The Big Parade of Comedy (1964)

the audience applauded

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

I was surprised to learn this compilation was put together in 1964, by that time MGM should have been able to put together a more coherent and cohesive product. It's got plenty of comedy stars as the title implies, but it's put together rather randomly and with no expressed central idea. Beginning with the silent films of the 1920's, the picture wends it's way through the Thirties right up to a Red Skelton picture made in 1948 - "A Southern Yankee". Whereas the early film clips presented were short and to the point, the longer this went on it seemed like the segments got longer and longer for each picture selected as representative for their respective stars. This wasn't what I was expecting, and actually thought it would be more like another picture I just recently watched called "Hollywood My Home Town" (1965) which featured a lot more candid clips of celebrities of the era 1927 through the early Sixties. If you're a major movie fan you've probably caught many of the movies on display here, but at least in my case the picture provided the inspiration to record a film offered on Turner Classics that I'll get to in due course. I've seen Marie Dressler's name pop up more and more on my radar lately, so I'll be looking forward to her team up with Wallace Beery in 1930's "Min and Bill".

This uneven documentary by Robert Youngson, basically showcases MGM's comic talented stars in films produced at the studio. Some performers fare better than others, as we keep hoping for more. One can guess because the limitations of the format, it could only include just so much when there were so many stars from where to choose from.There is a wonderful sequence of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel with Lupe Velez. The comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are seen in scenes from "Rio Rita". The Marx Brothers classic "Going West" train routine is shown. Best of all, in our humble opinion, Greta Garbo laughing and having a good time in "Ninotchka" and "Two Faced Woman". The wonderful Dave O'Brien is also showcased doing his Pete Smith character.William Powell, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, and the others in the film are seen at some of the funniest moments of their MGM's heyday.

MGM's Big Parade of Comedy is just a random compilation of comedy clips with no point that don't do their stars any justice. They've all appeared in funnier films at other studios. They serve up probably the worst clip from the worst Marx Bros. film (Go West). Couldn't they have used A Night At The Opera instead (that was an MGM film)? They just dredge out any comedy star who just happened to appear in an MGM film - they even dish up a silent Joan Crawford film (now there's a comedienne). The only moments of levity for me were when they showed a compilation of Pete Smith comedy shorts (with Dave O'Brien). It also ends abruptly. I'm thankful someone had the good judgement to put it out of its' misery.

Many clips from the silent era through MGM's heyday. The editing could have been tighter--some sequences went on too long and others way too short--but I suspect the filmmakers wanted to make sure they didn't leave out any of the stars. Nevertheless, this is overall a funny stroll down memory lane.