View allAll Photos Tagged comical
White cockatoos (genus Cacatua), collectively known as corellas in Australia. They screech, hang about and generally have a lot of fun.
ODC March 29 Comedy
A bar patron lights a cigarette with a large facsimile of a Zippo lighter at a pub in Uptown Dallas.
EXPLORED Dec 2, 09 #309
A 1st century BC Hellenistic gargoyle representing a comical cook-slave from Ai Khanoum, Afghanistan. The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages some means of water diversion, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted. In Egypt, gargoyles ejected the water used in the washing of the sacred vessels which seems to have been done on the flat roofs of the temples. In Greek temples, the water from roofs passed through the mouths of lions whose heads were carved or modeled in the marble or terracotta cymatium of the cornice.
A local legend that sprang up around the name of St. Romanus (AD 631–641), the former chancellor of the Merovingian king Clotaire II who was made bishop of Rouen, relates how he delivered the country around Rouen from a monster called Gargouille or Goji, having the creature captured by the only volunteer, a condemned man. The gargoyle's grotesque form was said to scare off evil spirits so they were used for protection. In commemoration of St. Romain the Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the reliquary of the saint was carried in procession (see details at Rouen).
Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles and chimeras. The most famous examples are those of Notre Dame de Paris. Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, or combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous. Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called grotesques. They serve more as ornamentation, but are now synonymous with gargoyles.
Both ornamented and unornamented water spouts projecting from roofs at parapet level were a common device used to shed rainwater from buildings until the early eighteenth century. From that time, more and more buildings employed downpipes to carry the water from the guttering at roof level to the ground and only very few buildings using gargoyles were constructed. In 1724, the London Building Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain made the use of downpipes compulsory on all new construction.
Gargoyles and the Church
Gargoyle located in Paris on Notre DameGargoyles were viewed two ways by the church throughout history. On one hand the gargoyles were used as a representation of evil. It is thought that they were used to scare people into coming to church, reminding them that the end of days is near. It’s also thought to give them some assurance that evil is kept outside of the church’s walls.
On the other hand the medieval clergy viewed gargoyles as a form of idolatry. Animals were viewed as soulless beings in the eyes of the Catholic Church. In the 12th century a church leader named St. Bernard of Clairvaux was famous for speaking out against the various forms of animals and monsters hanging on his church.
The Animals
In the medieval world many creatures had mystical powers attributed to them. Also, human qualities were sometimes ascribed to specific animals - that is, the animals were anthropormorphized. Below is a list of some animals commonly used as gargoyles, and the meanings behind them.
Lion
Lions were the most common non-native animal crafted as a gargoyle in the medieval period. In ancient times, the lion was linked to the sun, most likely due to its golden mane bearing similarity to the solar wreath of the sun. During the medieval period lions became the symbol of pride, one of the 7 deadly sins. Cats other than lions were rare among gargoyle carvings because of their dark nature and association with Satanism and Witchcraft.
Dog
Dogs were the most common native animal crafted as a gargoyle. Dogs were seen as faithful, loyal, and intelligent, making them excellent guardians.
Wolf
Although the wolf was a feared creature in medieval times, it was also respected. Wolves ability to live and cooperate as a pack gave rise to the metaphor that a wolf could be a leader of a pack and protect the members. This was linked to priests who would fight of the evil of the Devil for the common folk. The wolf was also linked to the deadly sin of greed.
Eagle
A powerful bird who was said to be able to slay dragons. Eagles were respected for their ability to see far away objects, and were also said to renew themselves by looking into the sun (accounting for the glint always seen in the eagle’s eye in paintings).
Snake
From the story of Adam and Eve, the serpent represents a struggle between good and evil. The serpent was related to the deadly sin ‘envy’. They were also thought to be immortal due to the shedding of their skin. This gave rise to the symbol for immortality being the Ouroboros, a serpent with a tail in its mouth.
Goat
The goat had two viewpoints in medieval times. One perspective was that the goat was equated with Christ due to its ability to climb steep slopes and find edible food. On the other side it was seen as a symbol for lust and even linked to Satan.
Monkey
Monkeys were seen as what happened to humans when nature went awry. They were thought to be stupid creatures, and their intelligence was misrepresented as cunning. The monkey was linked to the deadly sin of ‘sloth’.
Chimeras
Chimeras are merely mixes of different types of animal body parts to create a new creature. Some of the more notiable chimeras are griffins, centaurs, harpies, and mermaids. Chimeras often served as a warning to people who underestimated the devil.
thanks for the texture Kenny... www.flickr.com/photos/photohound/
Hello??
So comical....
She looks like she is looking right at me, but I doubt it. I was inside the house with a longer lens on the camera.... finally I am able to balance the lens with my wrist that is just barely healed from a break in January....
