>>
>>Benny Hill reminded me of an even less funny Three Stooges. Never appreciated either one.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>That might have something to do with your generation (you youngster!)
>The Stooges were at the tail end of the slapstick era.
>I could giggle at them, but they weren't really good examples of slapstick.
>Chaplin and Keaton were masters at it.
>Slapstick - pies slamming into faces, people walking into doors etc. was a hangover from silent films where action was more important than dialogue.
>By the time The Stooges came along, there were people like Abbot and Costello or Jack Benny who could make you roar without all the physical activity.
>Now and then I sneak on to You Tube to catch Abbot and Costello.
>They still can get me roaring.

One of the most memorable film experiences I have ever seen was Buster Keaton's "The General" (1926). It was shown at the recently refurbished Paramount Theatre in Seattle. A Microsoft woman spent millions. It had a full Mighty Wurlitzer organ that was also refurbished. A film buff guy who knew Gloria Swanson and traveled around with her played it. It was amazing! Keaton took so many pratfalls you were wondering why he wasn't dead by the end of the film.

I also saw Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last" (1923) there as well where he's climbing on the side of a building. Unbelievable.