This is quite an amusing little skit from the Edison stable featuring a subject that would be revisited for many years. It takes place at a vaudeville show, the act taking place when we join being a cute high-kicking dancer who wins enthusiastic applause from an audience to the left of the screen. Once she has left the stage a man enters and begins to sing. Although we of course can't hear his voice, the barrage of hats flung onto the stage at him tells us all we need to know about this particular performer's vocal talents. But what he lacks in vocal skills he more than makes up for in determination. He disappears from the stage, but not because he has been beaten by the audience but to fetch an umbrella which he uses as protection from the rainfall of hats. Even a couple of stage-hands can't keep him offstage for long. This is worth a look...
4 Reviews
A voice that just won't quit.
F Gwynplaine MacIntyre19 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Short, sweet and funny! The title of this early Edison film -- 'The Extra Turn' -- uses the word 'turn' in its British (and 19th-century American) sense of a 'stage turn': one of several acts on a variety bill. In the days of American vaudeville and the British variety halls, a theatre would post its bill of acts, listing each act (in order of appearance) by name, with a single line of 'bill matter' describing the turn. An 'extra turn' was the bonus appearance of an unbilled act for this one performance only: usually something pretty dire -- a vaudeville act that got stranded, and needs to raise money to get out of town -- but just occasionally a welcome surprise ... such as a big-name act appearing on the bill at a minor theatre without fanfare, in order to try out new material.
'The Extra Turn' begins with a pretty girl dancer doing high kicks, to the enthusiastic response of some customers in a box at stage right. The girl's easel card identifies her as Dolly Lightfoot. Her dance steps are simple and monotonous, but any vaudeville turn which featured a pretty girl (especially as seen here, in a short skirt and flashing her shapely legs in black stockings) was almost certain to get a favourable audience response. Dolly Lightfoot launches one high kick directly towards the spectators in the box, thus offering a flash of her petticoats to them (but not us, alas) and earning herself some more applause and a bouquet. She finishes her act, curtseys prettily, and a page enters from the wings to reveal the next easel card: this one simply says 'Extra', identifying an unscheduled performance.
The extra turn is a male singer, in tailcoat and a realistic moustache: the Edison catalogue's synopsis for this movie identifies him as an 'Italian' singer ... but of course we don't hear his voice, and he creditably avoids the exaggerated gestures of a stage Italian. Despite this, his act clearly stinks: the spectators in the box promptly chuck their hats at him, and more hats come flying at him from the unseen stalls. Undeterred, the singer goes offstage and promptly returns with an umbrella ... which he conveniently kept handy! He opens his umbrella to protect himself from the onslaught of chapeaux, which continues while he tries to carry on singing. Two stagehands come onstage and drag him off into the wings. End of movie.
I laughed precisely once, when the singer -- who has already been dragged offstage -- manages to break free and get onstage one more time, to sing a few more notes, defiant to the last. The rest of this short film was entertaining (especially Miss Dolly Lightfoot's high kicks) but not especially funny.
I well and truly wanted this movie to be a genuine recording of real vaudeville performances in an actual theatre. Although the stage, backdrop and audience box look realistic enough, I suspect that 'The Extra Turn' was actually filmed on a set in Edison's New Jersey studio. For one thing, it would be easier to fake the lot in front of Edison's camera than to set up Edison's cumbersome (and noisy) 1903 camera in an actual vaudeville house. More conclusively, this one-shot film is framed to show only the extreme stage-right of the stage apron, and the adjacent box: if this were an actual vaudeville bill, Dolly Lightfoot and the singer would both have performed their turns downstage centre, which would be out of the frame in this set-up. And there are many documented cases (especially in the less prestigious theatres) of vaudeville audiences chucking food at the performers (sometimes bringing eggs and spoilt greengroceries into the theatre for that express purpose), but did any audience ever actually throw their HATS at the stage, as they do here? Surely they wouldn't want to lose a piece of perfectly good headgear, and wouldn't want to throw it if they'd need to retrieve it.
Many vaudeville theatres really DID have an enormous hook for dragging unpopular performers offstage, as shown in old cartoons and comedy movies. Yet here we see two hookless stagehands ejecting the singer. (IMDb's cross-reference keyword 'hook' is incorrect.) Maybe Edison's production manager just didn't want to spend the time or money to obtain an appropriate hook.
I almost laughed during the headgear barrage when I noticed that the actor playing the singer was careful to hold the open umbrella BEHIND his head, so that it did nothing to protect him from the trilbies being thrown at him. It would have made more sense to tip the umbrella FORWARD ... but then it would have hidden his face from the camera. Aye, this man is a real actor, right enough! I've never yet encountered a movie actor who wouldn't submit to any form of abuse ... providing the camera can see his precious face. I'll rate 'The Extra Turn' 10 out of 10, as a highly amusing (though fake) enactment of 1903 American vaudeville. Next act!
'The Extra Turn' begins with a pretty girl dancer doing high kicks, to the enthusiastic response of some customers in a box at stage right. The girl's easel card identifies her as Dolly Lightfoot. Her dance steps are simple and monotonous, but any vaudeville turn which featured a pretty girl (especially as seen here, in a short skirt and flashing her shapely legs in black stockings) was almost certain to get a favourable audience response. Dolly Lightfoot launches one high kick directly towards the spectators in the box, thus offering a flash of her petticoats to them (but not us, alas) and earning herself some more applause and a bouquet. She finishes her act, curtseys prettily, and a page enters from the wings to reveal the next easel card: this one simply says 'Extra', identifying an unscheduled performance.