I think they seemed to be nibbling at the ends of the new blossom buds on the crabapple tree.... I hope we still get blossoms!
On the pub door - you just know that the staff have a great sense of humour when you see a sign like this!! Made us all smile.
That's our daughter's reflection in the glass.
#26 -- Comical -- 119 Pictures in 2019
Since the theme of this year's Snowdown Parade was "Comics," does that mean that every parade entry is by definition comical? Here are several dozen "Jane Jetson" Dancing Divas, coming down 5th Street, sort of in step.
Daily Dog Challenge: Comical
Our Daily Topic: On Display
Miss Maggie is definitely a source of comedy in this house. She used to sleep either in her bed at the foot of ours, or on our bed. Lately we find her all over the house. This is one of her favorites -- inside my closet under my long dresses. Just makes yourself right at home, Miss Maggie.
(Alas this is an iPhone pic, and unlike many, I have not mastered the iPhone camera. Although not one of my best images, it was just too darn cute not to share!)
My images are posted here for your enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. Please contact me through flickr if you are interested in using one of my images for any reason.
The usual comical, frantic, jerky feeding behavior of this egret usually allows it to be identified from a great distance off even though you cannot discern any of its field marks. It's my favorite large wader to watch trying to secure a meal. This bird, however was remarkably subdued... it was uncharacteristically calm and patient! This behavior is more typical for its larger cousin: Great Egret.
IMG_8985; Reddish Egret
Almost comical in its representation of the endemic polar bear this rusty old sign with the caption Арктикуголь Шпицберген (Arcticcoal Spitsbergen) stands in Pyramiden, a Russian enclave occupied under the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. The coal miners left it here when they deserted the place in 1998.
None of this means the Russians have given it up. They haven't. There is a permanent presence and indeed, if you visit, you will be met, greeted and guided by Russians.
In an odd twist, whereas Article 9 of the Treaty forbids the use of Svalbard for war-like purposes, Norwegian authorities have recently intercepted a Russian national at Tromsø airport in contravention of sanctions banning his alleged actions while in Norway. Descriptions of his possessions suggest espionage at a tense time where Russian expansionism, military aggression and sabotage are suspected. And where was he headed? Why, to Svalbard, of course, and a convenient location of Russian territory. Watch this space!
Construction in downtown Toronto.
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The usual comical, frantic, jerky feeding behavior of this large egret regularly allows it to be identified from a great distance off, even though you cannot discern any of its field marks. This image shows well the reddish neck and the bicolored bill... also field marks to note. This bird is my favorite large wader to watch trying to secure a meal. I usually try for stills of this feeding behavior... but it likely, the coverage would be more interesting as a video. The small wader in the background is a Yellowlegs (probably Greater).
IMG_0304; Reddish Egret
Florence Nightin’owl is our tribute to history’s most famous nurse and to all the nurses, past and present, who have worked tirelessly to care for our children, young people and families. With her smart blue uniform and comical glasses, Florence represents the cour-age, compassion, trust, respect, commitment and sense of fun that our teams show every day at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and throughout the NHS.
Artist: Deven Bhurke
Is an artist and graphic designer with a versatile style. He has previously been involved in similar WIA public art events and he was commissioned by Marwell Wildlife’s Go! Rhinos in 2013, by the National Literacy Trust in 2014, and by Transport for London.
Website: www.devenbhurke.com
Sponsor: Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Trust
Auction Price: £6000
The Big Hoot captured the imagination of everyone in Birmingham and beyond, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets with their Big Hoot Trail maps to explore the colourful invasion of individually designed owls. Taking in the city’s 10 districts, tourists and residents alike enjoyed their owl adventure, discovering and celebrating the extraordinary creativity produced by many of Birmingham’s artistic community and over 25,000 young people.
The Big Hoot owls went under the hammer on 15 October 2015 at The Big Hoot auction sponsored by Vodafone and we are thrilled to have smashed our target by raising the incredible sum of £508,035!
The money raised from the auction will support Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s £3.65m Star Appeal. This appeal will enable us to create a first of its kind, a Rare Diseases Centre in the UK specifically for children. It will provide co-ordinated care, treatment, support and most importantly hope to children and families living with a rare or undiagnosed condition.
In addition the auction raised £15,000 for G’owl’d by Temper with proceeds going to Edward’s Trust, and £7,800 for Fleet and Free with proceeds going to Birchfield Harriers.
So thank you - we simply couldn’t have done it without you.
Artists have played a major role in The Big Hoot, creating almost 100 owl sculptures. We would like to thank all the artists for their incredible creativity and hard work.
