I wish I knew more about this movie. I'd never even heard of 'Character Studies' until just today, when it was screened at a silent comedy tribute to Roscoe Arbuckle, but aside from seeing it once I know nothing about it or the circumstances under which it was made. Having seen it, I can attest that it's a fascinating treat for silent film buffs, and I'm glad it survives.
This is a six-minute vignette featuring six legendary screen stars of the 1920s, each playing himself. The set-up is simple: vaudeville performer Carter DeHaven steps out onto a stage and announces that he will now impersonate several famous movie stars, starting with Buster Keaton. DeHaven then steps behind a sort of combination makeup table/lectern where he keeps several costumes, hats, wigs, etc. for his act, and begins dressing as Buster. As he bends over to pull on an appropriate wig his face disappears from view. His hand reaches for the familiar pork-pie hat, he straightens up -- and we're looking at Buster Keaton! He poses for us, turning solemnly one way, then the other, and there's no mistake about it, this is Buster himself in his youthful prime. He turns away from the camera again, pulls off the hat and wig, and we're once more looking at Carter DeHaven, who announces that his next impersonation will be Harold Lloyd. He dons a new wig, puts on glasses, bends over behind the podium for a moment, straightens up -- and presto! It's Harold Lloyd! The joke here, in case I'm not being clear about it, is that Carter DeHaven wasn't actually impersonating anyone, his "act" was accomplished through camera trickery and was simply an excuse for these stars to contribute brief cameos to a short film that seems to have been intended as a pleasant hoax.
At any rate, after Harold takes his bow, we're treated to glimpses of Roscoe Arbuckle, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks, the last of whom is dressed in full Robin Hood regalia. Doug makes the flashiest appearance of all, actually leaping over the podium at the camera, then splaying out his arms and gesticulating wildly in an amiable self-parody of his acting style. For the grand finale, just in case any viewers might still be in the dark about the authenticity of what they're seeing, Mr. DeHaven shrinks several inches for his "impersonation" of child star Jackie Coogan, dressed approximately as he was in The Kid. Jackie bows, and the film is over.
All I know about Carter DeHaven is that he was a stage and film actor and occasional director, who later served as Charlie Chaplin's assistant director on Modern Times and The Great Dictator; he was also the father of actress Gloria DeHaven. Beyond that, well, it's safe to say that when it comes to Hollywood's upper echelon, the guy was pretty well connected!
P.S. August 2005: Since writing this piece I've seen Character Studies again and learned more about it. The film is now available on DVD as part of an excellent set entitled "The Forgotten Films of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle," with an optional commentary track delivered by film historian Richard M. Roberts. According to Mr. Roberts, a number of clues suggest that the film was made early in 1925 for a private screening at a party in honor of Charlie Chaplin -- the one male star of the period who is most conspicuous by his absence. Clues pointing to the year include the jig danced by Harold Lloyd, direct from his 1925 comedy The Freshman, the reduced girth of Roscoe Arbuckle (who lost a lot of weight in the mid-'20s, after the scandal that drove him from the screen), and the size of child star Jackie Coogan, who appears to be around 10 years old here. After the party screening the film was eventually released to regular theaters later in the '20s, possibly after the removal of footage featuring Arbuckle, whose reputation was still under a cloud. In any event, it's great that the complete and unedited version of this intriguing novelty item is now widely available.
This is a six-minute vignette featuring six legendary screen stars of the 1920s, each playing himself. The set-up is simple: vaudeville performer Carter DeHaven steps out onto a stage and announces that he will now impersonate several famous movie stars, starting with Buster Keaton. DeHaven then steps behind a sort of combination makeup table/lectern where he keeps several costumes, hats, wigs, etc. for his act, and begins dressing as Buster. As he bends over to pull on an appropriate wig his face disappears from view. His hand reaches for the familiar pork-pie hat, he straightens up -- and we're looking at Buster Keaton! He poses for us, turning solemnly one way, then the other, and there's no mistake about it, this is Buster himself in his youthful prime. He turns away from the camera again, pulls off the hat and wig, and we're once more looking at Carter DeHaven, who announces that his next impersonation will be Harold Lloyd. He dons a new wig, puts on glasses, bends over behind the podium for a moment, straightens up -- and presto! It's Harold Lloyd! The joke here, in case I'm not being clear about it, is that Carter DeHaven wasn't actually impersonating anyone, his "act" was accomplished through camera trickery and was simply an excuse for these stars to contribute brief cameos to a short film that seems to have been intended as a pleasant hoax.
At any rate, after Harold takes his bow, we're treated to glimpses of Roscoe Arbuckle, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks, the last of whom is dressed in full Robin Hood regalia. Doug makes the flashiest appearance of all, actually leaping over the podium at the camera, then splaying out his arms and gesticulating wildly in an amiable self-parody of his acting style. For the grand finale, just in case any viewers might still be in the dark about the authenticity of what they're seeing, Mr. DeHaven shrinks several inches for his "impersonation" of child star Jackie Coogan, dressed approximately as he was in The Kid. Jackie bows, and the film is over.
All I know about Carter DeHaven is that he was a stage and film actor and occasional director, who later served as Charlie Chaplin's assistant director on Modern Times and The Great Dictator; he was also the father of actress Gloria DeHaven. Beyond that, well, it's safe to say that when it comes to Hollywood's upper echelon, the guy was pretty well connected!
P.S. August 2005: Since writing this piece I've seen Character Studies again and learned more about it. The film is now available on DVD as part of an excellent set entitled "The Forgotten Films of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle," with an optional commentary track delivered by film historian Richard M. Roberts. According to Mr. Roberts, a number of clues suggest that the film was made early in 1925 for a private screening at a party in honor of Charlie Chaplin -- the one male star of the period who is most conspicuous by his absence. Clues pointing to the year include the jig danced by Harold Lloyd, direct from his 1925 comedy The Freshman, the reduced girth of Roscoe Arbuckle (who lost a lot of weight in the mid-'20s, after the scandal that drove him from the screen), and the size of child star Jackie Coogan, who appears to be around 10 years old here. After the party screening the film was eventually released to regular theaters later in the '20s, possibly after the removal of footage featuring Arbuckle, whose reputation was still under a cloud. In any event, it's great that the complete and unedited version of this intriguing novelty item is now widely available.