Larry Semon Movies

Underworld opens with a series of title cards setting its mood, telling of "a great city in the dead of night...streets lonely...moon clouded...buildings as empty as the cave dwellings of a forgotten age." Suddenly an explosion shatters the façade of a bank building, and the title cards announce that crime kingpin Bull Weed (George Bancroft) has "closed another account." Bull emerges from the wreckage carrying his swag, but while making his getaway, he spots a derelict (Clive Brook) wandering past, a potential witness, despite his apparent inebriated state. Instead of killing him, Weed knocks him cold, throws him in his car, and takes off, intending to figure out later what to do with his unexpected "guest." Weed turns out to be a man of many parts -- greedy and a brute when it comes to getting or keeping what he wants, but with a soft spot for the underdog, and also smart enough to recognize the importance of some knowledge that he doesn't possess. He takes a liking to the erudite but totally dissolute man, christening him "Rolls Royce" and keeping him around as an elegant stooge, advisor, and sometime driver. The man is only too happy to be taken off the streets and set up in an apartment with a full library of books at his disposal, and the two men's relationship is harmonious and mutually beneficial -- the former derelict has a home, and the crime boss gets smart advice.

Bull Weed and Rolls Royce's meeting is our introduction to the world of Weed, in which he runs much of what he surveys, but not without challengers. His most notable rival is vicious hood "Buck" Mulligan (Fred Kohler), who doesn't like Weed and also covets his girlfriend, "Feathers" McCoy (Evelyn Brent). Rolls Royce is also drawn to Feathers, who is, in turn, attracted to the gentle, witty man; however, out of decency to Bull, who has been a benefactor in his own way to both of them, they agree to stay away from each other. This drives Rolls Royce back to the bottle part of the time. Weed and Mulligan finally have it out during the underworld's annual drunken bacchanal, a wildly expressionistic sequence that must have seemed all the more dazzling and compelling to audiences in 1927, in the middle of the Prohibition Era. Mulligan tries to take advantage of his rival's passing out in a stupor by having his way with Feathers, but Bull awakens with help from Mulligan's jealous girlfriend and Rolls Royce, and proceeds to rescue Feathers and finish Mulligan -- an act that gets him charged with murder, convicted, and sentenced to die. Feathers and Rolls Royce, with the help of Bull's gang, try to help him break out on the eve of his execution, but their plan fails. Bull manages to escape on his own, though, and goes seeking revenge against Feathers and Rolls Royce, whom he believes have betrayed him. Just as Bull is about to pull out his gun, however, he discovers that Feathers and Rolls Royce had always played it straight with him, and even if they are attracted to each other, they never did anything about it, out of respect for him. He lets them go and surrenders to the police. Admonished by the head of the arresting squad that his break only gained him two hours, he smiles, saying those two hours were worth it for what he found out.