Professional artists from Birmingham, the wider Midlands region and further afield have created extraordinary giant owls that are all unique in style and character and represent the city’s creativity, history and heritage, music, fashion, architecture and attractions.
Birmingham is home to a wealth of artistic and creative individuals and communities and many award-winning and nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. We are delighted with the response from Birmingham’s creative community and are thrilled to work in collaboration with them to transform the streets, squares and parks of the city.
For five months artists have been creating owls in their studios, at home and in The Big Hoot Artists’ Studio at the Custard Factory in Digbeth. Their inspiring and innovative designs have been realised in genres including graffiti, illustration, fine art, graphics, typography, mosaic and new media. They have worked with both community groups and with corporates to realise ideas and create their stunning designs.
The Big Hoot not only provides a high quality and ambitious free public event for families but also supports the creativity of artists and celebrates talent and diversity. The Big Hoot has provided an inspiring relationship between the city and the arts.
The artists have also reached out to communities enabling more people to participate in the arts, to experience working with professional artists and to be inspiring and inspired. From the north to the south of the city residents groups, youth groups and older peoples’ groups have been collaborating with artists to generate ideas, design and create owls for The Big Hoot.
Creativity is everywhere but the opportunity to participate is not. A range of activities have been programmed within Birmingham’s diverse communities and people from the age of 3 – 97 and from wards within the city boundaries have contributed to The Big Hoot and helped make the event extraordinary. Our projects have seen artists working with hundreds of residents and community members including children in looked after care, older peoples’ clubs, young people and residents organisations to design and decorate the owls displayed as part of the 10 week public event.
For the past two summers I have been working almost exclusively with the ever comical Atlantic Puffin. These images are a small selection from this project to view more please visit www.kevinmorgans.com or alternatively follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kevinmorgansphotography/
No known copyright restrictions. Please credit UBC Library as the image source. For more information, see digitalcollections.library.ubc.ca/cdm/about.
Creator: Unknown
Date Created: 1923
Source: Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Arkley Croquet Collection.
Permanent URL: digitalcollections.library.ubc.ca/cdm/ref/collection/arkl...
At first this behaviour looks almost comical - a bit like Punch & Judy - but it can be deadly serious. It's common for the two largest chicks to turn on the smallest one and try to kill it, often by throwing it out of the nest. However, in this particular nest it was the two larger ones who were fighting each other while the little one tried to keep its head down and stay out of trouble. The mother stood by and watched dispassionately. In Nature it's all about survival of the fittest, of course, but I couldn't help hoping the little guy managed to keep out of harm's way.
Our Daily Challenge: Comical
Daily Dog Challenge: Space
Thank you so much for your views, comments and favs. I really do appreciate every one!
My images are posted here for your enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. Please contact me through flickr if you are interested in using one of my images for any reason.
Italian postcard. 'Hobby'. 1950s.
Nino Besozzi, born Giuseppe Besozzi (Milan, February 6, 1901 - Milan, February 2, 1971), was a popular Italian comical stage and screen actor, who excelled in 1930s Italian comedy.
Besozzi made his stage debut in Siena in 1919 with the Calò Company, and then joined various companies alongside artists such as Irma Gramatica, Luigi Cimara, Andreina Pagnani, Ruggero Ruggeri, Vera Vergani, Virgilio Talli, and Vittorio De Sica, revealing particular talents in the comic genre. From 1931 to the second post-war period he alternated theater and cinema, specializing in parts of a casual and brilliant young man in the context of the comic-sentimental repertoire of "white telephones" and often paired with Elsa Merlini in films such as Goffredo Alessandrini's La segretaria privata (1931), Besozzi's film debut, and T'amerò sempre by Mario Camerini (1933). In the first he is a banker who treats a new typist (Elsa Merlini) as a flirt, so he is taught a lesson. In the latter, he is a shop accountant who defends a hairdresser (Elsa de Giorgi) with an illegitimate child against the aristocratic scoundrel (Mino Doro) who wants to keep her his mistress despite an upcoming marriage. In the same years, Besozzi made his first fleeting appearances before the radio microphone, as in Goldoni's Le gelosie di Lindoro (1932), with Dina Galli. As for the theater, in this period he founded the famous Besozzi-Falconi Company, together with Armando Falconi.
Distinguished also in dramatic roles, from 1946 he imposed himself on the theater especially in the brilliant repertoire, interpreting works such as Siamo tutti milanesi by Arnaldo Fraccaroli and I morti non pagano by Nicola Manzari. Gifted with a flexible voice, with which he also played through nasal effects, he took part in various radio broadcasts, especially in the 1950s: from magazines such as Zig Zag (1950) and Fermo posta (1956) to comedies such as Gondinet's Viaggio di piacere (1956, directed by Convalli), Bettina by de Musset (1958, directed by Meloni) and Ricordati by Cesare di Davion (1959, directed by Brissoni), with Lina Volonghi and Alfredo Bianchini.
