I picked up a used copy of the Keaton collection which contains his first three MGM films. His last two good ones and a pretty bad one with a few nice moments. The print of The Cameraman on the DVD is so superior to the VHS release that it's as if it were a different film. One result is that it allows for a new appreciation of Josephine's thespian skills. She was amazingly expressive and attentive. One gets the feeling she knew it was play. Keaton had a knack for working with animals. He showed real chemistry on screen with Arbuckle's dog Luke in several early films and with Brown Eyes the Cow in Go West . He said after he worked with Brown Eyes for a few days, she would follow him all over the location.
There's little to be found online about Josephine. On a Chaplin message board I happened upon the post below, written by David B. Pearson of the Silent Film Mafia, which if true means Josephine had a long and distinguished career. Elsewhere I saw her listed in the credits for Calcutta in 1947. That's a thirty year career. The Cameraman was made the year before the Oscars began I think, but in my view Josephine ought to have earned a nomination for supporting actor. At the very least she deserves, to borrow a phrase from another tribe, to be honored as the Grand Dame of Capuchin Thespians. She's that good.
"Is anybody out there really aware of the EXTRAORDINARY film career of
Josephine the Monkey?
She's in Roscoe Arbuckle's "Goodnight Nurse" in 1918.
She's in "Sailor Made Man" with Harold Lloyd in 1921.
She's in "Our Gang" shorts throughout the 1920s, all the way to "Washee
Ironee" in 1933.
She's in some of Larry Semon's shorts, such as "Dome Doctor" in the mid-20s.
She's steals the show from Harold in "The Kid Brother" by walking around in
those boots.
She "shocks" Chaplin on the high wire during "The Circus" by giving him a
love smack right in the ear.
She's Buster's camera sidekick in "The Cameraman," and even makes Keaton
smile for a moment!
And although I can't yet prove it yet (as the films are harder to find than
Harold's features), it's probable that Josephine was the star of the short
lived "Zippy Do-Dad" animal series Hal Roach did in the mid-20s.
Can anybody think of a HUMAN actor with a better comedy resume than
Josephine?"
There's little to be found online about Josephine. On a Chaplin message board I happened upon the post below, written by David B. Pearson of the Silent Film Mafia, which if true means Josephine had a long and distinguished career. Elsewhere I saw her listed in the credits for Calcutta in 1947. That's a thirty year career. The Cameraman was made the year before the Oscars began I think, but in my view Josephine ought to have earned a nomination for supporting actor. At the very least she deserves, to borrow a phrase from another tribe, to be honored as the Grand Dame of Capuchin Thespians. She's that good.
"Is anybody out there really aware of the EXTRAORDINARY film career of
Josephine the Monkey?
She's in Roscoe Arbuckle's "Goodnight Nurse" in 1918.
She's in "Sailor Made Man" with Harold Lloyd in 1921.
She's in "Our Gang" shorts throughout the 1920s, all the way to "Washee
Ironee" in 1933.
She's in some of Larry Semon's shorts, such as "Dome Doctor" in the mid-20s.
She's steals the show from Harold in "The Kid Brother" by walking around in
those boots.
She "shocks" Chaplin on the high wire during "The Circus" by giving him a
love smack right in the ear.
She's Buster's camera sidekick in "The Cameraman," and even makes Keaton
smile for a moment!
And although I can't yet prove it yet (as the films are harder to find than
Harold's features), it's probable that Josephine was the star of the short
lived "Zippy Do-Dad" animal series Hal Roach did in the mid-20s.
Can anybody think of a HUMAN actor with a better comedy resume than
Josephine?"
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SF Bay Area
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