A masterpiece of the silent era that still holds up as an exciting and engrossing movie over 70 years later, and which is properly regarded as the first modern American gangster movie, Underworld has elements that anticipate such sound classics as Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, and a final shoot-out similar to those in Angels With Dirty Faces (co-starring Bancroft) and Each Dawn I Die. Director Josef von Sternberg and cinematographer Bert Glennon actually manage to convey sound with pure visuals in the suspenseful jailbreak scene, and, overall, they produced a beautifully stylized film, visually expressionistic but sentimental in tone and story. The script, by Ben Hecht -- a veteran Chicago reporter -- also crawls with allusions to real-life figures, Bull Weed being a highly sanitized stand-in for Al Capone, and "Buck" Mulligan a composite of Capone's Northside mob rival Dion O'Bannion and his eventual successor, O'Bannion gang member George "Bugs" Moran. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Popular silent film comedian Larry Semon literally sold the ranch to secure film rights to L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz -- then proceeded to chuck most of the Baum story in favor of his usual broad slapstick antics. In Semon's version, Dorothy (played by Dorothy Dwan, aka Mrs. Larry Semon) is the long-lost princess of Oz. On Dorothy's 18th birthday, she is whisked from her farm in Kansas back to Oz by way of a convenient tornado. Along for the ride are hired hands Semon and Oliver Hardy as well as le and African American handyman G. Howe Black. To avoid being captured by the minions of the cruel Prince Kruel, Semon disguises himself as a Scarecrow, while Hardy, rummaging through a garbage heap, dons Tin Woodman garb. And so it goes until Dorothy and her boyfriend Prince Kynde (Bryant Washburn) escape from Oz via airplane. The chance to see a young Oliver Hardy, sans Stan Laurel may be the best reason to see this film. Otherwise, the more famous 1939 version remains the definitive filmization of this classic yarn. The Wizard is played by Charlie Murray, who is heaps funnier than ostensible star Larry Semon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After the disappointing full-length feature The Girl in the Limousine, comedian-turned-director Larry Semon returned to the two-reel format, at least for a while (coming up was Semon's flawed epic The Wizard of Oz). To keep the slapstick moving at an even more heightened pace, Semon used both of his favorite "heavies" -- Oliver Hardy and Frank Alexander. Another fine addition was Semon's new wife, Dorothy Dwan, who reportedly did many of her own stunts. Slim Chance (Alexander) and the Killer Kid (Hardy) are rumrunners, and as a front they use a club called the Dropem Inn. A girl detective by the name of Iva Method (Dwan) goes to investigate, but the bad guys figure out her game and hold her hostage. The police chief assigns his son, Larry, and his partner, Headquarters Hank (Fred Spencer), to bring in the rumrunners, but the villains get wise to them, too. Iva gets away and teams up with Larry to escape, but they are captured once again and taken to the bad guys' ship. They make a daring escape and Larry proposes, only to discover that Iva is already married to Hank. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

White-faced comedian Larry Semon produced, co-directed, and starred in this two-reel farce, filmed at breakneck speed at the Charles Ray studios and the Santa Monica Auto Race Course. Avery DuPays (Frank "Fatty" Alexander), the city's wealthiest man, has promised his daughter Lou's hand in marriage to whomever wins the Big Auto Race. Both Dangerous Dan McGrew (Oliver Hardy) and The Speed Kid (Semon) love Lou (Dorothy Dwan), but she seems to prefer the latter. Avery, of course, favors the richer McGrew, who, unbeknownst to the Kid and his mechanic (Spencer Bell), removes the brakes from Larry's race car. Despite this handicap -- or perhaps because of it -- the Kid wins both the race and the girl. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In one of his most lavish and elaborate 2-reel comedies, star comedian Larry Semon plays a department store clerk who almost demolishes his place of work whilst battling the store manager (Oliver Hardy) for the attention of salesgirl Kathleen Myers. Soon the store is a mess of teetering columns, falling ladders, an out of control revolving door, and irate customers. Bill Hauber did some of Semon's stunt work and the comedy also featured Fred DeSilva, James Donnelly, Spencer Bell (aka G. Howe Black), and Dorothy Wolbert. Leading lady Kathleen Myers had replaced Semon's wife Lucille Carlisle, both on screen and off. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In spite of a rousing climax, this Larry Semon comedy rehashes a lot of his old gags and is not one of his best two-reelers. Lay Zee (Semon) works on a farm and has won the heart of the farmer's daughter (Kathleen Myers). There is oil on the farmland, and some swindlers are determined to get their hands on the property, by force if necessary. Lay Zee, who knows that oil has been found on nearby farms, convinces the farmer not to sell, and the swindlers enlist the help of another farmhand (Oliver Hardy), who is jealous of Lay Zee's relationship with the girl. Although the farmer does wind up signing papers to hand over the farm, Lay Zee manages to retrieve the documents. He and the girl are able to escape their pursuers with the use of an airplane. It turns out, in the end, that the whole scenario was just a dream Semon was having. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

