The Benson signal., 1917-01-06

M M dies" said Mack Sennett,
S$S king of the film funmak-
ers, "but how many ever
pause to think of the brains and work
that go. into the making Of one laugh?"
1t would be a revelation to those
who never have considered the source
of their fun to watch the maker of
certain brand of well-known comedies
in action. Hat down almost to his eyes,
shirtsleeves rolled above his elbows,
and perspiration pouring from his face,
ne rushes about the studio, the per-
sonlfcatiOn of dynamic, untiring ener-
gy. At his side there is always a Ste
n'ographer, to whom he is saying re-
peatedly, "Make a note of this, make
note of that; I want to change it,"
His brow is gnarled in concentration
as he shouts orders.
Don't make that expression of dis
may quite so pronounced, Miss Nor
mand," or "Exaggerate that gesture Of
mock Difference a little more, please,
Mr.. .Arbuckle." In short, he handles
his company as a musician does his
notes, blending their actions into what
on the screen will be symphony of
laughter.
Comedy" the miracle man of mer-
r1ment told writer for the New York
Sun between the rehearsal of two
scenes, lis the hardest thing in the
world to get over successfully, and
film laugh plays are twice as hard to
make as those of the stage. In the
first place, the movie director is handi-
capped because it is impossible for
him to use two of the great elements
OF comedy upon which the stage direc-
tor largely depends-the voice of his
players and the funny lines. What
use would Harry LADDERS infectious
laugh or Oscar Wildes brilliant cpl
grams be to me? have to juggle with
action where the playwright juggles
with words. Then to make a comedy
successful, you must have a climax
every minute. always must be build
ing up, making each climax funnier
than the last, and the last funniest of
all. If film play is too funny at the
beginning. it kills the latter part.
"There areS three things that make
q picture comedy successful. About
One-half depends upon the scenario.
write all my own scenarios, because
l find it almost impossible to buy good
ones. The man who can write one
comic scenario a week for me that is
up to our standard can make out his
own checks. The rest depends upon
the actors and the director. The di-
rector's part is the selection of the
proper cast-and that is very impor-
tant-the working out with infinite
care of the proper details regarding
scenery, costumes and action and the
handling of each scene so that when
it is shown it will appear that every
turn of the actors hand, every widen
ing or narrowing of his eyes, every
breath he draws, is absolutely sponta-
neOuS.
From the point Of view of the actor,
tOO," continued the creator of canned
mirth as he warmed to the subject that
fills his every thought, comedy is the
hardest kind Of acting to do well. To
begin with, the comedian has to ring
the bell every time. Either he makes
his audience laugh or he falls fiat. A
serious picture play done only indif-
ferently well may get BY but there
is no such thing as halfway success
for the movie comedian.
"And let me take this opportunity
to say right here to those people who
are forever referring contemptuously
to 'slapstick' comedy, that to do So
called low comedy successfully is,
in my opinion, the highest accomplish
ment possible to the histrionic artist.
"Burlesque is taking a serious char
acter and tipping the scales of his ac-
tions just enough to make him appear
laughable, dropping him by an exag-
gerated gesture or facial expression
from the sublime to the ridiculous.
To burlesque a character the actor
must first be able to play that part
straight before he can attempt trav-
esty on it. Before a man can kid
with notes and chords he must be
good musician. To turn out good satire
writer first must be able to write
serious stuff. That's just the way it
is with the actor who tries burlesque.
"One of the attributes that a film
comedian needs particularly is cour-
age. He must be an acrobat or at least
an athlete. ANY man who can be a
successful comedian on the screen
would be sure to succeed on the stage,
but the rule does not necessarily work
the other way. The film comedian
~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~-
Both Hunury