GLASWEGIAN Billie Ritchie was hailed as one of the greatest comedians of his day but his fame was eclipsed by Charlie Chaplin after the Englishman allegedly copied the Scot’s acts.
Long forgotten, the story of the silent film star, who gained transatlantic fame before sinking into obscurity, will be told at this year’s HippFest which is moving online because of the pandemic.
Scotland’s only silent film festival will also take a timely look at the effects of the 1918-19 “Spanish” flu on cinemas to see if any lessons can be learned as the world is hit by another pandemic.
In an online talk, Dr Trevor Griffiths of Edinburgh University will explore how the first cinemas survived the pandemic after four years of war and mounting criticism of the film industry’s alleged moral corruption of young audiences. He will also look at what steps were taken to stop the spread of infection.
In another HippFest highlight, author John Bengtson will show clips and tell the fascinating story of Ritchie who was born in 1878 and whose career anticipated Chaplin’s in many respects, although few people have heard of the Scot now.
Ritchie shot to transatlantic fame as a performer for British music hall producer Fred Karno, years before Chaplin and Stan Laurel embarked on a similar career path. He claimed his “drunk” and “tramp” personae were developed before and during his time with Karno but it was Chaplin who brought these characters to the big screen.
Ritchie started working for director Henry “Pathe” Lehrman after he had directed Chaplin’s appearances as The Tramp.
Nevertheless, Ritchie’s silent film career also took off and at one point his image was splashed across Universal’s Broadway building. He was so well known it wasn’t thought necessary to add a name to the image. He was equally popular in the UK and was hailed in Glasgow as “Chaplin’s only rival”.
On-set injuries curtailed his career, however, and he died of stomach cancer in 1921. His widow and former stage partner, Winifred Frances, then found employment as Chaplin’s wardrobe mistress, suggesting there was actually no animosity between the two stars.
As well as talks and screenings, and as a result of the online format, HippFest audiences this year will be able to enjoy music from across the globe, including accompaniment from acclaimed international jazz musician Wycliffe Gordon and the Graves Brothers from the USA.
As in previous years, the women of Hollywood are front and centre with Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks and Mary Pickford all featuring in the star-studded programme.
The festival kicks off on Wednesday with Body and Soul (1925) a film by Oscar Micheaux, one of the most successful African-American filmmakers of the early 20th Century. It will be introduced by film historian and documentary filmmaker Professor Charles Musser, and accompanied by an 18-piece orchestral score written by Gordon.
Thursday evening sees a rare screening of thrilling documentary Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life (1925) and on Friday the BBC Symphony Orchestra performs Neil Brand’s score for British drama Underground (1928).
Brand also provides piano accompaniment for the Friday Night Gala presentation of The Eagle (1925), starring Hollywood’s original sex symbol, Rudolph Valentino.
Saturday evening boasts the much-anticipated presentation of Dietrich’s The Woman Men Yearn For (1929).
The festival also takes on a Mary Pickford theme with a cook-a-long, when viewers can prepare the star’s famous enchiladas and a bespoke cocktail created in association with Linlithgow Gin.
The festival closes with a new restoration of Sparrows (1926) starring Pickford, preceded by A Kiss from Mary Pickford, a rare Russian comedy.
www.hippfest.co.uk
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