Besozzi made his debut on television in 1956 participating in the variety Lui, lei e gli altri, a sort of sitcom ante litteram. Later he engaged in television prose, but also in variety shows such as Un due tre and Con loro (1956), he was among the interpreters of the TV series Mont Oriol (1958) and Il Conte di Montecristo (1966). Among his latest radio interpretations were Ipotesi strutturale by Plebe and Di Martino (1969, directed by Giuseppe Di Martino) and Bowen's Il vestito di pizzo (1970, directed by Michele Bandini). Nino Besozzi was also an outstanding caricaturist, draftsman, and painter.
Sources: Wikipedia (Italian), and IMDb.
Comical
Grumpy never finds anything funny, but everyone else thought Dopey was comical balancing that pitcher on his head. Lighten up there Grumps!
Triptych of the cow Norman, capturing a quite comical expression.
__
I was initially intrigued by Norman because he made eye contact with me when I walked over. I started taking photos of him after about 5 minutes of observation. In our animal, food, and justice class, we always talked about making the animal more concrete and how talk about factory farming always abstracts the animal in a way that prevents action.
Norman is an especially calm and collected cow, but he punctuates this with moments of quite surprising facial expressions. While I was taking photos of Norman, he stayed perfectly still and gazed deeply into my eyes, watching my every move. After about 10 or 15 minutes, I think he decided I wasn’t going to eat him and promptly laid down, munching the grass at his feet. He reminded me of an old grandfather, possessing an unlimited amount of patience. His calmness was infectious. Usually, I get really excited when I’m taking pictures, trying to get the perfect shot in the moment. In this case, I ended up calming myself down quite a bit after realizing that Norman wasn’t going to walk away at a moment’s notice. I guess this is somewhat what people mean when they say that you have to try to “become the animal” when you try to understand them. I think this is also a lesson that I’ll take away for future photographs as well - the idea of how patience can allow you to notice things about the composition and subject matter that you don’t observe at first glance. By noticing those things, you can compose the frame in such a way that can communicates that insight, telling an entirely different story.
Comical figure of Boreas, the north wind, blowing Odysseus across the sea on a raft made of amphorae. The hero holds a trident. The head of the wind god with bloated cheeks in the corner of the scene is also found in Roman era mosaics and post-classical maps. www.theoi.com/Gallery/T28.5.html
Vintage French postcard. Édition Pathé Frères, 1910s.
Charles Prince (1872-1933), aka just ‘Prince’ ,was a French film actor, director and writer. He was famous for his countless comical shorts with his alter ego Rigadin.
Charles Ernest René Petitdemange - better known as Charles Prince - was born at Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) on 27 April 1872 – though some mention his birthplace as Petitdemange, near Paris. Prince’s father was a manufacturer of artificial silk and had planned for his son to study commerce and assist him. Prince chose otherwise. He had his theatrical debut in 1896 at the Theatre de l’Odéon in the play La Bodinière, using a first pseudonym: Seigneur. Around the turn-of-the-century Charles took the stage name of Prince and became a popular boulevard theatre star, cherished for his comic performances at the Theatre des Variétés, as in Ma Tante de Honfleur. After a decade Pathé Frères managed to hire him in 1908 to act in their films. Right from the beginning almost of his films were directed by Georges Monca, mostly for the Pathé subsidiary SCAGL (Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettres). Already in 1909 Prince acted in almost 20 shorts such as a few with Mistinguett (e.g. Fleur de pavé, Michel Carré/ Albert Capellani 1909). This number greatly increased in the subsequent year 1910, when Prince introduced his character of Rigadin: ¾ of his film performances that year – over 30 films - were as Rigadin. Monca also directed all of the Rigadin shorts. While in 1911 Prince played in some 23 Rigadin comedies, 1912 was a top year with some 45 Rigadin shorts. In 1913 some Prince did some 30 Rigadin shorts and in 1914 22 ones despite the outbreak of the First World War and the temporary collapse of the French film industry then. In the early 1910s Prince/Rigadin was extremely popular throughout the world, rivalling with – the now better known - Max Linder. What both actors helped, was that they worked for Pathé, the first multinational in film history, which had a clockwork production output, massive distribution and promotion around the globe, and even its own global network of cinemas. In Germany Rigadin was known as Moritz, in Britain and the US as Whiffles, in Italy as Tartufini, in Spain as Salustiano, and in Russia as Prenz. Prince/Rigadin had a remarkable face with a curling lip showing his teeth and an upturned nose, which he even mocked himself in Le Nez de Rigadin (1911).
