Tweet Walter Catlett

Thanks!
That was convenient. I should have thought of that!

It was just a lucky shot, Rich!

Ed (ever hopeful for a 16mm print of Edgar Kennedy's FISH FEATHERS to complete my "Film Guild" collection...oh well, maybe in Europe!)

Comedy staffers you don't want to meet in a dark alley...

Seeing Al Boasberg in UPPERCUTLETS again reminded me of other comedy creators who, for all their comedic prowess as writers and/or directors (and sometimes actors), could appear a little intimidating, or at least a bit scary. Here's Eddie Cline (with those Wheeler & Woolsey lads), Eddie Sedgwick, and Al Boasberg. Far scarier than all of these gents is Chuck Reisner but I'm stopping with these guys for now:

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I don't know if he always signed this way, but I doubt it, as it's pretty elaborate, but I have a Walter Catlett autograph in which he drew a funny cat picture in the middle of his last name (Walter "cat picture" lett).
It's dated 1933. Under his singature he wrote "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to lead."

By the way, also on the same piece of paper are the signatures of Charles Butterworth, George Brent, Mildred Davis Lloyd, Ruth Selwyn and Constance Talmadge and her husband Townsend Metcher.
Worth millions?

Rich, I don't know if that autograph page is worth millions, but on ebay this week HistoryForSale is currently selling this little gem from 1936 (and the opening bid is just a buck under two G's):

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A heck of a lot nicer memento than that jug-eared chicken scratching Robert Woolsey would draw of himself within the letter "R" I'd say.

Rich, I don't know if that autograph page is worth millions, but on ebay this week HistoryForSale is currently selling this little gem from 1936 (and the opening bid is just a buck under two G's):

Catlett sketch.jpg

A heck of a lot nicer memento than that jug-eared chicken scratching Robert Woolsey would draw of himself within the letter "R" I'd say.

YES, that's the same cat sketch he drew on the autograph I have!

And yes, I also have one of Woolsey's where he drew a face with a big cigar in the "R".

YES, that's the same cat sketch he drew on the autograph I have!

And yes, I also have one of Woolsey's where he drew a face with a big cigar in the "R".

I've got several Woolsey signatures before and after he started drawing the self-carcicature within the letter "R." The best I can tell is that he seems to have started adding the little sketch in 1931.

On one of my Bert Wheeler autograph pages Bert drew an apple next to his name - the apple being one of his props from vaudeville which he used occasionally later in his career.

Comedy staffers you don't want to meet in a dark alley...

I reckon George Marshall, aka Pierre the Chef, would have a place in that rogues gallery. And Jean Havez, seen in SEVEN CHANCES knocking poor Snitz Edwards out of his way and down the stairs like a rag doll.

I have a print down on Uppercutlets.

Guild films acquired some original Dupont prints that were used on TV. My 1932-3 Kennedy short Art in the Raw is one.

My prize is a 1932 Motion Picture Almanac that was owned by Catlett. His name is embossed and his film appearances are marked. His signature is on this book belongs to sticker.

I have a print down on Uppercutlets.

Guild films acquired some original Dupont prints that were used on TV. My 1932-3 Kennedy short Art in the Raw is one.

My prize is a 1932 Motion Picture Almanac that was owned by Catlett. His name is embossed and his film appearances are marked. His signature is on this book belongs to sticker.

Wow, that's a great Catlett find you've got there, Ralph - my congratulations to you on locating that rare book!

I recently picked up a Film Guild print of Edgar Kennedy's ART IN THE RAW as well - defunct TV package from Chicago - and the two reels were spliced together. Reel one is on Dupont stock and reel two is on Kodak. There is a very slight shift in focus at the reel change, not sure if it's due to warpage but no VS (knock wood).

I missed out on a print of Fish Feathers 1 year ago, Ed.
Any other early RKO shorts in that Chicago package? Radio Barred is a 1936 title wanted.
It's remarkable that prints turn up from these sources.
Glad to hear of your acquisition.
Camphor neutralizes Vinegar prints in the early stages.

I guess that's one of the Modern Sound prints I got. I think there were five of them, all Buy-it-Now near-mint printdowns of early 30's Kennedy's for $35 each. As soon as I bought them they raised the prices on the remaining (late 40's) Kennedy's to $125!

I missed out on a print of Fish Feathers 1 year ago, Ed.
Any other early RKO shorts in that Chicago package? Radio Barred is a 1936 title wanted.
It's remarkable that prints turn up from these sources.
Glad to hear of your acquisition.
Camphor neutralizes Vinegar prints in the early stages.

There were mostly later Kennedys, Leon Errols and and a few Gil Lambs in the package, very few early shorts. The few early ones with Kennedy that they had (QUIET PLEASE, GRIN AND BEAR IT, SOUTH SEASICKNESS) I already have in nice originals. If you're interested, I'll find out whether any of those are left.

I guess that's one of the Modern Sound prints I got. I think there were five of them, all Buy-it-Now near-mint printdowns of early 30's Kennedy's for $35 each. As soon as I bought them they raised the prices on the remaining (late 40's) Kennedy's to $125!

Ray, I've just checked and Modern Sound is still trying to sell a splicy print of MIND OVER MOUSE (1947) for mint RKO prices!

Camphor neutralizes Vinegar prints in the early stages.

Very few of the prints that I cherish have VS but those that are "tainted" have all experienced the Vitafilm Dunk Tank, and are now buttressed by molecular sieves in tight-lidded cans, with a few chunks of camphor tossed in.

I don't need my movie prints to last forever, but I'd be grateful if they could outlast my own mortality!

I missed out on a print of Fish Feathers 1 year ago, Ed.
Any other early RKO shorts in that Chicago package? Radio Barred is a 1936 title wanted.
It's remarkable that prints turn up from these sources.
Glad to hear of your acquisition.
Camphor neutralizes Vinegar prints in the early stages.

There were mostly later Kennedys, Leon Errols and and a few Gil Lambs in the package, very few early shorts. The few early ones with Kennedy that they had (QUIET PLEASE, GRIN AND BEAR IT, SOUTH SEASICKNESS) I already have in nice originals. If you're interested, I'll find out whether any of those are left.

All 3 titles are of interest. I'm interested.

Al Boasberg's Uppercutlets style of humor is used earlier in Leon Errol's 2nd RKO short Fixing A Stew 1934.

All 3 titles are of interest. I'm interested.

Okay Ralph, I'll find out if they're still available and get back to you by PM (so we don't disturb the other folks).

Ed

Back to Walter Catlett:

In the past week or so TCM has been running some Warner Bros. / Vitaphone shorts that I believe have never been on before.
One is ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1940) featuring Walter Catlett.
It is scheduled to run on Monday evening at 7:39 P.M. (eastern time).

Walter Catlett fans - don't miss it if you can!

All 3 titles are of interest. I'm interested.

Okay Ralph, I'll find out if they're still available and get back to you by PM (so we don't disturb the other folks).

Ed

Thanks Ed. My email is comedyshorts@gmail.com

constance Talmadge's second husband was Townsend Netcher, not Metcher.

Constance Talmadge's second husband was Townsend Netcher, not Metcher.

Thanks. Correct you are!
I was looking at the signatures and both Constance's and Townsend's are rather fancy making them look like they could be "N" or "M".

In the past week or so TCM has been running some Warner Bros. / Vitaphone shorts that I believe have never been on before.
One is ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1940) featuring Walter Catlett.
It is scheduled to run on Monday evening at 7:39 P.M. (eastern time).

Walter Catlett fans - don't miss it if you can!

So.... did anyone see this?
Pretty wacky and crazy - even included some pie-throwing.
Eddie Foy, Jr. wore that same unique funny bow-tie that he wore in the 1933 Universal feature MYRT AND MARGE.
And, was that Frank McHugh as the narrator?! (unbilled!)

The short even followed a Walter Catlett feature on TCM - STEEL AGAINST THE SKY (1941).

In the past week or so TCM has been running some Warner Bros. / Vitaphone shorts that I believe have never been on before.
One is ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1940) featuring Walter Catlett.

So.... did anyone see this?
Pretty wacky and crazy - even included some pie-throwing.
Eddie Foy, Jr. wore that same unique funny bow-tie that he wore in the 1933 Universal feature MYRT AND MARGE.
And, was that Frank McHugh as the narrator?! (unbilled!)

The short even followed a Walter Catlett feature on TCM - STEEL AGAINST THE SKY (1941).

Caught it, Rich - I was blown away by the costume party scene - we get a Buster Keaton impersonator instead of another Chaplin imitation! Proof if any is needed that Buster was making a solid comeback after HOLLYWOOD CAVALCADE within the mainstream industry. Keaton's STEAMBOAT BILL JUNIOR director, Chuck Reisner, helmed the short.

The narrator did the "Frank McHugh laugh" and it sure sounded like him.

Incidentally, there's a very funny blooper from Warners' BREAKDOWNS OF 1940 that I now know comes from this film: Foy is reading some horrible news in the papers with Catlett sitting opposite him. In the outtake Foy reacts to something he's just read in the newspaper. Still in character, he keeps staring intently at the paper as he says melodramatically, "Ooooooooh...you sonafabitch!" What makes the bit especially funny is Walter Catlett's spontaneous laughter that follows...it makes you feel that between the long hours and tough schedules, these guys were still able to have some fun making pictures.

In the past week or so TCM has been running some Warner Bros. / Vitaphone shorts that I believe have never been on before.
One is ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1940) featuring Walter Catlett.

So.... did anyone see this?
Pretty wacky and crazy - even included some pie-throwing.
Eddie Foy, Jr. wore that same unique funny bow-tie that he wore in the 1933 Universal feature MYRT AND MARGE.
And, was that Frank McHugh as the narrator?! (unbilled!)

Caught it, Rich - I was blown away by the costume party scene - we get a Buster Keaton impersonator instead of another Chaplin imitation!

The Keaton impersonator looked like Johnny Berkes, did you think so? (He was a regular in the Vitaphone Joe Palooka shorts and starred in one of the funniest Vitaphones, SLUM FUN, 1936).

Caught it, Rich - I was blown away by the costume party scene - we get a Buster Keaton impersonator instead of another Chaplin imitation!

The Keaton impersonator looked like Johnny Berkes, did you think so? (He was a regular in the Vitaphone Joe Palooka shorts and starred in one of the funniest Vitaphones, SLUM FUN, 1936).

Now that you mention it, that fellow did resemble Johnny Berkes, especially in profile.

The party mask idea got poor Walter Catlett in lots of trouble with his box & arrow, didn't it? Those WB Burbank two reelers are as strange as the studio's Brooklyn Vitaphones had been - except that everything in the East was filmed on the cheap, whereas the West Coast product was often an elaborate and handsome production. I used to own one of their Fritz Feld "crazy director" shorts, even with the stock musical numbers they were far more elaborate than anything Columbia would have done around that same time.

In the past couple weeks TCM has been running some Warner Bros. / Vitaphone shorts that I believe have never been on before.
One is ALEX IN WONDERLAND (1940) featuring Walter Catlett.
It is scheduled to run on Monday evening at 7:39 P.M. (eastern time).

Walter Catlett fans - don't miss it if you can!

Anyone who may have missed this Walter Catlett short when TCM ran it a couple weeks ago, you have another chance to catch it.
It is scheduled to run again on TCM on Wednesday night, May 9 at 9:13 P.M. (eastern time).