Search - Leon Errol Two-Reeler Comedy Collection on DVD

Long Live Leon's Legacy!

Ron Wise | Cleveland, MS USA | 02/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How can one short, paunchy, bald, old guy get mixed up in so many marital misunderstandings and mishaps? It's easy if the guy happens to be Leon Errol.
I bought this set not really knowing much about Errol except what I had read about him. I was totally surprised at how great these short subjects were! I was expecting fair and I got great.
And what's so amazing is that other stars of long-running short subject series usually experienced a decline in the quality of their series as the years went by (for example, the Three Stooges' Columbia series).
However, Errol's series, which ran from the 1930's until his death in 1951, just got better as he aged. The writing and acting in these episodes were always outstanding.
Errol was 70 when he died and this collection includes his last short subject, "Lord Epping Returns" from 1951, which has Errol playing duel roles. It's really a very funny short subject.
Also, Errol's series didn't rely on tired situations like traveling to different part of the world so that gimmicks and costumes could be utilized.
All ten of the entries presented in this collection center around Leon's home or his office. And the plot lines are some of the most complex I've ever seen in any short subject series.
Many of them center around Leon's wife thinking he's chasing other women, and often Leon drops hints that he's done just that.
While Leon Errol may not be everyone's cup of tea, I feel that he is in a class by himself.
It's sad that today he is almost totally forgotten, but hopefully this set will focus the attention on him that he deserves.
I hope VCI will come out with a second collection of Leon Errol short subjects!"

Great Stuff!

J. Bock | Sherman, texas USA | 05/11/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Great DVD compilation of Leon Errol's shorts. This man was one of the true "funnymen" of all time. He looks funny, he acts funny, he walks and talks funny. Some people are comics, some are comedians, Leon Errol is just naturally funny. His reactions are priceless and makes me wish there were still comedies being made that really make you laugh out loud. Not grin, not chuckle, but laugh. The only reason I didn't rate it at 5 stars was the picture quality of some of the prints are poor. But to have them at all is a blessing. I know he must have made hundreds of these shorts....more please."

A lovable schlemiel

Jerry Warriner | United States | 07/16/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My introduction to Leon Errol was as a teenager, when a local (New York) TV station broadcast the movie "Higher and Higher," a delightful 1943 musical comedy that introduced Frank Sinatra and featured Jack Haley, Barbara Hale, Dooley Wilson, Mary Wickes, Mel Torme and Victor Borge.
Errol was superb as the schlemiel who's about to be evicted from his 5th Ave. mansion until his staff comes to his rescue.
Several years later another local program called "Reel Camp" showed both Errol and Edgar Kennedy shorts. I've been an erstwhile Errol fan ever since.
The collection on this DVD is a welcome addition to the video library of anyone who appreciates wholesome fun by a wonderful comic who usually finds himself in the dog house when his wife thinks he's seeing other women.
The quality of the 10 selections varies greatly, but the comedy and Errol's antics still come shining through. Recommended for fans and others who have never seen Errol in action.
"

"Two-Reelers Comedy Collection (2003) ... Leon Errol ... VCI

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 02/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"VCI Entertainment presents "LEON ERROL TWO-REELERS COMEDY COLLECTION" (1938-1949) (180 mins) (Glorious Black & White/Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- Leon Errol was an Australian-born comedian and actor in the United States, popular in the first half of the 20th century --- He managed a traveling vaudeville troupe and gave a young comedian named Roscoe Arbuckle his first professional opportunity. in America --- Errol became a well-known vaudevillian who appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway, and played skits with such notables as Bert Williams and W. C. Fields --- Errol's sister, Leda Errol (née Sims), appeared with him in the Follies.

Errol made a successful transition to films in a variety of comedy roles (over 150 films from 1923) --- His comic trademark was a wobbly, unsteady walk, moving as though his legs were made of rubber; this bit served him well in drunk routines.

Leon Errol is well remembered for his energetic performances in the Mexican Spitfire movies opposite Lupe Vélez (1939-43), in which Errol had the recurring dual role of affable Uncle Matt and foggy British nobleman Lord Epping --- Monogram Pictures signed Errol to appear as fight manager Knobby Walsh in the "Joe Palooka" sports comedies (1946-50) --- Leon Errol's most famous non-series appearance is in the nonsensical comedy feature "Never Give a Sucker an Even Break" (1941), starring fellow vaudeville and Ziegfeld alumnus W. C. Fields.

Errol concurrently starred in a long string of two-reel comedy shorts, which began at Columbia Pictures in 1933 --- Moving to RKO Radio Pictures in 1934, he continued to make six shorts per year until his death in 1951 --- Most of these were marital farces in which Leon would get mixed up with a pretty girl or an involved business proposition, and face the wrath of his wife (usually Dorothy Granger) --- Errol's last film, Lord Epping Returns (1951), reprised his famous characterization (and some of the gags) from Mexican Spitfire.

Footage from the Leon Errol short subjects was incorporated into RKO's compilation features Variety Time, Make Mine Laughs, and Footlight Varieties --- RKO kept Leon Errol in the public eye by reissuing his older comedies through the mid-1950s --- His RKO shorts soon became a staple of syndicated television -- (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

TWO REELER FILM TITLES & YEAR:
1. Twin Husbands (1946)
2. Pretty Dolly (1942)
3. Bet Your Life (1948)
4. Oil's Well that Ends Well (1949)
5. Lord Epping Returns (1951)
6. Dummy Owner (1938)
7. His Pest Friend (1938)
8. Bested by a Beard (1940)
9. Man I Cured (1941)
10. Framing Father (1942).

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Leon Errol
Date of Birth: 3 July 1881 - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Date of Death: 12 October 1951 - Hollywood, California

2. Motion Menus
3. Two-Reeler Selection
4. Classic TV Previews

Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections.

Total Time: 180 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (7/29/2003)"