In spite of racial stereotypes that grate today, this Larry Semon two-reeler has a lot of funny moments (due, in no small part to Oliver Hardy, who played his adversary in this and many other comedies). Larry is in love with a girl (Lucille Carlisle) whose father (Hardy) is on the verge of winning his first chess game in 20 years. Unfortunately, Larry knocks the board over and, instead of winning the father's consent to a wedding, he gets thrown out the window. Meanwhile, the head of a Chinese gang wants to try out his new sleeping potion, and he has an associate who is working for the father kidnap the girl. Both the girl and a black servant (Spencer Bell) are abducted. Larry comes to the rescue and falls down a laundry chute -- which just happens to take him to the gang's hideout. Larry and the servant rescue the girl and return her to her father. Instead of thanking Larry, the unforgiving father tosses him out the window again. African-American actor Spencer Bell played comic relief in many silent films, often billed under the very unfortunate moniker G. Howe Black. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Not only did Larry Semon spoof The Prisoner of Zenda in this comic two-reeler, he also seemed intent on giving his film the same elaborate budget that Zenda had. Exhibitor trade weekly Moving Picture World accurately called this film "low comedy dressed up in silks and ermines." In the kingdom of Serenia, Princess Lucille, the rightful ruler (Lucille Carlisle), has been deposed by August (Semon), who has taken over the throne. August, however, may not be king for long -- General Alarm (Oliver Hardy) is plotting to overthrow him. A modest country boy (Semon again) lands on the shores of Serenia and winds up at the castle. When August sees the strong resemblance the stranger has to him, he decides to switch places to escape from Alarm. Through a good dose of slapstick, the stranger manages to halt the revolution in its tracks, and he gives the throne back to Princess Lucille. This was the last Larry Semon film that Vitagraph paid for; in his next contract, Semon became the producer. Since Semon never did learn the value of a dollar when it came to filmmaking, being his own producer predictably hastened his downfall. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Larry Semon's second film under his new Vitagraph contract is already beginning to show the comic's penchant for overspending on production -- the set includes an elaborate Mexican border town. In this border town, Don Fusiloil (Oliver Hardy) runs a dance hall that illegally sells alcohol. Larry, a federal agent, comes down to investigate and almost immediately runs afoul of the moonshiner who is supplying Fusiloil. Meanwhile, a female agent (Lucille Carlisle) poses as one of the dance hall girls. Larry tries unsuccessfully to blend in with his surroundings, and more through his own ineptitude than anything else, finds out where the hooch is hidden. He and the girl wind up having to escape from the bad guys. But it turns out that the whole predicament was a tall tale Larry has been relating to Carlisle -- he is assuring her that situations like this one never happen in real life. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Comedians Larry Semon and Oliver Hardy battle over Kathleen O'Connor, the belle of the logging camp, in this 2-reel farce co-directed by Semon and Norman Taurog. The always extravagant Semon went too far making this film on location at Sequoia National Forest, where he made the Vitagraph Company build a permanent logging camp. According to the company's owner, Albert J. Smith, the film could just as easily have been produced at the studio back lot in Los Angeles. As a result, Semon's new contract made him his own producer and he was henceforth obliged to pay the cast, crew, and various other production expenses out of his own pocket. Years before he found world wide fame opposite Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy honed his comedic skills playing a menace opposite the white-faced Semon. They worked well together and remained personal friends until Semon's early death from pneumonia in 1928. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

With a huge brush mustache and wild eyebrows, Oliver Hardy is almost unrecognizable as the bakery foreman in this Larry Semon comedy (this, however, is how Hardy appeared in many of Semon's films). Semon is a clerk in the bakery, and his ineptitude constantly infuriates the foreman, not to mention the customers and the other employees. The store's owner (Frank Alexander) shows up to see how things are going, and Semon's service manages to win the approval of the owner's daughter (Norma Nichols). The owner looks over the accounts and finds there is a shortage, so he boots the foreman. Later, the disgruntled foreman teams up with another employee to rob the owner. Semon pursues the two thieves and retrieves the money, along with winning the heart of the owner's daughter. Although this comedy got the thumbs up from most critics, a couple of reviews frowned on one scene in which a monkey is shown, covered with dough and shivering -- the obviously cruel treatment of the little guy took away from the laughs. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide