Vim Comedy Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film studio |
| Founded | 1915 |
| Founder | Louis Burston, Mark Dintenfass |
| Defunct | 1917 |
| Fate | Closed after payroll fraud exposed; assets purchased by King-Bee Films |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida and New York City , United States |
Key people | Louis Burston, Mark Dintenfass, Oliver Hardy |
| Products | Two-reel comedic short films |
Number of employees | 50 |
The Vim Comedy Company was a short-lived yet highly productive movie studio with operations based in both Jacksonville, Florida and New York City. Established by Louis Burston alongside Mark Dintenfass, the studio took over the Jacksonville production facilities of the insolvent Lubin Manufacturing Company at 750 Riverside Avenue in 1915. Vim primarily focused on creating two-reel comedic shorts, generating hundreds of such films throughout its brief tenure. Prominent performers associated with Vim included Oliver Hardy, Ethel Marie Burton, Walter Stull, Billy Ruge, Rosemary Theby, Billy Bletcher and his spouse Arline Roberts, as well as Kate Price. At its height, the company employed close to 50 staff members. Operations came to an end in 1917 after Oliver Hardy exposed fraudulent payroll activities by the company’s founders. Following this closure, the studio’s assets were purchased by King-Bee Films, another enterprise initiated by Burstein.
Films
Below is a selection of films produced under the Vim Comedy Company banner:
| Title | Release date | Series and lead actors |
|---|---|---|
| The Midnight Prowlers | November 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs featuring Walter Stull and Bobby Burns |
| A Pair of Birds | November 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs with Stull and Burns |
| Pressing Business | November 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs starring Stull and Burns |
| Strangled Harmony | December 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs led by Stull and Burns |
| Speed Kings | December 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs featuring Stull and Burns |
| Mixed and Fixed | December 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs starring Stull and Burns |
| Ups and Downs | December 1915 | Pokes and Jabbs with Stull and Burns |
| This Way Out | January 1916 | Pokes and Jabbs featuring Stull and Burns |
| Chickens | January 1916 | Pokes and Jabbs starring Stull and Burns |
| Frenzied Finance | January 1916 | Pokes and Jabbs led by Stull and Burns |
| Busted Hearts | January 1916 | Pokes and Jabbs featuring Stull and Burns |
- Note: This list highlights numerous works predominantly from the "Pokes and Jabbs" series with Walter Stull and Bobby Burns, as well as titles from the "Plump and Runt" series starring Oliver Hardy alongside Billy Ruge.*
See also
References
- Laurel & Hardy: a bio-bibliography By Wes D. Gehring
- flickr – Vim Comedy Company: Jacksonville, Florida