5/5 Chaplin, Keaton, Laurel & Hardy and Banks
  by Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth)
IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT's SLAPSTICK MASTERS contains high-quality transfers of four of the silent era's greatest comedy shorts.

CONTENTS--

BIG BUSINESS-- Laurel & Hardy as Xmas tree salesmen get into an escalating war of destruction with an annoyed customer. As a crowd gathers, Stan and Ollie trash Jimmy Finlayson's landscaping and bungalow while Jimmy destroys their merchandise and truck. Police officer Tiny Sandford observes the action and calmly takes notes.

CHASING CHOO CHOOS-- Monty Banks short was edited from his feature, "Play Safe." Monty rescues a girl from a gang of thugs; she and the pursuing bad guys hop a freight train. Monty catches up to it by using a fruit peddler's horsecart and a racing car; the gang chases him across the tops of the cars. Includes some impressive stunts by Banks (and others).

EASY STREET-- Cop and ex-vagabond/thief Charlie Chaplin rids Easy Street of thuggish Eric Campbell. The bad guy escapes from jail and kidnaps Edna Purviance, but Chaplin triumphs again. The infant seen briefly is the son of directer Erich von Stroheim.

ONE WEEK-- Newlywed Buster Keaton bungles the assembly of his pre-fab house. Keaton's first-released solo short is one of his very best.


TELEVISTA's KINGS AND QUEENS OF SLAPSTICK features highlights from shorts by Chaplin, Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, Semon, West, Chase and Turpin.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(8.2) Big Business (silent-1929) - Stan Laurel/Oliver Hardy/James Finlayson/Tiny Sandford/Charlie Hall/Retta Palmer/Lyle Tayo
(7.7) Chasing Choo Choos (1927) - Monty Banks/Virginia Lee Corbin/Leo Willis
(7.8) Easy Street (1917) - Charles Chaplin/Edna Purviance/Eric Campbell (uncredited: Leo White/Charlotte Mineau/James T. Kelley/Erich von Stroheim Jr.)
(8.3) One Week (1920) - Buster Keaton/Sybil Seely/Joe Roberts

5/5 A First Rate Collection of Vintage Comedy!
  by J. Fisher (Cook, MN)
A funny, first rate collection of silent film comedy shorts.
Silent stars Buster Keaton (One Week), Charlie Chaplin
(Easy Street), Laurel and Hardy (Big Business), and Monty Banks
(Chasing Choo-choos). The quality of the prints is the best we've seen, and the musical score is excellent by the Alloy Orchestra. It's a must have for Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy,Banks,and Chaplin Fans.