Tweet The Al Joy-less street

I've encountered Al Joy's name here and abouts in comedy discussions on Nitrateville and elsewhere, and reactions to him are just about unanimously negative. The awfulness of his films seems to be almost zen-like, and that makes me all the more eager to see them. For those more knowledgeable about him, what about Al's performances, or his films in general, is so ghastly? Enquiring minds, &c.

-HA

Found in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. Widen that grin a little and Al could've played....well, probably not.

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I've encountered Al Joy's name here and abouts in comedy discussions on Nitrateville and elsewhere, and reactions to him are just about unanimously negative. The awfulness of his films seems to be almost zen-like, and that makes me all the more eager to see them. For those more knowledgeable about him, what about Al's performances, or his films in general, is so ghastly? Enquiring minds, &c.

-HA

Al Joy is indeed what you'd get if you crossed the genetics of Harry Langdon with Conrad Veidt, ending up with the inherited comedy chops of Conrad Veidt.

Joy obviously saw Langdon and heard that Langdon does very little and gets laughs, so to top him, Joy does NOTHING.

Seriously, nothing, and gets no laughs. His supporting players may get laughs, but not Al.

In my will, my final revenge on the World is to pay for the preservation of Joy's short, THE HELPLESS HELPER, which survives in a PRISTINE 35mm nitrate at UCLA,most likely due to its never having been run until our group, now known as the Al Joy Fan Club, discovered it, so it will survive to be not run again for eternity.

We actually made new potential members of the Al Joy Fan Club watch it as their right of passage, some could not make it and ran screaming. We finally sprang it on an unsuspecting Slapsticon audience just to make Bob Lipton regret he had requested it, and though he tries to claim he didn't think it was that bad, notice how he shakes and twitches as he says it.

Joy does however have the best-named supporting heavy in THE HELPLESS HELPER: Mack Flucker. Insert your own jokes here.


Out of the Silent Comedy Mafia's official list of the 4,367 Kings of Comedy Geniuses, Joy is 4,367th.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

I thought he was 4368th in your listing, Richard.

Although I have only seen one Al Joy picture, what impressed me was that he not only did nothing funny, he did nothing that would strike anyone as funny. I hate the Three Stooges, but acknowledge they do some things that are supposed to be funny. Even more so with Ham & Bud. Even the Dogville comedies, with their animals undergoing mild tortures and clearly, at best, uncomfortable, are bizarre lampoons of tableaux vivantes and so possess some technical humor. But Al Joy did nothing funny. He did nothing that looked like it was supposed to be funny. It was like listening to Jimmy Stewart sing.

Technically, that makes him rank with a lot of 1970s tv sitcoms or even better, since there's no laugh track and you can nap. There is one thing that enrages every lover of filmed silent comedy: the prints are in perfect condition. The distributors had no interest in distributing them, so back they went into the vault, to turn up seventy years later in pristine condition. HATS OFF is gone. Most of Lloyd Hamilton is gone and what is left is often in terrible shape, but Al Joy is doing fine. I understand that there is research being done into the possibility of sacrificing all the Al Joy in the UCLA vaults in the hope that a previously undiscovered Max Linder fragment will turn up in Ittoqqortoormiit, or just for the sheer, hysterical joy of it.

Bob

Hats Off ..... nowhere to be found.
London After Midnight .... gone.
Virtually every Montgomery & Rock comedy save one ..... dust in the wind.

Yet UCLA does not have one but TWO prints of THE HELPLESS HELPER, and only to pile on it appears that LC also has a print!!

Sometimes film preservation is a cruel and sadistic business!!

Rob

WOW, after reading such universally condemnatory musings, I gotta see me some Al Joy!

I thought he was 4368th in your listing, Richard.
Even the Dogville comedies, with their animals undergoing mild tortures and clearly, at best, uncomfortable, are bizarre lampoons of tableaux vivantes and so possess some technical humor.
Bob

Why does the expression "technical humor" strike me as one of the world's great oxymorons?

I've survived screenings of two of the ironically named Mr. Joy's films (THE HELPLESS HELPER and SPOOKY MONEY), and while I'm usually a firm believer in seeing every available silent comedy possible (in order to know the good, bad and indifferent) I wouldn't mind having those 30 minutes back to do something more enjoyable like having a root canal or a ureteroscopy.