As Rigadin, Prince often played the bourgeois who gets in trouble with authorities or with love interests, because of his timidity and clumsiness. Just like Prince’s previous stage performances, the Rigadin comedies thus mocked pre-war bourgeois drama and their main topic of amour, even if Prince himself occasionally acted in these bourgeois dramas as well. In contrast to the previous anarchic comedy at Pathé and other companies, Rigadin was inspired by vaudeville and light stage comedy, and so Prince’s character stuck to ‘white collar’ respectability and convention, while being pestered by mother-in-laws or his own mistresses. In Rigadin n’aime pas le vendredi 13 (1911) for instance, Rigadin has a dinner with his fiancée and her parents, but it is Friday the 13th and Rigadin is so superstitious that everything goes wrong. In La Garçonnière de Rigadin (1912) Rigadin lends his bachelor flat to his future father-in-law, not knowing ‘papa’ is going to use it for his secret rendez-vous. In contrast to Linder, Prince also made Rigadin do countless transformations in all kinds of professions, from domestic, cook, chestnut seller, poet, singer and explorer to the president of the French Republic and Napoleon. In Rigadin peintre cubiste (1912) Prince mocked avant-garde art by having Rigadin and his model wear angular clothes. In Rigadin aux Balkans (1912) Prince played a war cameraman who fakes scenes for the camera in France. During the First World War the number of Rigadin comedies went down from some 20 films in 1915, to 16 in 1916, 13 in 1917, and 11 in 1918. Still, all in all Prince must have acted in some 200 shorts as of 1908, mostly Rigadin comedies. Prince also experimented with the exchange between stage and screen. In the war revue show Nouvelle Revue, shown at the Paris Theatre Antoine in 1915, a notary Rigadin from the countryside is appalled about a film poster suggesting he has an affair with a girl and visits a Parisian cinema. There he speaks to the Rigadin on the screen, until the other turns around and starts to speak with him. When the notary tries to pursue him, he is suddenly within the film…
In all of these years, the number of films in which Prince wasn’t Rigadin was really small. As of 1913, Prince acted in long(er) features as well, mostly dramas. In 1913 he thus acted opposite Léon Bernard and Suzanne Demay in the SCAGL production Les Surprises du divorce, directed by Monca. Then followed Le Bon juge, Le Coup de fouet, Ferdinand le noceur, Le Fils à papa and Monsieur le directeur, all co-directed in 1913 by Monca and Prince himself. Subsequent long films co-directed by Prince were in 1914 Les Trente millions de Gladiator, Bébé, La Famille Boléro, La Femme à papa (all co-directed by Prince) and Les Fiançés héroïques (Monca 1914), in 1915 L’Auréole de la gloire and La Main dans le sac (both by Monca), in 1916 La Mariée récalcitrante (Monca, Prince). In 1919-1921 Prince played in a few feature-lenghth comedies, again all directed by Monca, such as Les Femmes collantes (1919-1920) and Madame et son filleul (1919). One last time he played in a Rigadin short, probably mocking his own dissatisfaction or that of the spectators, as the title was Prince embêté par Rigadin (1920). By the early 1920s, though, not only the popularity of Rigadin but also that of Prince had faded, and for years Prince didn’t act in film anymore. After one last silent film in 1928 (Embrassez-moi by Robert Péguy and Max de Rieux), he did have an active career in early French sound cinema between 1930 and 1933, but now in supporting roles, as in Maurice Tourneur’s Partir (1931) and Pierre Colombier’s Sa Meilleure cliente (1932), starring Elvire Popesco and René Lefèvre. Prince died at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne) on 17 July 1933. Unfortunately his tomb was destroyed.
In 1900 Prince was married to vaudeville and film actress Miss (Aimée) Campton (1882-1930), whose original name was Emily Strahan Cager. They had one daughter Renée (1901-1993). In 1914 Prince married his second wife Gabrielle (1883-1974). Campton was the cousin of Paul Derval, director of the Folies-Bergères. Prince's great-grandson is French film director Cris Ubermann.
Sources: IMDB, French and English Wikipedia, Bibliothèque du Film, Richard Abel, The Ciné Goes to Town, The Bioscope (thebioscope.net/2007/09/07/slapstick-european-style-part-1/), Eva Krivanec (in the volume Theatre und Medien/Theatre and the Media), Adrien Vernardin (Le Musée du Music-Hall), various obituaries in newspapers.
Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentals pauses between preening sessions in the late evening light, Pensacola FL
The wonderful, comical and beautiful Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica) here photographed with a haul of sand-eels on the superb Isle of May off the East Coast of Scotland.
