The Comic

I have seen this movie only twice, and it was decades ago, but I still remember every scene. In 2003, I had to opportunity to meet Dick Van Dyke when he was in a nearby town visiting a relative. He looked approximately the same age as the character in "The Comic" during the final scenewhen the young VanDyke was 'aged' to portray Billy Bright as a lonely old man. Mr. Van Dyke and I exchanged a few pleasantries, then I said, "By the way, Mr. VanDyke, you're looking more like Billy Bright every time i see you." He did a double-take, then smiled and said, "Oh my gosh! You saw that picture?!?!" I assured him that I had and it was one of my favorites; he replied, "I think you and I are the only people who saw that one. But I'm glad you enjoyed it." Very nice man, a great,under-appreciated movie.

PLEASE release it on DVD.

This movie is hard to track down, but worth watching if you like Dick Van Dyke (who doesn't?), Stan Laurel, or silent film comedy in general. While the movie itself isn't the best thing Dick Van Dyke has ever done, he's very good in it. Being a big fan of silent films himself, you can tell this film meant something to him. Hopefully it well be more available to the public in future. There's some great original gags created by Dick and Mickey Rooney is fun to see as well. Don't expect this movie to change your life (unless you want to be a slapstick comedian that is), but it's entertaining to watch. Dick Van Dyke is always a joy.

I have just seen this movie for the first time in over 25 years. I still remember the last time I saw it. It was not a great movie by any means but I am a big film fan and this movie was memorable for me. The last scene of Van Dyke's character getting up in early morning hours just to watch one of his old films with his ex-wife always stuck with me. It is a really sad scene. Van Dyke is great in this, he would have made a great silent comedian. While the character is obviously based an awful lot on Buster Keaton, Van Dyke to me actually resembles Stan Laurel at times. The brief clips of the silent films his character does make you want to see the entire films. I also enjoyed Mickey Rooney's performance, too. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a silent movie fan or a Dick Van Dyke fan.

After seeing The Comic again after many years, I realize that Dick Van Dyke's character Billy Bright is actually an amalgam of at least three silent comedians: Harry Langdon (who the character resembles), Charlie Chaplin (for the womanizing) and Buster Keaton (for the drinking problem).

One tries to sympathize with Billy Bright over the years, but his ego is his downfall in Hollywood. Like Buster Keaton, Billy Bright is again thrust into the temporary limelight in his later years.

This is probably Dick Van Dyke's best role ever--he was a big fan of silent comedy films and was a good friend of Stan Laurel in the 1960s.

Also look for some great cameo appearances by Mantan Moreland and Jerome Cowan.

Brilliantly realized tragicomedy in a Citizen Kane framework, obviously based on Buster Keaton. A tour de force for Dick Van Dyke, whose film work was inconsistent at best. But he nails Billy Bright from word one, and Carl Reiner's concise script gives him room to run. Reiner's no slouch, either; check the restaurant meeting for some biting wit on the Let's Do Lunch mentality. A boxoffice flop in '69-'70, tossed away on the lower half of double bills, or sent directly to subrun houses, this is a semi-classic that should be seen by all who love, or study, films.