I have to say that almost straight away these 2 reminded me alot of Wheeler & Woolsey, Burt and Robert worked so well together, clearly Clark & McCullough did too, they also sadly have one more thing in common, before the 1930's had ended both partnerships ended due to the death of one partner.
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My father was named after him Donald Paul Hicks "The Truth Will set You Free" and "Have you met the man on the cross" sold on Amazon of you scroll on the picture of his book you see a picture at the end
Zany surrealism (with burlesque show overtones) is a great look for the 30s short subject. If you like the Groucho of the movies -- Bobby Clark is reminiscent of him. Really, this is a lot of fun.
Just reading about this team they had a hit show called 'The Ramblers', this was adapted for the film 'The Cuckoos' which starred Wheeler & Woolsey, seems like I was not the only one who thought they were similar, pity that they did not do any films themselves, but at least some of their material survives today.
I just came across this clip. Paul McCullough was our great-uncle on my Dad's side. My father and I are both named for him. He and Clark ran away as teenagers from Springfield, IL in 1904 to join the circus at Ringling Brother's Clown College. Once they achieved some success on Broadway, Uncle Paul bought a yacht and it was named "The Rambler". Sadly, he committed suicide after suffering a leg injury that slowed him down and depression set in. Late in their careers, Clark had almost all of the lines and Uncle Paul was left with facial expressions only.
I live near Medford, MA. where Paul McCullough killed himself(his home was in my home town, Brookline). Looks like "Absurd" comedy lasted longer in shorts than in features in the 30s.
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My dad looked just like him. My dad visited the town once and said there was a picture on the wall and people were shocked to see the resemblance, wish I could see that picture or the barber shop. Funny story, my grandmother lived in a town called Medford NJ
Your grand uncle was a very funny man..P.J.D. and so was Bobby Clark..his performing partner and friend from their boyhood days in Springfield,Oh. I'm very sorry that your uncle took his own life in the spring of 1936.
One of the golden rules of comedy is that everything has to be logical, even slapstick....and that is where they fail. Their actions make no sense and the dynamics of the duo do not work precisely because of that.
123pailin "One of the golden rules of comedy is that everything has to be logical..." I gotta disagree. Where did you get this rule? It's certainly not "golden." Some forms of comedy rely on things not being logical. Consider Harold Loyd, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, the Ritz Bros., Wheeler and Woolsey, Abbott and Costello, the Three Stooges, the early Bob Hope, Martin and Lewis, Rowan and Martin, Mel Brooks, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, and especially the Marx Brothers, to name a few. There comedy relied on being illogical, some more than others. In this short the whole point is that Clark &McCullough are illogical in a logical world, so much so that they cause other people to act illogically, Clark's glasses are plainly drawn on, yet no one says a word about it, they cause illogical events to occur. What could be more logical and rule driven than a court of law? What could be more illogical than a Marching Band entering the court at maximum volume? In the weird world of Clark & McCullough, every thing follows their weird logic. Between 1928 and 1935 they made over 50 short, appeared in a few full length movies, worked the live stage They were major vaudeville stars revue circuit in winter, appeared in 3 Broadway shows while under movie contract, their hit show The Ramblers (1926) was adapted as a Wheeler and Woolsey movie comedy, The Cuckoos, and starred in the George Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band on Broadway in 1930. During their time they were one of the major comedy duos. Their success was due to their illogical antics in illogical situations imposed on a logical world. The only "golden rule" of comedy is "be funny."
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My father was named after him Donald Paul Hicks "The Truth Will set You Free" and "Have you met the man on the cross" sold on Amazon of you scroll on the picture of his book you see a picture at the end
1:43 Those are some pre-code gams right there 👀
Kenneth Anger talked about them in his Hollywood Babylon II book
I have to say that almost straight away these 2 reminded me alot of Wheeler & Woolsey, Burt and Robert worked so well together, clearly Clark & McCullough did too, they also sadly have one more thing in common, before the 1930's had ended both partnerships ended due to the death of one partner.
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My father was named after him Donald Paul Hicks "The Truth Will set You Free" and "Have you met the man on the cross" sold on Amazon of you scroll on the picture of his book you see a picture at the end
Zany surrealism (with burlesque show overtones) is a great look for the 30s short subject. If you like the Groucho of the movies -- Bobby Clark is reminiscent of him. Really, this is a lot of fun.
