This film is part of Free

Two Old Sports

A conversation between two gents perks up when they see a picture of a beautiful actress in a magazine

Comedy 1900 1 mins Silent

Overview

Two jolly Victorian gentlemen are enjoying a copy of theatrical magazine Pearson's Pantomime Favourites, when a spread devoted to an attractive actress puts an extra twinkle in their eye. The picture prompts them to start sharing stories and jokes, no doubt including some material not suitable for a family audience. 'Facial' comedies like this were a chance for comic actors to show off their expressiveness for the camera - which captured more detail than theatrical audiences could see.

The man on the right is Tom Green, who starred in many similar skits for this film's director, GA Smith. Based in Brighton, Smith was one of British's first filmmakers, a former stage hypnotist and magic lantern lecturer who pioneered many key cinematic techniques from edits and close-ups to an early version of colour film.