I've survived screenings of two of the ironically named Mr. Joy's films (THE HELPLESS HELPER and SPOOKY MONEY), and while I'm usually a firm believer in seeing every available silent comedy possible (in order to know the good, bad and indifferent) I wouldn't mind having those 30 minutes back to do something more enjoyable like having a root canal or a ureteroscopy.

No Steve, you needed to see those two films, because now your true sense of comedy is completely calibrated. You have stared deep into the maw of Comedy Hell, and now know the real depths of horror. This is how you become a permanent part of the Cosa Nostra of the Silent Comedy Mafia, the Al Joy Fan Club.

This is why when I hear someone say something like "Oh, Larry Semon's THE WIZARD OF OZ is the worst movie I've ever seen, it ruined my life",I merely chuckle at their naievete'. The fools, they haven't even pushed the button on the elevator that takes you to the Ground Floor of the Underworld. They haven't even scraped the icing off the Blue Velvet cake of Humor Horrors.

And now that you've stared into the face of the Medusa and lived to tell the tale, you can indeed begin to see the subtle differences of the comic styles of Billy Franey and MIlburn Morante. You realize just how good Jimmy Aubrey can be given the right circumstances. You can watch Ham and Bud grind puppies up into sausages and laugh your head off in hilarity! You hit lower than rock bottom, now everything from there on is a step up. You can truly judge the whole Comedy Film Industry with open eyes, and watch virtually anything else ever put on celluloid because no matter how Carl Dreyerish it can get, a little voice in the back of your head will say "It ain't Al Joy", and things begin to brighten immeasurably.

Of course there are numerous Al Joy prints surviving in pristine perpetuity, you can't destroy evil in the world, you can merely face it and know it for what it is, but you are a stronger fellow for it when you do.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

Seriously. I wanna see this stuff.


Jim

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

No.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Keeping all the Joy for yourself, eh? Or is it an act of purest altruism on your part, sparing us the horrors of unspeakable anti-comedy?

By the by, here's a link to Mr. Enots' swell blog, which I just now stumbled across...

http://www.aljoyfanclub.blogspot.com

Man, I wanna see THE CAT'S WHISKERS (1925, and NOT an Al Joy film)! I tried adding Thelma Hill to the cast list at IMDB, but I don't know if they'll believe me.

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

No.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

Best response ever.

Hey, I know where you guys can discover a whole cache load of lost Al Joy films!

Don't all respond to me in private at once.

Richard won't let us see any more Al Joy until we've looked at all of Ham & Bud.

Bob

Richard won't let us see any more Al Joy until we've looked at all of Ham & Bud.

And what's wrong with that??

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

No.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

A clip, then? As a New Year's present? What better way to start a new year than to watch Al Joy?

Jim

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

No.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

A clip, then? As a New Year's present? What better way to start a new year than to watch Al Joy?

Jim

Aw, come on, Richard -- this thread has piqued my interest. too. Let Joy be unconfined.

May I suggest you name your group The Al Joy (Bad) Luck Club?

(OK, officer, I'll go quietly...)

Too bad an Al Joy Blu-ray set wasn't released last month as a holiday tie-in; it could have been titled JOY TO THE WORLD: The Funny Film Frolics Of Al Joy, Master Of Merry Mirth. The cover image would be the picture in the first post photoshopped with a nice festive Santa Claus hat, surrounded by stars containing the familiar whimsical faces of the other featured players in the classic Al Joy comedies. This set could then of course be repackaged and retitled A Bundle Of Joy for year-round sales purposes. The cover image of this repackaging would be the picture of Al photoshopped into a baby bonnet and blanket.

Extras would include:

A new documentary on the life and work of Al Joy, titled The Joy Of Al, featuring generous vintage film clips and talking head interviews with Steve Massa, Paul Gierucki, Richard M. Roberts, Kevin Brownlow, Martin Scorsese, Richard Schickel and Joe Franklin.

Audio commentaries for every film by the above-named luminaries and Carrot Top.

A slideshow of Joe Franklin's legendary collection of Al Joy memorabilia, with optional commentary by Joe.

And finally, to round out the package, an Al Joy coloring book for the kiddies.

Okay, Richard, bring it on. Hit us with a complete set of all extant Al Joy "comedies". Glenn Mitchell reports there are 12 two-reelers, but he seems a bit hazy on all points Joyful, so just give us whatever you've got, and all of it.