Just reading about this team they had a hit show called 'The Ramblers', this was adapted for the film 'The Cuckoos' which starred Wheeler & Woolsey, seems like I was not the only one who thought they were similar, pity that they did not do any films themselves, but at least some of their material survives today.
I just came across this clip. Paul McCullough was our great-uncle on my Dad's side. My father and I are both named for him. He and Clark ran away as teenagers from Springfield, IL in 1904 to join the circus at Ringling Brother's Clown College. Once they achieved some success on Broadway, Uncle Paul bought a yacht and it was named "The Rambler". Sadly, he committed suicide after suffering a leg injury that slowed him down and depression set in. Late in their careers, Clark had almost all of the lines and Uncle Paul was left with facial expressions only.
I adore this team! Learn more about 'em here: travsd.wordpress.com/2013/06/16/stars-of-vaudeville-23-clark-and-mccullough-2/
So , The Penguin and Dr. Watson used to moonlight as a Vaudeville comedy team, cool.
What a piece of ShowBiz History...
I wonder if Robert Wuhl was influenced by Clark when he was doing his Newbomb Turk character in “ Hollywood Knights?”
That Clark has some goo goo googly eyes
I live near Medford, MA. where Paul McCullough killed himself(his home was in my home town, Brookline). Looks like "Absurd" comedy lasted longer in shorts than in features in the 30s.
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My dad looked just like him. My dad visited the town once and said there was a picture on the wall and people were shocked to see the resemblance, wish I could see that picture or the barber shop. Funny story, my grandmother lived in a town called Medford NJ
Your grand uncle was a very funny man..P.J.D. and so was Bobby Clark..his performing partner and friend from their boyhood days in Springfield,Oh. I'm very sorry that your uncle took his own life in the spring of 1936.
Who came first? Groucho or Clark? So many things the same - painted on glasses v moustache, cigar, same walk etc etc etc. Great stuff anyway
Who’s Bobby and Paul?
Bobby Clark is the guy with the painted on eyeglasses, the cigar and the cane..Paul McCullough is the guy with the tooth brush mustache.
One of the golden rules of comedy is that everything has to be logical, even slapstick....and that is where they fail. Their actions make no sense and the dynamics of the duo do not work precisely because of that.
123pailin "One of the golden rules of comedy is that everything has to be logical..." I gotta disagree. Where did you get this rule? It's certainly not "golden." Some forms of comedy rely on things not being logical. Consider Harold Loyd, Buster Keaton, W.C. Fields, Laurel and Hardy, the Ritz Bros., Wheeler and Woolsey, Abbott and Costello, the Three Stooges, the early Bob Hope, Martin and Lewis, Rowan and Martin, Mel Brooks, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, and especially the Marx Brothers, to name a few. There comedy relied on being illogical, some more than others.
In this short the whole point is that Clark &McCullough are illogical in a logical world, so much so that they cause other people to act illogically, Clark's glasses are plainly drawn on, yet no one says a word about it, they cause illogical events to occur. What could be more logical and rule driven than a court of law? What could be more illogical than a Marching Band entering the court at maximum volume?
In the weird world of Clark & McCullough, every thing follows their weird logic. Between 1928 and 1935 they made over 50 short, appeared in a few full length movies, worked the live stage They were major vaudeville stars revue circuit in winter, appeared in 3 Broadway shows while under movie contract, their hit show The Ramblers (1926) was adapted as a Wheeler and Woolsey movie comedy, The Cuckoos, and starred in the George Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band on Broadway in 1930. During their time they were one of the major comedy duos. Their success was due to their illogical antics in illogical situations imposed on a logical world.
The only "golden rule" of comedy is "be funny."
Younger people here ... have no idea what is Funny ... Logical Situations maybe like Today's "Insulticoms" ... Not Funny! These Guys were Funny!
There are no rules in comedy. I guess you've never seen Monty Python.
clark hogs too much of the comedy and dialogue.
McCullough was my grandmother's Uncle, my grandmother's Daddy was Cable McCullough Paul's brother. My father was named after him Donald Paul Hicks "The Truth Will set You Free" and "Have you met the man on the cross" sold on Amazon of you scroll on the picture of his book you see a picture at the end