The Silent Types

Since the silent film ‘The Artist’ did so well at the Oscars, let’s explore a glaring omission in the film – no motorcycles!  Two-wheelers were always a great source of fun in silent movies…too bad ‘The Artist’s’ Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo didn’t have a Henderson 4-cylinder and sidecar for a few antics.

Buster Keaton is considered the best physical comedian of the silent era, thinking up and executing his own elaborate stunts, and directing himself in wildly popular films during the entire 1920s. His stone-faced expression, which subtly morphs from maudlin to curious to shocked, was a key to his comedy, being a total contrast with the outrageous action of his films.  Keaton included some stunt riding on a 1923 Harley-Davidson ‘J’ model in the 1924 film ‘Sherlock Jr.’  Another stunt involving a train and water tower caused Keaton to fracture his neck, but didn’t realize it until x-rayed years later.

Larry Semon (below) was another talented actor/director/stunt man, nearly forgotten these days, but in the 1920s was a very successful and wealthy film producer.  He’s best known today for working with both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, before they created their immortal comedy team.

Semon directed and acted in the short film ‘Kid Speed’, about two auto racers (Semon and Hardy) competing for the same girl (‘Lou duPoise’, a reference to the duPont family).  Semon was known for his elaborate sets, sometimes building fully functional houses for a film, and his huge gags – in this case, a entire mountainside is blasted onto a road for comic effect. If you want to skip the slapstick and see the cool old racers, jump to the 14minute mark (note – this video begins with an advertisement which lasts 30 seconds).

Semon’s best motorcycle work is in this film, ‘Taken For a Ride’, in which he tries to impress a girl by stealing a ca.1922 Henderson DeLuxe with sidecar, with predictable results – his girlfriend knows more about the workings of a bike than Semon.

The action in these films is physically treacherous, and stuntmen were often injured or killed in the era – it was all part of the job description, just as Board Track racers could expect a short career, and lucky if they walked away without serious injury.  Buster Keaton himself showed just how far stuntmen were willing to go in the 1920s, while others were capable of spectacular work as well; check out this example from an unknown silent film of the era (sorry, I can’t embed it).  A 25′ leap over a deep canyon on a 1920s motorcycle – serious business.  Nowadays stunts are computer generated, and I can’t imagine a contemporary actor putting him or herself in the face of such hazard.

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