No.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

A clip, then? As a New Year's present? What better way to start a new year than to watch Al Joy?

Jim

Aw, come on, Richard -- this thread has piqued my interest. too. Let Joy be unconfined.

Is it the N or the O that you guys aren't getting?


RICHARD M ROBERTS

What...where were you guys when this came out? This deluxe dvd features all 4 extent prints of Helpless Helper..I bought a whole stack of them and gave them out as Xmas gifts a few years ago.......BUT not to worry I heard the cries and have been working with Ben Model to (as he so aptly spoke) bring "Joy to the world"

Hilarious!

What...where were you guys when this came out? This deluxe dvd features all 4 extent prints of Helpless Helper..I bought a whole stack of them and gave them out as Xmas gifts a few years ago.......BUT not to worry I heard the cries and have been working with Ben Model to (as he so aptly spoke) bring "Joy to the world"

That's a nice DVD set, and I only regret that I wasn't asked to participate. I thought that the transfer speed on the first two prints was a trifle fast to truly appreciate the humor. We shouldn't forget that, just as Tom Mix promoted a breakfast cereal and Buster Brown promoted shoes, the "Joy" dishwashing liquid can still be purchased today. And like other stars whose names made it into the common lexicon, "Valentino" for lovers, "Chaplinesque" for egocentric movie directors, and "Stroheiming" for budget overruns; Al's very name is still in common usage in parts of the English speaking word as a term indicative of pleasure and happiness.

Rodney, from what I understand the issue was that there wasn't room in the budget to bring the Mont Alto on board to score this, even though the original score by Ernst Luz survives. Apparently, after hiring Tom Green to do the commentary track, as it was essential to have a contemporary comedian who is equally unfunny to do this task, there was no money left for musical accompaniment.

Rodney, from what I understand the issue was that there wasn't room in the budget to bring the Mont Alto on board to score this, even though the original score by Ernst Luz survives. Apparently, after hiring Tom Green to do the commentary track, as it was essential to have a contemporary comedian who is equally unfunny to do this task, there was no money left for musical accompaniment.

No, it was a conscious decision on the part of the Producers of the DVD, going along the lines of Henri Langois theory that silent films should be viewed silent, and knowing that there would also be no laughter getting in the way of the silence, it would be a pure Langois experience.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

No, it was a conscious decision on the part of the Producers of the DVD, going along the lines of Henri Langois theory that silent films should be viewed silent, and knowing that there would also be no laughter getting in the way of the silence, it would be a pure Langois experience.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

The sobbing is distracting, though.

No, it was a conscious decision on the part of the Producers of the DVD, going along the lines of Henri Langois theory that silent films should be viewed silent, and knowing that there would also be no laughter getting in the way of the silence, it would be a pure Langois experience.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

The sobbing is distracting, though.

That comes later. In the seemingly endless twenty minutes it takes to unreel the film, the viewers seem to be hit by a stunned silence, in which they remain for usually five to ten minutes after the film is over. Then the breakdown occurs, and can last for hours.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

I just checked Al Joy's IMDb page. According to the STARmeter (as they call it), his popularity has gone up 639% this week. And based on the level of interest generated by this thread I bet that estimate is on the low side.

This thread makes me feel like a proud Papa! Those Saturdays watching nitrate with a sometimes too large of a group of cinegoons all watching a relatively small Steenbeck screen were not in vain!! But while many have now seen Al Joy, either in his classic HELPLESS HELPER or in the surprise film Dino Everett brought to the Al Joy Fan Club National Convention, few have experienced the rite of passage that (while has nothing to do with Al Joy) is essential to be part the inner circle of the AJFC.... it is the viewing of another film that was shown on one of those Saturday. It was more eye-opening than even HELPLESS HELPER and like the Al Joy film the print was pristine with barely a scratch. Nearly ten minute, edge code gave the year to be 1925, and the most well photographed images of a CAMEL GIVING BIRTH that you would ever want to see!!! Sometimes digging into unidentified silent films can leave mental scars. But does insure that Al Joy wasn't the most wasteful use of film.

Rob Stone
Founder and President
AL JOY FAN CLUB

On Monday I had basal cell surgery. Today I had a molar extracted. And I have seen two Al Joy shorts in my lifetime. I couldn't tell you which experience was worse, but if any members of this forum should meet me in person, please grab the nearest pipe or 2x4. I am ready to be clubbed into insensibility.