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Un-seeable Early Sound American Horrors
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Re: Un-seeable Early Sound American Horrors
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TomWeaver999
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Jul 25 09 1:58 PM
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<< THARK waen't lost in 16mm in the 1960s in New York City! Who knows where Everson got the print, because it's not in his collection at NYU today:
February 7, 1967
The Theodore Huff Memorial Film Society
THARK, THE HAUNTED HOUSE (British and Dominions-Gaumont British, 1932) Directed by Tom Walls
Production supervisor, Herbert Wilcox; Scenario by Ben Travers from his original play; Camera, F.A. Young; Music by Lew Stone; 8 reels
With Tom Walls, Ralph Lynn, Robertson Hare, Claude Hulbert, Gordon James, Hastings Lynn, Mary Brough, Beryl de Querton, Marjorie Corbett, Evelyn Bostook, Joan Brierly, Niles Malleson.
Although to the British stage what The Gorilla is to the American, Thark hardly exploits its horror background to anything like its full potential, and frankly is something of a museum piece today. I suspect that you will find it far more rewarding if you approach it as such, and as a piece of unfamiliar British film history, than purely as a comedy. This is quite probably its American premiere, though I make no specific claims on that point. Quite certainly the Walls-Lynn-Hare team, tremendously popular on the London stage and in British movies of the thirties, are almost completely unknown over here, though Walls is better known by virtue of his slick "Thin Man" type comedy thrillers of the later 30's, and his character roles in the 40's (Johnny Frenchman, Master of Bamkdam etc.).
The Aldwych Farces - the genre to which this film belongs - began on April 13 1922 when Tons of Money opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. Producer-comedians Tom Walls and Leslie Henson saw possibilities in the show (which had been unsold for two years or more) and put it into the Shaftesbury for a limited run, expecting no more than a mild success to fill in before the next play. Unexpectedly, it was a bonanza - and in order to find another theatre for it, they moved to the Aldwych in the Strand, a White Elephant of a theatre that nobody wanted. It settled in there for a long run, made small fortunes for all concerned, and set up a pattern for Aldwych farces which was to remain unchanged until the 40's, and such plays as Banana Ridge. By now however, Ben Travers, who wrote the majority of the shows, was running out of steam (and ideas), and Alfred Drayton - who had taken over in the leads - lacked the light touch of Walls. Some of the better-known fames, almost all of them promptly (and theatrically) transferred to the screen, were A Cuckoo in the Nest, Duck Soup, Pot Luck, Rookery Nook and Plunder. They were considered somewhat risqué in their day, and parents usually steered their children away from them, partly because of the bedroom plotting, but more specifically because of Tom Walls, whose leering innuendoes (and a slightly dubious off-screen reputation) and his rough-and-ready, careless use of the English language (mild swearing, use of bad grammar) made him hardly a figure to inspire England's youth. Let it be added that England's youth couldn't care less, as they were much more interested in the more actionful comedies of Jack Hulbert and Will Hay. The characterisations in these farces rarely changed, and that was their charm. Walls was the mildly lecherous man-about-town, somewhat of a Groucho Marx; Ralph Lynn the silly-ass harassed hero, usually about to be married; and Robertson Hare the butler, vicar or uncle, frequently discovered in the heroine's room minus his trousers, always suspected, always innocent. His catch-phrase "O, calamity!" intoned in his deep solemn voice became a household word (or words!) in Britain of the thirties.
In fairness to the Aldwych genre as a whole, Thark has always been one of its more pedestrian representatives, and this kind of film - in 1932 - was not what England did best. Later, the film versions did pep up considerably, and Pot Luck - another haunted house affair - had much more vitality to it. However, as it stands Thark is a valuable and faithful record of a popular stage and screen trend in Britain in the early 30's. Some of it is still very funny indeed, though it has a curious structure, building up to its funniest sequences in the middle, and then easing downhill again. The climax is disappointingly abrupt and inconclusive. However, along the way there are some very funny lines, dear old Mary Brough - an Aldwych reliable - and a marvellously sinister butler called Death. Directed in stolid, theatrical fashion by Tom Walls - even his groupings and exits smack of the stage - it is nevertheless never dull, and its very staginess is even an asset at times. No lines ever tumble over one another, and even allowing for time to sort oat the various accents, there's time - with the optimistic stage pauses for laughter - to react to each line of dialogue before the next one comes along. Ralph Lynn's rather endearing silly-ass Englishman, absent minded, but quite a stout fellow - wears rather surprisingly well, though it's unlikely that even the Huff will be able to promote a Ralph Lynn cult in New York! For the ladies, we commend a study of the various sets of pajamas that flit in and out of bedroom doors -- some of them are quite breath-taking in their own unique way. -- William K. Everson
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Welcome to the CHFB
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CHFB TURNS 20!
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
Universal Horrors
The Universal Monsters Blu-Ray Collection
Golden Age Horror
Kong - 8th Wonder of the World
Silent Horror
Poverty Row
The World of Sherlock Holmes
Murder and Mystery
Thrills and Chills
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'60s Horror and Sci-Fi
'70s Horror and Sci-Fi
Hammer Horror
The Psycho Ward
Foreign Horror
Japanese Giants
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Current Films
Second Takes on Films of the 2000s
Independent Films and Documentaries
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Classic Horror on DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming
Stream and Stream Again
Horror Film Books and Magazines
Horror by Candlelight
Horror Comics and Fantasy Art
Monster Toys and Collectibles
Classic Horror Movie Memorabilia
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Old Time Radio and Audio Horror
Classic Horror Online
CHFB Member Reviews
Our Favorite Horror Hosts
Classic Disney Scares
Horror Film Stars
Men Behind the Monsters
Monster Kid Memories
General Horror and Sci-Fi
Horror Tech
Movie of the Day
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