Spanish postcard. Photo Pathé.
Charles Prince (1872-1933), aka just ‘Prince’, was a French film actor, director and writer. He was famous for his countless comical shorts with his alter ego Rigadin.
Charles Ernest René Petitdemange - better known as Charles Prince - was born at Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) in 1872 – though some mention his birthplace as Petitdemange, near Paris. Prince’s father was a manufacturer of artificial silk and had planned for his son to study commerce and assist him. Prince chose otherwise. He had his theatrical debut in 1896 at the Theatre de l’Odéon in the play 'La Bodinière', using a first pseudonym: Seigneur. Around the turn-of-the-century, Charles took the stage name of Prince. He became a popular boulevard theatre star, cherished for his comic performances at the Theatre des Variétés, as in 'Ma Tante de Honfleur'. After a decade, Pathé Frères hired him in 1908 to act in their films. Right from the beginning almost all of his films were directed by Georges Monca, mostly for the Pathé subsidiary SCAGL (Société Cinématographique des Auteurs et Gens de Lettres). Already in 1909, Prince acted in almost 20 shorts such as a few with Mistinguett, e.g. Fleur de pavé (Michel Carré, Albert Capellani, 1909). This number greatly increased in the subsequent year 1910, when Prince introduced his character of Rigadin: ¾ of his film performances that year - over 30 films - were as Rigadin. Monca also directed all of the Rigadin shorts. While in 1911 Prince played in 23 Rigadin comedies, 1912 was a top year with 45 Rigadin shorts. In 1913 some Prince did 30 Rigadin shorts and in 1914 22 ones despite the outbreak of the First World War and the temporary collapse of the French film industry then. In the early 1910s Prince/Rigadin was extremely popular throughout the world, rivalling – the now better-known - Max Linder. What both actors helped, was that they worked for Pathé, the first multinational in film history, which had a clockwork production output, massive distribution and promotion around the globe, and even its own global network of cinemas. In Germany Rigadin was known as Moritz, in Britain and the US as Whiffles, in Italy as Tartufini, in Spain as Salustiano, and in Russia as Prenz. Prince/Rigadin had a remarkable face with a curling lip showing his teeth and an upturned nose, for which he even mocked himself in Le Nez de Rigadin (1911).
As Rigadin, Prince often played the bourgeois who gets in trouble with authorities or with love interests, because of his timidity and clumsiness. Just like Prince’s previous stage performances, the Rigadin comedies thus mocked pre-war bourgeois drama and their main topic of amour, even if Prince himself occasionally acted in these bourgeois dramas as well. In contrast to the previous anarchic comedy at Pathé and other companies, Rigadin was inspired by vaudeville and light stage comedy, and so Prince’s character stuck to ‘white collar’ respectability and convention while being pestered by mothers-in-law or his own mistresses. In Rigadin n’aime pas le vendredi 13 (1911) for instance, Rigadin has dinner with his fiancée and her parents, but it is Friday the 13th and Rigadin is so superstitious that everything goes wrong. In La Garçonnière de Rigadin (1912) Rigadin lends his bachelor flat to his future father-in-law, not knowing ‘Papa’ is going to use it for his secret rendezvous. In contrast to Linder, Prince also made Rigadin do countless transformations in all kinds of professions, from domestic, cook, chestnut seller, poet, singer and explorer to the president of the French Republic and Napoleon. In Rigadin peintre cubiste (1912) Prince mocked avant-garde art by having Rigadin and his model wear angular clothes. In Rigadin aux Balkans (1912) Prince played a war cameraman who fakes scenes for the camera in France. During the First World War, the number of Rigadin comedies went down from some 20 films in 1915, to 16 in 1916, 13 in 1917, and 11 in 1918. Still, all in all, Prince must have acted in some 200 shorts as of 1908, mostly Rigadin comedies. Prince also experimented with the exchange between stage and screen. In the war revue show Nouvelle Revue, shown at the Paris Theatre Antoine in 1915, a notary Rigadin from the countryside is appalled by a film poster suggesting he has an affair with a girl and visits a Parisian cinema. There he speaks to the Rigadin on the screen, until the other turns around and starts to speak with him. When the notary tries to pursue him, he is suddenly in the film…
