A Brief Pause To Throw Pies At Huns
While earnestly piecing together my next post, I ran across this bit of Edwardian awesomeness that could not go unshared. It's especially amusing if you like silent era in-jokes:
Between the vamps mesmerizing the tubby Huns, Douglas Fairbanks apparently ousting an entire regiment all by himself, Arbuckle's stomach hanging over the edge of a trench, Keystone comedians wielding custard pies and bricks (everyone nowadays knows about the pies, but they threw bricks just as often, folks!), and the "gas attack" in the form of a pompous dramatic actor giving a reading, I can't decide what makes me snort-laugh more.
This panel was the creative work of E.W. Gale, Jr. He drew comic strip called "Mr. Wad and His Family" for the Los Angeles Times in the mid-1910s, and also drew cartoons for Photoplay from about 1916 until the early '20s. And that's all the info I could scrounge up on him, on short notice anyways.
Here's a little caricature of himself he drew for the Los Angeles Times, with a couple of his cartoon characters in tow:
Heh, I just realized why the child actors are in "The Infantry" (look, I'm a little tired after reading WWI books all afternoon, mkay?). Alright…back to writing!
This entry was posted in Fun Stuff and tagged 1910s, cartoons, Chaplin, Keystone, Photoplay, propaganda, vamps, WWI, WWI in Film Month by Lea S.. Bookmark the permalink.
13 thoughts on "A Brief Pause To Throw Pies At Huns"
Naomi on August 20, 2018 at 7:26 pm said:
Best title yet!
Ha ha, thanks!
Anonymous on August 21, 2018 at 11:26 am said:
I love that. 😁 Thanks for sharing it!
Ain't it fun?!
Donnie on August 21, 2018 at 11:50 am said:
😀 I love this one, though I didn't understand all the jokes. My favorite parts are Sennett's Heavy Artillery and the Vamp Battery.
Theda Bara and Louise Glaum WOULD be pretty darn dangerous. 😀
Patricia Nolan-Hall (@CaftanWoman) on August 21, 2018 at 8:15 pm said:
This was a treat, with a great title. Nice!
Happy to share, Patricia!
By The Clock on August 22, 2018 at 7:40 pm said:
Love it! Love the Doug Fairbanks corralling the Germans into the Mack Sennett pie-throwers! What a great find!!!!
Lea S. on August 22, 2018 at 10:40 pm said:
It had to be shared with the world! For the first time in the century since it was published too, now that I think about it…
ThoughtYoudLikeToKnow on August 29, 2018 at 1:04 pm said:
Great find! Thanks for all you do.
You're so welcome!
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