The name John Bunny will always be linked to the movies. That was the prediction from the writer of John Bunny's obituary in the New York Times. Little did that writer know that John Bunny and his career would be virtually forgotten. That very year, the American public was about to get an incredible dose of movie making. Griffith's Birth of a Nation , a tramp named Chaplin, and an up and coming young comic named Harold Lloyd portraying a character called Lonesome Luke.
Even ten years later in 1925, Bunny's thin toothpick of a co-star, Flora Finch would make mention of the now archaic nature of their films together. An article in Motion Picture Magazine, quoted Finch as saying, "Some of my pictures, especially those which John Bunny and I were featured, I remember as downright funny. One of these entitled, Bunny Buys his wife a new hat were especially amusing, would be even in this day of sophistication."
As silent film historian, Kevin Brownlow stated It is difficult to put Bunny's career into perspective today. Sadly, the worlds most recognizable man in the early part of the 1900's is almost completely forgotten today even by scholars. Some books on the history of silent film omit him completely. What legacy did Bunny leave?
Bunny's Story
Bunny was born on September 21, 1863 in New York City. Some claim that he was British born, but this is probably because his father was from Cornwall, England and mother from County Claire, Ireland. John was the 9th in a long line of sea captains and the first that would not follow. John was very physical when young and learned boxing and swimming and about every other sport that existed at that time. He attended St. James High School in Brooklyn and worked as a grocery clerk. Before Bunny was "of age ' he was in a minstrel show. He worked hard and gradually moved on to the stage and up the ladder to become a stage manager and appeared in various stage shows with Annie Russell and Maude Adams. Bunny also married Clara Scallen in 1890.
By 1910, Bunny was growing tired of the stage. Although he was making $100-$200 a week, Bunny had hit a plateau playing supporting roles. He knew that he possessed more talent and that this form was offering him no chances of showing what he could really do. Bunny took two weeks off and made a trip to various local motion picture theaters. He soon realized that the movies were the cause in the poor attendance of the theater and it would only get worse. He also realized that a real actor from the “legitimate theater” could make a major impact compared to the poor acting that he was currently seeing. Bunny knew that the movies were getting better and sooner or later, the acting would also.
Bunny took that step that no other “legitimate thespian” of that day would lower himself to do. Bunny really did not care anyway and was quite optimistic about his future in films until he could not find a studio that would take him. Henry Wysham Lanier summed it up best from a 1915 article on Bunny. “If his approximate 250 pounds had not contained a very much larger percentage of grit than fat, the “legitimate” would never have lost him.”
Vitagraph photo of Bunny Circa 1910. Compare this "healthy" photo of Bunny with photos taken four years later at the end of his career.
Bunny Finds A Studio
Bunny ended up visiting the Vitagraph studios in the Bronx and met J. Stuart Blackton. Bunny offered to do one film without payment of any kind. Blackton refused this but did offer him $5.00 to play the opposing father of a daughter about to be married. Bunny said, " I knew it was up to me then, and the part was right: I went for it with all I had in me.
Although he gave it all he could, Bunny had problems. I had a thousand don'ts fired at me in the first five minutes: don't get so near the camera, don't get out of the scene, don't turn away there - apparently, don't do everything I was about to do. But they never had to tell me the same thing more than once. And presently I got on to it."
J. Stuart Blackton early 1910's
" I didn't aim to be a comedian, but nature was agin' me. How could I hope to play Romeo with a figure like mine? It was many years before I learned to yield gracefully to the fate for which nature endowed me."
Bunny's comedy was more sophisticated and never contained the type of slapstick as the Keystones. It was social comedy and usually dealt with John sneaking out or fooling his wife. In a short time, Bunny had the most famous face in the world. Now people worldwide could simultaneously see what Bunny could do best.
Attendees of movie theaters not come to movies not for what the story was about, but because John Bunny was in it. For the first time in August of 1912, Bunny's name appeared in the title of the film Bunny and the Dogs. Sam Gill in his filmography of Bunny suspects this film comedy to be the first imported from Europe.
If not listed in the title, Bunny received billing after the title and the films became known as "A Bunnyfinch comedy" or "Bunnygraphs" or "Bunnyfinchgraphs."
John Bunny publicity photo postacard with a facsimile signature.
Bunny’s antics and story of the common man and every day relationships won the hearts of movie goers. John Palmer, a writer for Saturday review wrote:
“Mr. Bunny has an extensive and extremely flexible face. When he smells a piece of gorgonzola cheese there is no doubt whatever that his nose has been seriously offended. When he sees for the first time a pretty and eligible young woman, there is no doubt whatever that he is immensely excited and moved with intentions so extravagantly honorable that they seem almost too grievous to be borne. Mr. Bunny’s emotions are all on the grand scale. His dispair is incredible. His grief is unendurable. His smile is an ignis fatuus. His pleasure can palpably be seen to spread from the ends of his hair to the soles of his feet. His wrath is apoplectic. His terror is the panic of the whole army. His congratulations wring one's hands till circulation is for the moment suspended. We know at once why Bunny never speaks. He could not possibly find words to convey the extremity of his feelings.”
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