Larry Semon
American silent film comedian whose hugely successful career disappeared virtually overnight, Larry Semon was the son of a traveling vaudeville magician, Zera the Great. He grew up in show business and was trained in stage comedy and acrobatics. A talent for drawing and cartooning led to art school and then work as a cartoonist for various New York City newspapers. The humor evident in his published cartoons prompted executives at New York's Vitagraph Studios to hire him as a gag writer in 1916. He quickly proved himself and was promoted to director for the Hughie Mack series of comedies. His background in magic helped him create interesting new gags for the comedian. When Mack left the studio in 1917, Semon took over the starring role himself. His one-reelers were quite successful, and Vitagraph sent him to California to participate in its new West Coast operation. He produced as well as wrote, starred in and directed his own films, at the same time also producing films for other comics. In the summer of 1928 Semon apparently fell ill with tuberculosis and simultaneously, it seems, suffered a nervous breakdown. He entered a sanitarium near San Bernardino, CA, where he reportedly died on October 8. However, an air of mystery surrounds his death, since his wife (and former co-star) Dorothy Dwan was allowed almost no contact with him and never saw his body, which was ordered cremated after a tightly secured funeral, which was carried out per Semon's "previous ...
School Days (1920)
Larry in school and always gets in trouble until he falls asleep and dreams of when he's all grown up. (more)
Larry in school and always gets in trouble until he falls asleep and dreams of when he's all grown up. (more)
Between the Acts (1919)
Larry working behind the scenes at a vaudeville show and mess things up. (more)
Larry working behind the scenes at a vaudeville show and mess things up. (more)
The Simple Life is a silent comedy short. (more)
Passing the Buck (1919)
Larry has to fight off a bunch of crooks who are after his bag of jewels. (more)
Larry has to fight off a bunch of crooks who are after his bag of jewels. (more)
The Man from Egypt (1916)
Beware the ire of the sacred God Ammett, or any other of those Egyptian Gods for that matter. As a bellhop in a hotel, Hughey managed to get possession of a wonderful ruby, the eye of Ammet, and with its aid obtained an introduction to a millionaire and his ... (more)
Beware the ire of the sacred God Ammett, or any other of those Egyptian Gods for that matter. As a bellhop in a hotel, Hughey managed to get possession of a wonderful ruby, the eye of Ammet, and with its aid obtained an introduction to a millionaire and his ... (more)
Bullies and Bullets (1917)
A slapstick comedy directed by Larry Semon and starring Hughie Mack & Patsy De Forest. (more)
A slapstick comedy directed by Larry Semon and starring Hughie Mack & Patsy De Forest. (more)
The Suitor (1920)
Larry having to go through a lot of trouble to get his girl. All from bomb baking cooks to high flying crashes. (more)
Larry having to go through a lot of trouble to get his girl. All from bomb baking cooks to high flying crashes. (more)
The Stunt Man (1927)
A movie stuntman, whose wealthy girlfriend has just turned down his marriage proposal, is determined to prove to her that he is man enough for her, and in doing so proceeds to ruin take after take, driving everyone on the set crazy, especially his director. (more)
A movie stuntman, whose wealthy girlfriend has just turned down his marriage proposal, is determined to prove to her that he is man enough for her, and in doing so proceeds to ruin take after take, driving everyone on the set crazy, especially his director. (more)
Walls and Wallops (1916)
A comedy short produced by Vitagraph and released in 1916. This is entitled Walls and Wallops, and features Hughey (also spelt Hughie) Mack with Lawrence (also Larry) Semon directing this. It is about cops, capers, and a love interest. (more)
A comedy short produced by Vitagraph and released in 1916. This is entitled Walls and Wallops, and features Hughey (also spelt Hughie) Mack with Lawrence (also Larry) Semon directing this. It is about cops, capers, and a love interest. (more)
Worries and Wobbles (1917)
A man comes home drunk in this slapstick comedy. (more)
A man comes home drunk in this slapstick comedy. (more)
A Villainous Villain (1916)
The master crook steals the sweetheart of Sherlock, a great detective. Sherlock undertakes to recover her. (more)
The master crook steals the sweetheart of Sherlock, a great detective. Sherlock undertakes to recover her. (more)
A Simple Sap (1928)
A bumbling grocery-store employee must deal with such job-related problems as a conniving boss, unruly customers, a baby alligator and an escaped lunatic, all of which culminates in a wild melee involving hurled cakes, pies, buckets of jam and bags of flour. (more)
A bumbling grocery-store employee must deal with such job-related problems as a conniving boss, unruly customers, a baby alligator and an escaped lunatic, all of which culminates in a wild melee involving hurled cakes, pies, buckets of jam and bags of flour. (more)