Mack Sennett Classics, Volume 1 (Silent)

Producer-director-actor Mack Sennett, the screen's original King of Comedy, is well represented in this quartet of silent-era short subjects with musical accompaniment. The four comedies collected on this disc show Sennett's evolution from a purveyor of frenetic slapstick to a filmmaker with a keen eye for situational, character-based humor. The standout is Run, Girl, Run, which combines snappy intertitles and clever sight gags with the considerable physical appeal of future star Carole Lombard, who looks quite fetching in lingerie and abbreviated athletic togs.

• comedy