Marcel Perez is one of the best, lesser known comedians of the silent film era. Part of the first generation of screen clowns, his career began in 1900 and flourished until 1928. After helping create the ground rules for film comedy in Europe, he moved to the U.S. and continued to refine the genre. Starring, writing and directing over 200 short comedies, he was, along with Max Linder, one of the few direct links between European and American silent comedy. Our tribute to Perez begins in Italy in 1907 with The Short-Sighted Cyclist, and continues through Robinet Too Much Love By His Wife(1912), Some Hero (1916), Oh! What A Day (1918) to end up in Yonkers in 1920 for Sweet Daddy.

The Silent Clowns film series is New York’s longest-running regularly scheduled silent film showcase, featuring silent films paired with live piano accompaniment and discussion. The Silent Clowns’ programming reaches the serious film buff by including rarely-screened titles and rare prints, yet it also introduces kids and new audiences to the classics of the silent screen. Screenings feature piano by MoMA’s Ben Model, with an introduction and Q&A by film historians Model and Steve Massa.

Photo: “Marcel Perez at the peak of his popularity.” The Perez Family.