In all of these years, the number of films in which Prince wasn’t Rigadin was really small. As of 1913, Prince acted in long(er) features as well, mostly dramas. In 1913 he thus acted opposite Léon Bernard and Suzanne Demay in the SCAGL production Les Surprises du divorce, directed by Monca. Then followed Le Bon juge, Le Coup de fouet, Ferdinand le noceur, Le Fils à papa and Monsieur le directeur, all co-directed in 1913 by Monca and Prince himself. Subsequent long films co-directed by Prince were in 1914 Les Trente millions de Gladiator, Bébé, La Famille Boléro, La Femme à papa (all co-directed by Prince) and Les Fiançés héroïques (Monca 1914), in 1915 L’Auréole de la gloire and La Main dans le sac (both by Monca), in 1916 La Mariée récalcitrante (Monca, Prince). In 1919-1921 Prince played in a few feature-length comedies, again all directed by Monca, such as Les Femmes collantes (1919-1920) and Madame et son filleul (1919). One last time he played in a Rigadin short, probably mocking his own dissatisfaction or that of the spectators, as the title was Prince embêté par Rigadin (1920). By the early 1920s, though, not only the popularity of Rigadin but also that of Prince had faded, and for years Prince didn’t act in film anymore. After one last silent film in 1928 (Embrassez-moi by Robert Péguy and Max de Rieux), he did have an active career in early French sound cinema between 1930 and 1933, but now in supporting roles, as in Maurice Tourneur’s Partir (1931) and Pierre Colombier’s Sa Meilleure cliente (1932), starring Elvire Popesco and René Lefèvre. Prince died at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Val-de-Marne) in 1933. Unfortunately, his tomb was destroyed. In 1900 Prince married vaudeville and film actress Miss (Aimée) Campton (1882-1930), whose original name was Emily Strahan Cager. Campton was the cousin of Paul Derval, director of the Folies-Bergères. They had one daughter Renée (1901-1993). In 1914 Prince married his second wife Gabrielle (1883-1974). Prince's great-grandson is French film director Cris Ubermann.
Sources: Richard Abel (The Ciné Goes to Town), The Bioscope, Eva Krivanec (Theatre und Medien/Theatre and the Media), Adrien Vernardin (Le Musée du Music-Hall), Bibliothèque du Film, Wikipedia (French and English), IMDb, and various obituaries in newspapers.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
I thought it was comical that Jashaya didn't know the cultural references of "High Times" which appears on his tee or "Reefer Madness".
you can view his
#teeshirttale
in "My videos album
OR
you can view entire clip and more at:
A comical twist on the universal icon for "Ladie's Room" or "Water Closet"
This one was at The House of the Virgin Mary near Izmir, Turkey. After visiting the shrine and ubiquitous souvenir stands, everyone heads for the "WC" before hitting the bus. It's the same everywhere - not enough facilities for the ladies. At one stop, in Olympia, Greece, I quit the long line for the Ladie's WC and went into the Men's which had no line at all; kept my eyes straight ahead though... :)
"© 2011 Jill Clardy"
I ordered a comical number of UV filters and lens caps. In late December, I took stock of the lenses I owned that (A) were missing proper caps and filters and (B) I cared about. The number was sufficient that I now have the resulting tower of (mostly single use plastic) packaging on my table.
It actually looks a bit comical, or childish even!
xxxx
DAF (originally Van Doorne's Aanhangwagen Fabriek - "Van Doorne's Trailer-wagon Fabrication") is a major truck/ lorry bus builder based in the Netherlands. Founded in 1928, it's been part of American-based PACCAR since 1996. DAF used to build small cars also, but sold its car business to Volvo in 1975.
It’s almost comically inevitable that whenever I visit this certain lake all the mallard ducklings are in the darkest possible stretch of water. Every. Single. Time. So I was thrilled for a little help from a little patch of sunlight!
