The Slapstick Firmament, 1917

This cartoon, unearthed by Joe Moore from the May, 1917 edition of Motion Picture magazine, is as interesting for who it leaves out as for who was included. Harold Lloyd as Lonesome Luke is nowhere to be seen, even though he had been successfully releasing comedies through Pathe for two years. The Hal Roach studio in 1917 was still considered minor league, though that would soon change. The absences of Buster Keaton and Larry Semon can be explained by the fact that they had just begun their film careers, and though Ben Turpin had been laboring in the comedy salt mines for over a decade, his star had not yet begun to ascend.

Sidney Drew had less than two years to live, and Frank Daniels was about to enter utter obsurity. Ham & Bud were about to end their lucrative partnership with the dissolution of Kalem (good move for Lloyd Hamilton, a disasterous one for Bud Duncan). And amazingly enough, no one on the editorial staff caught the misspelling of Charlie Chaplin's first name!

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