Al St. John held his own and often stole the spotlight as he shared the screen with the silent superstars Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. And yet today he is practically unknown. Had Turner Classic Movies not run an Arbuckle marathon I would have never discovered this versatile clown myself. And I am so glad that I did.
His precise comic timing, coupled with elaborate physical routines and jaw-dropping pratfalls, makes me wonder why this graceful acrobat is not mentioned along side the other great comedians of the silent era.
Once the talkies arrived and the film comedies became more sophisticated, Al St. John took on the comic sidekick role of Fuzzy Q. Jones playing opposite Buster Crabbe and later Lash LaRue in a series of low budget westerns. Most of these westerns gave him a showcase solo scene in which he could perform some classic physical routine.
Forgotten by most today, he never achieved the super star status of Chaplin, Keaton, and Arbuckle, but as long as their silent comedies are shown, Al St. John will always have a second chance to be discovered.
whenvoicesweresilent.blogspot.com
His precise comic timing, coupled with elaborate physical routines and jaw-dropping pratfalls, makes me wonder why this graceful acrobat is not mentioned along side the other great comedians of the silent era.
Once the talkies arrived and the film comedies became more sophisticated, Al St. John took on the comic sidekick role of Fuzzy Q. Jones playing opposite Buster Crabbe and later Lash LaRue in a series of low budget westerns. Most of these westerns gave him a showcase solo scene in which he could perform some classic physical routine.
Forgotten by most today, he never achieved the super star status of Chaplin, Keaton, and Arbuckle, but as long as their silent comedies are shown, Al St. John will always have a second chance to be discovered.
NEW BLOG ON SILENT MOVIES
If you like this post, then check out my new blog, When Voices Were Silent about films and stars that made up the greatest era of motion picture history - the silent era.whenvoicesweresilent.blogspot.com
I learned of Al last year wanting to see some Buster Crabbe films. I had never heard of him. Then I find out he was one of the reasons people went to see Crabbe's films. Not many people are familiar with Andy Clyde either. He was another talented comedian. I only knew of him because of 16mm my grandmother had with one of his shorts.
ReplyDeleteI'm very familiar with Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Being a huge fan of Westerns, as a kid I would normally go over to my grandmother's house and she would always have that Western channel on 24/7. Fuzzy was in almost every Western with Buster Crabbe and Lash Larue. I'll admit I wasn't too crazy about Buster Crabbe's portrayal of real life Old West outlaw legend Billy The Kid. I favored Bob Steele's version over his. (Still do if you're wondering.) But I would never have any qualms about Fuzzy. He could make any character funny. So if there really is a Hollywood cowboy heaven and it's my time to go, I'll just tell the range boss in the sky, "I ain't comin' unless I can see Fuzzy, Bob, Buster, Gene, Frog, Dale Roy, Duke, and all them others you have lined up for me. Call all you want, hoss. But if Fuzzy ain't there, I ain't comin'." Side note:Whenever I wasn't watching Westerns on the TV, my grandfather would come home with these old VHS tapes nobody wanted and I just knew what was on them. He'd say to me, "Hey Ben, you like Westerns, right?" And I would get all giddy and nod. Then we'd watch John Wayne or Gene Autry while drinking Pepsi. I miss those days. Happy Trails, Fuzzy.
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