as an alley bully in 'The Kid' (1921).
His collaboration with the famous comic ended with 'The Gold Rush' (1925), for which Reisner was credited as assistant director.
Moving on to Warner Brothers, he directed Chaplin's brother Syd Chaplin in 'The Man on the Box' (1925), 'Oh! What a Nurse!' (1926) and 'The Better 'Ole' (1926).
Two years later, Reisner directed the film of which he is best known. This was the 1928 American silent black and white comedy film 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.'.
It starred Buster Keaton, of whom also co-directed. However, he went uncredited. In the opening credits, Reisner is credited as Chas F. Reisner.
The film was released by United Artists, and was the final product of Keaton's independent production team and set of gag writers.
Afterwards, Keaton ended up moving to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he made one last film in his trademark style, 'The Cameraman' (1928), before his creative control was taken away by the studio.
'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' had been named after American baritone Arthur Collins's popular 1911 recording of the 1910 song "Steamboat Bill". The film also featured Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, and Tom Lewis.
'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' is known for what might be considered Keaton's most famous film stunt: The facade of an entire house falls on top of him while he stands in the perfect spot to pass through the open attic window instead of being flattened.
The film used many of the old sight gags from bygone days of vaudeville comedy. Alas, it failed at the box office and proved to be Keaton's last film for his own production company.
Keaton originally budgeted $300,000 for "Steamboat Bill, Jr.," but cost overruns pushed it over $400,000.
A distribution deal with United Artists, owned by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, meant that his film faced the same financial wreckage as his masterpiece, 'The General' (1926).
Since United Artists had only limited screening options, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' would only earn $358,000 domestically.
Despite this, the film had inspired the title of Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie (1928), which was released six months later. It is considered the debut of Mickey Mouse.
During the late 1920s, through the 1940s, Reisner was under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During this time,
Two years later, Reisner directed the 1930 American Pre-Code black and white musical/comedy romance film 'Chasing Rainbows'. Also known as 'The Road Show', it starred Bessie Love and Charles King.
In the early 1940s, Reisner directed the Marx Brothers in the hilarious but underrated1941 American black and white comedy/musical film 'The Big Store'. This was last film that the Marx Brothers' did with MGM.
During the 1930s, Reisner made occasional forays into mystery and crime drama with minor entries like 'Sophie Lang Goes West' (1937). However, Reisner was always more comfortable directing the screen's zaniest comedians.
From the Marx Brothers, this also included directing Jack Benny in 'It's in the Air' (1935) to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello who were 'Lost in a Harem' (1944) to Joan Davis in one of the screen's last full-on slapstick farces, 'The Traveling Saleswoman' (1950).
Reisner passed from a heart attack in La Jolla, San Diego, California on September 24, 1962. He was 75.
Over time, the famous falling house stunt from 'Steamboat Bill, Jr'. has been re-created several times on film and television (although with lighter materials and more contemporary safety measures in place).
Most notably, this includes Jackie Chan's 'Project A Part II' (1987),"Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 music video Amish Paradise, and the 2004 Arrested Development episode "The One Where They Build a House" (performed by the show's neurotic character Byron "Buster" Bluth [Tony Hale]).
In 2016, 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
In late September this year, a short-film-cinematic style, sixty-second television spot will use references to the black-and-white, silent-film genre to highlight the very colorful and loud new 2021 Acura TLX.
Set against the backdrop of Betty Hutton’s “It’s Oh So Quiet", the commercial will depict the incursion of an Apex Blue Pearl-colored TLX Type S into a number of classic silent-film scenarios.
This ranges from Safety Last, (the 1923 silent film in which Harold Lloyd appears to dangle from the hand of a big clock on a skyscraper as traffic continues heedlessly below), to a Nell-tied-to-the-railroad-tracks scene.
Acura TLX, of course — with its breakneck acceleration, athletic handling, advanced automatic safety systems and so on — saves the day.
It comes to a stop at the frontside of a barn. The side then falls forward, only for the luxury vehicle to be saved from a large, conveniently open rectangular window.
This, of course, is a nod to the climactic hurricane scene in 'Steamboat Bill, Jr.'.
Nicknamed Chuck, Reisner had been active from 1916–1950.
#borntoact
#borntodirect
#WikiZero
@libraryofcongress
@tcm
@peoplepill
@letterboxd
@Amazon
@Acura
No comments:
Post a Comment