Two Sisters Tag - Skeletons in Lolita's closet

"Please, don't let my last words be 'I never saw a Harry Langdon film'..."

First I just want to say how thrilled I am to have 85 blog followers! I can't believe that a blog I have only had since February already has interested so many. Thanks to all of you. And it always makes me happy when you let your presence be known by leaving a comment!

Now, to the real matter.

Five days ago Elizabeth started a "Two Sisters Tag" after having argued with her sister about different opions on classic film, without getting anywhere. To see who is right, she asked the tagged ones to give their opinions on different classics matters. (Sorry for have waited so long with answering, Elizabeth!)

Here are my answers. The blasphemy will probably shock both you and myself.

1. Do you like Greta Garbo?
I love Garbo. She can be a little dramatic with "I vant to be alone" this and "I LOVE you, I LOVE you, I LOVE you" there (weird, since everyone knows that Swedes are cold and stiff, except for the blonde ones).

But it is Garbo. She is magical, and if you can get away from her you have no heart.

2. In Buster Keaton's MGM films, do his gestures and his plots resemble those of Harry Langdon?
I wouldn't know, since I only have seen little by Buster Keaton (to my great sorrow, I adore him) and nothing by Harry Langdon. (!!!)

Skeleton count: 1

3. Who is your favorite director of silent dramas?
Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Sjöström (or Seastrom, as he re-named himself when coming to Hollywood) and Raoul Walsh. D. W. Griffith is not so bad neither, but not a favourite. (Need to see more to give a professional opinion on his work.)

4. Do Harold Lloyd's movies (movies, not shorts) drag along?
Eeehhhrrrmmm... Perhaps? Yes? No? I have only seen one! It was For Heaven's Sake (1926), and that one amused me a whole lot. That one did not drag along, in my opinion.

Skeleton count: 2

5. Who made better silent shorts, Mack Sennett or Hal Roach?
Elizabeth's own answer was this:

My sister prefers the wild slapstick of Mack Sennett, but I prefer the nice mix of slapstick and word-play that comes with a Hal Roach short. Of course, I do enjoy Sennett (KEYSTONE Sennett), and she does like Hal Roach, but I generally prefer Hal Roach, and she generally prefers Sennett.

...and I have no idea what she's talking about. Keystone Sennet? Wild slapstick vs. word-play? I have seen too little with the brand Mack Sennet and Hal Roach to connect the names with ANY style. I saw Run, Girl, Run (1928, post here), and I laughed my ass off. That was a Sennett, so just to have an answer I'll go with him.

Skeleton count: 3

6. Is Al St. John a genuine heavy, or a baby heavy? (This is based on the idea of the "Baby Vamp", which was the character of the girl who was vampish, but not a vamp.)
Oh please. I have not seen anything with Al St. John! Someone having a tip for a newbie? I have seen a picture of him on Elizabeth's blog, he has beautiful eyes. What do you mean with a "heavy" anyway? Is it the bad guy? A fat guy?

My answer is: He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

Skeleton count: 4

7. Do you like 1920s musicals?
I don't think so. I haven't watched a lot, but my feeling is that they often contain a heck of a lot of unispired, pointless dance numbers. For example: In the Marx Brothers' first film The Cocoanuts (1929) I always fastforward through the singing/dancing sequences. I know that they are a parody of uninspired dance numbers in 1920's musicals that has nothing to do with the plot, but it doesn't take away that they are in themselves uninspired dance numbers in a 1920's musical that has nothing to do with the plot. Not that the Marx Brothers usually have any plot to talk about, but you get the picture.

But honestly: I haven't seen enough 1920's musicals to have an opinion.

Skeleton count: 5

8. Do you like Al Jolson's movies?
Haven't seen any...

Skeleton count: 6

9. Who is your favorite animal star?
Asta the dog in After the Thin Man (1936). I love the whole "fighting for my dog family" sub plot.

All in all I have an entire Busby Berkeley dance team in my closet, all very dead. Will I ever be able to awake them from the land of the lost souls?

I'm supposed to tag three people, so let's see if they manage better. I will wait for Elizabeth to wake me up in the middle of the night, leaning over me with a bloody axe against my throat. "You never saw a Harry Langdon movie? You will PAY!"

Watch out for her revenge, fellas:

C.K. Dexter Haven

Robby Cress

Louie Despres