Make 'em Laugh

Kramer: “Slapstick comedy…[was] crucial for the film industry’s production of short films and its overall programming strategies.” Cinema during the 1920s needed to transition from an elementary medium that focused on astonishment and gags for the credulous audience to forming a distinct narrative plot line that incorporated the cinema of attraction. The shorts from 1904-1906 display the film medium briefly establishing a character to identify with and then astonishment ensues. These movies were successful because they catered to a credulous audience that watched movies just for the featured spectacle. In Coney Island the character is Coney Island and viewers are immediately supposed to be wowed by the amazing light show. The next year, 1906, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend establishes a character and a reason for the attraction. Establishing the character and his actions, he ate and drank too much, is created in order for the film to implement its “wow” factors for the audience. Slapstick comedies were placed right beside these attractions on screen and or on stage. Especially during the transition from stage to the screen, stage performances would sometimes occur right before Chaplin would appear on screen. However, as time went on the astonishment factor was not enough and the credulous viewer started to become incredulous. The audience demanded more.

The audience had become desensitized to the 3-5 minute slapstick stage acts and special effects on screen. The film industry needed the audience to not look for the astonishment but to become concerned with the story. From there the incredulous viewer would be sucked into the reasons and opportunities for the actors to fall into situations that provided astounding effects. Steamboat Bill Jr. accomplishes this balanced medium in 1929. The film sets up a narrative and uses slapstick comedian Buster Keaton to work within this story first spectacle second model and then take advantages of moments that allow for comedic acts and tricks. The story provided many an opportunities for the audience to expand their entertainment into gaining pleasure from knowing what to expect from Keaton but getting involved in a love story that provided many opportunities for him to display, what he did best, his amazing acrobatic and comedic talents. Now we see that cinema learned how to use the old feature of slapstick comedy by weaving it into a narrative to keep the audience concerned with characters while entertaining them situations that resulted in slapstick comedy.