The Common Starling - Sturnus vulgaris - also known as the European Starling, or in the British Isles just the Starling, is an incredibly common introduced bird, widespread in North America (originally brought into the country as part of a mad plan to introduce to the U.S. all birds mentioned in the works of Shakespeare). Its native range is temperate Europe and western Asia, and it has been introduced to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, South Africa, and Fiji. Though they do appear to consume insects that might feed on crops, for the most part this is a highly undesirable invasive species. In North America, they compete with chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, purple martins and other swallows for nesting cavities. They can eat and damage fruit in orchards such as grapes, peaches, olives, currants, and tomatoes or dig up newly sown grain and sprouting crops. They may also eat animal feed and distribute seeds through their droppings. Agricultural damage in the US is estimated as costing about US$800 million annually. The large size of flocks can also cause problems, particularly the very large flocks they form in late fall and winter. Common Starlings may be sucked into aircraft jet engines, one of the worst instances of this being an incident in Boston in 1960, when sixty-two people died after a turboprop airliner flew into a flock and plummeted into the sea at Winthrop Harbor. Starlings' droppings can contain the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, the cause of histoplasmosis in humans. At roosting sites this fungus can thrive in accumulated droppings. On a positive note, Mozart had a pet common starling which could sing part of his Piano Concerto in G Major (KV. 453). He had bought it from a shop after hearing it sing a phrase from a work he wrote six weeks previously, which had not yet been performed in public. He became very attached to the bird and arranged an elaborate funeral for it when it died three years later. It has been suggested that his A Musical Joke (K. 522) might be written in the comical, inconsequential style of a starling's vocalization. Starlings are distantly related to mockingbirds and Mynas, and will mimic other sounds. The ancient Romans taught them to mimic human speech. They are often heard sitting in a tree making a series of chirps, creaks, chatters, and rising whistles, and occasionally calls of other birds such as the killdeer, flicker, Wood Pewee, and crow. Starlings are chunky and blackbird-sized, but with short tails and long, slender beaks. In flight their wings are short and pointed, making them look rather like small, four-pointed stars (and giving them their name). en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_starling starlingtalk.com/mozart1.htm www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/estarling.htm www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/eurostarling.shtml#cit www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/European_Starling/id 20. Common Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Paestum is two hours down the autostrada from Pompeii but the contrast is almost comical. A day earlier we had been suffocating in Pompeii, failing miserably to dodge tour guides and being barked at by the custodians. The next day we were on our own in the wide open green spaces of Paestum, sharing a picnic on the steps of a temple with the security guard
The site is so far off the tourist track that it is almost invisible. What they miss, as they power down the motorway on the Naples/Sicily run, is one of the greatest Hellenic sites - the three Doric temples dedicated to Hera and Athena are among the best preserved Greek temples anywhere. But don’t tell them......
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That evening we stayed at the charming resort down of Sta Maria Castellabate on the sandy (and uncrowded) Cilento coast
You might recall, our last Plague Trip put us in Colorado in the days leading up to the election, when the televisions are full of political ads. One of the most frequent ads on Denver television was from this woman. I took this picture of the TV during one of her ads because she struck me as a particularly comical kind of absurd politician for the modern era, a sort of chesty Sarah Palin wannabe who couldn't quite manage Palin's eloquence or intelligence. (And yes, I know what I'm saying there.) She's an obsessed gun nut, a Trump cultist, and a loud follower of that Q conspiracy theory.
In other words, she's the perfect representative for today's Republican Party.
She wound up winning the race for Colorado's 3rd U.S. Congressional District, and she's spent all her time since throwing fits about not being allowed to carry a loaded gun into the Capitol. Last Wednesday while taking cover with fellow House members during the attempted coup, she was tweeting out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's location to any insurgent who might want to swing by with a noose. During today's hearings about the Impeachment that resulted from that coup -- a few hours after throwing a fit at the Capitol Police for making her pass through a metal detector and refusing to show what was in her purse after she set it off -- she gave a loud and ironically combative speech demanding reconciliation and unity.
That seems to be the line a lot of Republicans want to take on this whole coup thing. They don't want to talk abut the coup itself, and they often try to deflect discussion with talk of how Black people burned down 7-11s last summer. (Of course, they ignore the fundamental differences in scale between burning down a random convenience store and storming the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to murder elected leaders and topple democracy.) After having spent the last two months screaming lies about a so-called stolen election and demonizing their opponents as vile conspirators, their notion -- now that they've been outed as the conspirators -- is that it's time to tone down the rhetoric. Time to put the past behind us and come together in unity for a better tomorrow.
Never mind good old Lauren Boebert up there, who would have happily led Nancy Peolsi to the gallows. Never mind the talk just now emerging that some other members members of Congress conspired with the insurgents to make the coup happen. We're supposed to let all that go. We're supposed to just drop it all and play nice.
I've seen several Republican luminaries quote Lincoln as they plea for some kind of mythical "unity." Republican news personality Hugh Hewitt quoted Lincoln's First Inaugural Address on Twitter, saying, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies." He probably forgot the response to Lincoln's plea was an attack on Fort Sumter and four years of Civil War. On the House floor today, Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise argued against impeachment with the famous line from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address about acting "with malice toward none, with charity for all." He neglected to mention the response Lincoln got was a gunshot to the head.
I know a lot of people in life who firmly believe the way past any problem is to ignore it. Have a disagreement with family? Keep it quiet. Have some sort of medical problem? Ignore it. If you don't believe it's there, it can't hurt you. Do whatever it takes to keep the peace and make it go away. I don't subscribe to that. We are well past the point where this is simple disagreement. The nation has cancer, and it's time we cut it out. We need to look this right in the eye and face it for what it it is. Forget fake charity for those who only want to escape the consequences of inciting insurgency and war. Forget false unity with those who'd be happy to put bullets in our heads. I don't want reconciliation with people who refuse to denounce a coup. They wanted a fight. It's time we stand up and give it to them.