Charles R. Bowers (June 6, 1887 – November 24, 1946) was an American

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

and slapstick comedian during the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

and early "

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

" era. He was forgotten for decades and his name was notably absent from most histories of the Silent Era, although his work was enthusiastically reviewed by

André Breton André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...

and a number of his contemporaries. As his surviving films have an inventiveness and surrealism which give them a freshness appealing to modern audiences, after his rediscovery his work has sometimes been placed in the "top tier" of silent film accomplishments (along with those of, for example,

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

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). In comic style, he probably modelled himself after both

Harry Langdon Henry Philmore "Harry" Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American actor and comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', December 27 ...

and

and was known to the French as "'' Bricolo''."

Biography

The son of Dr. Charles E. Bowers and his wife, Mary I. Bowers, Charles Raymond Bowers was born in Cresco,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. His early career was as a cartoonist on the ''

Mutt and Jeff ''Mutt and Jeff'' is a long-running and widely popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched wikt:tinhorn, tinhorns". It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. The concept o ...

'' series of cartoons for the

Barré Studio Barré Studio was among the first film studios dedicated to animation and founded by Raoul Barré and William Nolan in 1914. The studio pioneered some early animation processes, including mechanical perforation of cels and animating special effe ...

. By the late 1920s, he was starring in his own series of slapstick comedies for R-C Pictures and

Educational Pictures Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational p ...

. His slapstick comedies, a few of which have survived, are an amazing mixture of live action and animation created with the " Bowers Process". Complex

Rube Goldberg Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), better known as Rube Goldberg (), was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated ...

gadgets also appear in many of his comedies. Two notable films include '' Now You Tell One'' with a memorable scene of elephants marching into the U.S. Capitol, and '' There It Is'', a surreal mystery involving the Fuzz-Faced Phantom and MacGregor, a housefly detective. He made a few sound films such as ''

It's a Bird ''It's a Bird...'' is a 2004 graphic novel released by DC Comics under its mature-readers Vertigo imprint. Written by Steven T. Seagle, with art by Teddy Kristiansen, it is an autobiographical book that chronicles Seagle's thoughts as he tries to ...

'' and ''

Wild Oysters Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildlife, an undomesticated organism * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild ...

'', and wrote and illustrated children's books in his later years. For eight years during the 1930s he lived in

Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New ...

, and drew cartoons for the ''

Jersey Journal ''The Jersey Journal'' was a daily newspaper, published from Monday through Saturday, covering news and events throughout Hudson County, New Jersey. ''The Journal'' is a sister paper to ''The Star-Ledger'' of Newark, ''The Times'' of Trenton a ...

''. After he succumbed to severe arthritis his wife started drawing them under his direction. Following a long illness, Bowers died in 1946 in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Filmography

His work, long forgotten, has undergone a rediscovery and revival of interest in recent years. His 15 surviving films were the subject of a 2004 two-

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

release by

Image Entertainment RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

and Lobster Films of France. Much more of his work is thought to exist in various film archives. In July 2019, Flicker Alley released a Blu-ray set of 17 of his films called "The Extraordinary World of Charley Bowers." *''The Extra Quick Lunch'' 1917, 5’34, Animation - Mutt and Jeff *''A.W.O.L.'' 1918, 5’22, Animation *''Egged On'' 1926, 24’08, Slapstick *''He Done His Best'' 1926, 23’42, Slapstick *''A Wild Roomer'' 1926, 24’27, Slapstick *''Fatal Footstep'' 1926, 22’18, Slapstick *''Now You Tell One'' 1926, 22’18, Slapstick *''Many A Slip'' 1927, 11’36 (Incomplete), Slapstick *''Nothing Doing'' 1927, 21’17, Slapstick *''There It Is'' 1928, 17’22, Slapstick *''Say Ah-h!'' 1928, 14’02 (Incomplete), Slapstick *''It's A Bird'' 1930, 14’10, Slapstick ''Excerpt'' (1930) *''Believe It Or Don’t'' Ca 1935, 7’53, stop-motion Animation *''Pete Roleum And His Cousins'' 1939, 15’41, stop-motion Animation *''Wild Oysters'' 1940, 10’06, stop-motion Animation - Released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

as a

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development ...

Animated Antic *''A Sleepless Night'' Ca 1940, 10’59, stop-motion Animation Note: Bowers had a stint with

Walter Lantz Walter Benjamin Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animat ...

in the 1930s. Pre-1926 he was one of the main directors of Mutt and Jeff animated shorts.

References

Bibliography

* ''Banc-Titre'' (March 1978). pp. 10–11. Article on Bowers's films, with short biography. (in French) * ''Funnyworld'' (October 1978). pp. 35–36. Memories of Bowers, by animator Dick Huemer. * ''Midi-Minuit Fantastique'' (June 1967). pp. 62–65, Article on Bowers's films and career. (in French)

External links

* *Mark Bourne's review o
Charley Bowers: The Rediscovery of an American Comic Genius
a
Charles Bowers
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowers, Charles Animators from Iowa Animators from New Jersey American children's book illustrators People from Cresco, Iowa People from Wayne, New Jersey Silent film comedians American stop motion animators Burials at Cedar Lawn Cemetery 1887 births 1946 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American illustrators Comedians from Iowa Comedians from Passaic County, New Jersey