The extra turn is a male singer, in tailcoat and a realistic moustache: the Edison catalogue's synopsis for this movie identifies him as an 'Italian' singer ... but of course we don't hear his voice, and he creditably avoids the exaggerated gestures of a stage Italian. Despite this, his act clearly stinks: the spectators in the box promptly chuck their hats at him, and more hats come flying at him from the unseen stalls. Undeterred, the singer goes offstage and promptly returns with an umbrella ... which he conveniently kept handy! He opens his umbrella to protect himself from the onslaught of chapeaux, which continues while he tries to carry on singing. Two stagehands come onstage and drag him off into the wings. End of movie.
I laughed precisely once, when the singer -- who has already been dragged offstage -- manages to break free and get onstage one more time, to sing a few more notes, defiant to the last. The rest of this short film was entertaining (especially Miss Dolly Lightfoot's high kicks) but not especially funny.
I well and truly wanted this movie to be a genuine recording of real vaudeville performances in an actual theatre. Although the stage, backdrop and audience box look realistic enough, I suspect that 'The Extra Turn' was actually filmed on a set in Edison's New Jersey studio. For one thing, it would be easier to fake the lot in front of Edison's camera than to set up Edison's cumbersome (and noisy) 1903 camera in an actual vaudeville house. More conclusively, this one-shot film is framed to show only the extreme stage-right of the stage apron, and the adjacent box: if this were an actual vaudeville bill, Dolly Lightfoot and the singer would both have performed their turns downstage centre, which would be out of the frame in this set-up. And there are many documented cases (especially in the less prestigious theatres) of vaudeville audiences chucking food at the performers (sometimes bringing eggs and spoilt greengroceries into the theatre for that express purpose), but did any audience ever actually throw their HATS at the stage, as they do here? Surely they wouldn't want to lose a piece of perfectly good headgear, and wouldn't want to throw it if they'd need to retrieve it.
Many vaudeville theatres really DID have an enormous hook for dragging unpopular performers offstage, as shown in old cartoons and comedy movies. Yet here we see two hookless stagehands ejecting the singer. (IMDb's cross-reference keyword 'hook' is incorrect.) Maybe Edison's production manager just didn't want to spend the time or money to obtain an appropriate hook.
I almost laughed during the headgear barrage when I noticed that the actor playing the singer was careful to hold the open umbrella BEHIND his head, so that it did nothing to protect him from the trilbies being thrown at him. It would have made more sense to tip the umbrella FORWARD ... but then it would have hidden his face from the camera. Aye, this man is a real actor, right enough! I've never yet encountered a movie actor who wouldn't submit to any form of abuse ... providing the camera can see his precious face. I'll rate 'The Extra Turn' 10 out of 10, as a highly amusing (though fake) enactment of 1903 American vaudeville. Next act!
Rather funny
planktonrules31 March 2014
Films made in the early days of cinema tended to be very, very short. At about a minute and a half, "The Extra Turn" is actually longer than average for the era! Because it's so short, there really is no way to adequately score this one.
When this short film begins, it appears to be in a vaudeville theater. A woman is dancing and the audience is enjoying her. However, when she leaves and a singer begins, he is obviously horrible and the audience starts tossing things at him. One of the hats hits him and knocks him flat but he keeps singing! The only way he stops is when a stagehand comes out and forcibly removes him. In many ways, this is like the short film "Levi & Cohen the Irish Comedians", though "The Extra Turn" is much better—with a nicer set, better humor and a longer running-time. Worth seeing if you adore ancient films.
When this short film begins, it appears to be in a vaudeville theater. A woman is dancing and the audience is enjoying her. However, when she leaves and a singer begins, he is obviously horrible and the audience starts tossing things at him. One of the hats hits him and knocks him flat but he keeps singing! The only way he stops is when a stagehand comes out and forcibly removes him. In many ways, this is like the short film "Levi & Cohen the Irish Comedians", though "The Extra Turn" is much better—with a nicer set, better humor and a longer running-time. Worth seeing if you adore ancient films.
Knowing When to Exit
Michael_Elliott7 August 2015
The Extra Turn (1903)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
This film runs just under two minutes long but I'd argue that it's one of the funniest from this early period of movies. A vaudeville stage is the setting as a girl finishes up her wonderful dance. Up next is a singer who, from the reaction of the crowd, is quite awful. They begin booing and throwing things at the singer but he refuses to leave the stage no matter what happens. If you're a fan of comedy then this here is certainly a must see because of how many laughs it actually has. A lot of times films from this era just played for one joke but that's certainly not the case here because the abuse the singer takes and the reaction of the people in the box is quite hilarious. The actor playing the singer, whoever he is, was excellent and his comic timing was perfect.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
This film runs just under two minutes long but I'd argue that it's one of the funniest from this early period of movies. A vaudeville stage is the setting as a girl finishes up her wonderful dance. Up next is a singer who, from the reaction of the crowd, is quite awful. They begin booing and throwing things at the singer but he refuses to leave the stage no matter what happens. If you're a fan of comedy then this here is certainly a must see because of how many laughs it actually has. A lot of times films from this era just played for one joke but that's certainly not the case here because the abuse the singer takes and the reaction of the people in the box is quite hilarious. The actor playing the singer, whoever he is, was excellent and his comic timing was perfect.
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