Gigot

The first film to reach out of the TV and take a large emotional bite out of me was Gigot with Jackie Gleason, It's about an outcast (like one we would today call "homeless") who is mute and dares to protect and fall in love with a young woman (prostitute) who has a young daughter. Gigot endears himself to us with his large heart and wit. But he is never seen as a human being who is worthy of love by the people around him--except by the woman's young child.

At a young age, 8, I was struck by the unfairness, the inequity of life--and Jackie's grand performance. This is how I was introduced to him (before taking notice of his lush variety show or The Honeymooners). It also started my love affair with the silent comedians: Harpo, Chaplin, Harry Langdon, L&H, Lloyd, and my favorite, Buster. I even watched Charley Chase, Larry Semon and Ben Turpin. Buster lead me to the first "great one" Roscoe Arbuckle.

What is it about these silent clowns that they hold in common and commonly grip us? One, they can make us laugh. And Two, they can simultaneously pull at our heartstrings. We empathize and root for them. We like them and would be happy to call them our friends, though most in their world reject them.

There's several insights from this into human nature and the tricks of film-making, but this is only a blog about the love and appreciation of the classic film. Thank you oh great silent ones.