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 instructions" and to which almost no attendees were allowed. The whereabouts of Semon's cremated remains are to this day a mystery, and his widow professed until her death to be mystified by the circumstances of his passing. With enormous financial obligations facing him Larry Semon could easily have considered a dramatic escape of this sort from his creditors. Whether he did, or whether his death was the sad final chapter to a high-rising, briefly brilliant, but ultimately short-lived career may never be known for certain.
The Wizard of Oz
as ScarecrowA farm girl learns she is a princess and is swept away by a tornado to the land of Oz.
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Kid Speed
as The Speed KidAvery DuPoys is a wealthy businessman, organising a race. He meets one of the competitors of the...
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Underworld
as Slippy LewisBoisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze,...
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School Days
as JoeLarry in school and always gets in trouble until he falls asleep and dreams of when he's all...
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The Sawmill
as The Dumb-BellA bumbling sawmill employee tries to win the hand of the owner's daughter while staying out of...
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The Perfect Clown
as Bert LarryA clerk is given $10,000 to deposit at the bank, but the bank is closed for the night so he...
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The Bakery
as Larry, a Bakery ClerkWell-meaning but accident-prone bakery employee Larry is involved in numerous slapstick mishaps...
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The Show
as The Prop Man / Gentle OnlookerA harried propman backstage at a theater must put up with malfunctioning wind machines, roosters...
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Frauds and Frenzies
as Larry, First PrisonerThe story is of two convicts always trying to escape, until one day when they actually manage...
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The Fall Guy
as Larry, the Fall GuyLarry falls afoul of wanted criminal Gentleman Joe, who runs a saloon full of tough guys and...
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The Barnyard
as Lay Zee, Farm HandLay Zee works on a farm and has won the heart of the farmer's daughter. There is oil on the...
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The Girl in the Limousine
as TonyTony and Freddie, who have been rivals all their lives, vie for the hand in marriage of their...
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Bears and Bad Men
as Larry CutshawBears and Bad Men is a 1918 silent comedy film directed by Larry Semon[1] and featuring Stan Laurel.
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The Rent Collector
as Larry, the Rent CollectorThe Rent Collector is a 1921 American silent comedy film featuring Larry Semon & Oliver Hardy.
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Scamps and Scandals
as LarryLarry helps a girl escape her wedding to a fat man.
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Risks and Roughnecks
as Our Hero"Risks and Roughnecks" is an early Larry Semon effort with outrageously funny acrobatics as...
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The Fly-Cop
as The Fly CopLarry going investigating an Oriental opium den. And opium is to Larry what spinach is for Popeye!
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The Hick
as Larry, the HickLarry might be a hick causing a lot of trouble at the farm, but he shows he can outsmart those...
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The Midnight Cabaret
as Larry, a WaiterThe Midnight Cabaret is a 1923 American film directed by Larry Semon and featuring Oliver Hardy.
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Between the Acts
as Larry, the Handy Man and a DrunkardLarry working behind the scenes at a vaudeville show and mess things up.
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Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs
as LawrenceA man decides to stage a fake robbery in front of his girlfriend's father (who doesn't like...
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Passing the Buck
as The House DetectiveLarry has to fight off a bunch of crooks who are after his bag of jewels.
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A Pair of Kings
as King August / StrangerA Pair of Kings is a 1922 American silent comedy film featuring Larry Semon & Oliver Hardy.
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Lightning Love
as Larry, a SuitorThe storm, which takes up most of the second reel, is a trial run for the storm sequence in The...
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Her Boy Friend
as Larry, the Chief's sonYoung and beautiful Iva Method is spying for the police at the Dropem Inn, a sleazy club that...
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Dunces and Dangers
as LarryLarry and his wife are desperately poor—with no food. However, the butcher and grocer show up to...
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Huns and Hyphens
as LarryThis film represents one of Larry Semon's pro-war films. He is a clumsy guy working in a...
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The Stunt Man
as LarryA movie stuntman, whose wealthy girlfriend has just turned down his marriage proposal, is...
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The Grocery Clerk
as The Grocery ClerkBig Ben has the largest store in the town of New Ralgia. His chief clerk is in love with the...
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Tough Luck and Tin Lizzies
as LarryUnlucky Larry finds himself pursued by the police after he inadvertently steals a man's car and...
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The Bell Hop
as The BellhopA government official staying in a hotel puts some important secret papers in the hotel safe. A...
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The Star Boarder
as Star Boarder / Little Joe, Escaped ConvictLarry's absurdly plush life of ease as a convict comes to an end when his sentence is up. Tossed...
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The Suitor
as The SuitorLarry having to go through a lot of trouble to get his girl. All from bomb baking cooks to high...
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Gall and Golf
as O.U. DubbGolf, we discover in this early Semon short, is a game that is played by striking a croquet ball...
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The Cloudhopper
as Borden Rhoom / Getz A. BunnThe plot of this film really isn't that important. Instead, the sight gags and chase scenes are...
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A Simple Sap
as ItA bumbling grocery-store employee must deal with such job-related problems as a conniving boss,...
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Trouble Brewing
as Government agentThis film, with Larry as a dry agent, pokes fun at the situations which the Prohibition Act...
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Horseshoes
as LarryA boxer offers $50 to anyone who can stay in the ring with him for an entire minute. Larry,...
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Spuds
as SpudsIn France during World War I, an army payroll car containing $250,000 turns up missing. A GI,...
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Oh, What a Man!
as The DetectiveA detective sets out to nab Notorious Nora, the tough female leader of a gang whose headquarters...
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Go Straight!
as SelfGilda is a crook who wants to go straight, but her pals keep holding her back. She moves to...
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Traps and Tangles
as Detective SparksLarry Semon stars a guy being chased. Here we have a small twist on the sitting on the tram path...
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Pluck and Plotters
as The JanitorHe is the utterly inept janitor in an office building, where an inventor is busy cutting a deal...
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His Home Sweet Home
as The HusbandLarry Semon is in the kitchen preparing food for a high society musical evening.
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Dew Drop Inn
as Larry, the DetectiveA comedy short by and with Larry Semon.
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The Head Waiter
as The Head WaiterThe headwaiter does tricks with spaghetti that the greatest spaghetti handlers in the world...
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The Simple Life
as A Farmer's BoyThe Simple Life is a silent comedy short.
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