Yuks, Nyuks, Chuckles: Slapsticon

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"IT IS TINY compared to what the DC FilmFest gets," admits Slapsticon organizer Rob Farr.

Well, there's tiny and there's tiny. The sixth annual four-day festival of rare old comedies expects about 250 people at the Rosslyn Spectrum this weekend, 100 of whom are coming from out of town. Not a bad turnout, considering these films aren't in color, most don't have big stars, and many are silent (a grand piano will be on hand to provide soundtracks for those).

Farr considers Slapsticon a success in that "we've got the cooperation of the [film] archives, got prints from the Library of Congress, and we roughly break even each year." Furthermore, "there's a lot of stuff that collectors have that the archives don't. And most of the collectors I know aren't really squirrely; they want people to see the treasures they've acquired."

Thursday's main treasure is "3 Stooges Rarities," a collector's compilation of TV appearances and screen tests, plus some random candid footage. "And right after that we're showing W.C. Fields in his first starring film, 'Sally of the Sawdust,' directed by D.W. Griffith," says Farr.

What's the relevance for today's audiences? Well, consider that Homer Simpson's "D'oh!" was borrowed from Laurel and Hardy villain Jimmy Finlayson. Farr points out an "unbroken lineage of slapstick tradition," citing the scene in "Wedding Crashers" where Vince Vaughn gets a load of buckshot in his rear. "You could've seen that in a 1914 Keystone comedy."

Isn't four days and 80 films a bit much? "I can't do it; I get visual overload," Farr says. "But there are these people who are there from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m., and you gotta chase 'em out for lunch and dinner.

"The real hard-core experts and scholars come to Slapsticon. If a bomb fell on the Spectrum, half the knowledge of silent film comedy would be lost."

» Rosslyn Spectrum, 1611 N. Kent St., Arlington; through Sun., $99 full pass, $30 per day, $16 half-day; full schedule at slapsticon.org/program.html.

Written by Express contributor Paul Stelter

Photo courtesy Slapsticon