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The Hall Room Boys

Research is still continuing on this series of two-reel silent comedies based on H. A. MacGill's 1904 newspaper comic The Hall Room Boys, which followed the humorous adventures of Percy and Ferdie. Within a year of it's debut in the papers, the characters of Percy and Ferdie began turning up in vaudeville sketches and, a few years later, a film version based on the strip was produced.

In 1919, Bill Parsons obtained the film rights to the comic and made the first 10 or so Hall Room Boys comedies. When Parsons died, Jack and Harry Cohn took over the series, which would last until 1923. During that time, the series went through quite a combination of actors portraying the characters of Percy and Ferdie:


Neely Edwards and Edward Flanagan

Sid Smith and Jimmie Adams

Zip Monberg and Al Alt

Sid Smith and Harry McCoy

Sid Smith and George Williams


Harry McCoy and Hugh Fay

Sid Smith and Neely Edwards


Sid Smith and Zip Monberg

To make things even more confusing, complete prints of the series are almost non-existent. The handful of titles available are edited down to one-reelers that were made for the 9.5mm home-movie market. Adding a little more confusion to this is the fact that many of these abridged prints had new titles, and the lead characters are renamed.


Although they are not officially recognized as Columbia shorts, this series (along with the early SCREEN SNAPSHOTS titles) helped pave the way for what Columbia Pictures would become.


The series is listed here for that historical purpose.




They Do It On $8 Per (9/22/1919)

Almost Heroes (10/6/1919)

A Howling Success (11/3/1919)

Pretty Soft (11/17/1919)

The Chicken Hunters (12/2/1919) Neely Edwards, Sidney Smith, Gilbert Pratt

Taming The West (12/9/1919) Edward Flanagan & Neely Edwards. Released on 9.5mm as COWBOY COMEDY

The Millionaire Paupers (12/29/1919)

Wrong Again (1/12/1920)

Oh Baby! (1/23/1920)

Neck And Neck (1/26/1920)

Passing The Buck (2/9/1920)

Can You Beat It (2/23/1920)

Breaking Into Society (3/8/1920)

Four Of A Kind (5/13/1920)

Tit For Tat (5/27/1920)

Misfortune Hunters (6/10/1920)

Back On The Farm (6/24/1920)

Tell Us Ouija! (9/23/1920)

Wild Wild Women (9/1920)

Stung Again (9/1920)

Movie Madness (10/10/1920)


Clever Cubs (10/19/1920) Harry McCoy & Hugh Fay

Some Champs (10/1920) Harry Williams

Hired And Fired (11/5/1920) D: Harry Williams. Harry McCoy, Hugh Fay, Polly Moran, Max Asher & Lillian Hackett

All Balled Up (11/1920) D: Harry Williams. Harry McCoy & Hugh Fay

A Close Shave (12/1/1920) D: Gilbert Pratt. Sidney Smith

This Is the Life (12/1920) Harry McCoy & Hugh Fay

A Doggone Mix-Up (1/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith

In Again Out Again (2/1921) D: Gilbert Pratt. Sidney Smith

High & Dry (2/1921) D: Gilbert Pratt. Sidney Smith


Tough Luck (3/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith

False Roomers (3/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

Their Dizzy Finish (4/1921) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith

In Bad Again (4/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

Circus Heroes (5/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

A Chili Romance (5/1921) D: James D. Davis. Sidney Smith

We Should Worry (6/5/1921) D: James D. Davis. Sidney Smith

Friday The 13th (6/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

After The Dough (7/5/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith

We'll Get You Yet (7/1921) D: James D. Davis. Sidney Smith

Two Faces West (8/1921) D: James D. Davis. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

Meet The Wife (9/2/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

Put And Take (9/7/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

Beach Nuts (9/15/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith

Stars And Stripes (10/11/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith

Start Something (10/20/1921) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

At Your Service (11/9/1921) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Harry McCoy

Matinee Idols (11/22/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

Taking Chances (12/2/1921) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Neely Edwards

Step On It (12/9/1921) D:  Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith

Nobody's Baby (1/6/1922) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams. The boys set out to collect a reward after a baby is kidnapped. Released on 9.5mm as JAMES AND GEORGE THE KIDNAPPERS

From Soup To Nuts (1/23/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

Game Birds (2/2/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams


Better Late Than Never (2/9/1922) D: Herman C. Raymaker. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

Beware Of Blondes (2/15/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

The Dentist (3/24/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams, George Belmont.

Breaking Into Jail (4/6/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

No Money To Guide Him (5/25/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & Jimmie Adams

Still Going Strong (9/1/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

The New Mama (9/21/1922) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith & George Williams

A Tailor-Made Chauffeur (10/5/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

The Spirit Of '23 (10/19/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

All At Sea (11/9/1922) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith & George Williams

The Dumb Waiters (11/18/1922) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

High Flyers (12/6/1922) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith & George Williams

My Mistake (12/13/1922) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith & George Williams

Bridle Grooms (1/1/1923) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

West Is East (1/15/1923) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith & George Williams

Holy Smoke (1/1/1923) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

Full O' Pep (2/15/1923) D: Noel M. Smith. Sidney Smith & George Williams

Day By Day In The Usual Way (3/5/1923) D: Harry Edwards. Sidney Smith


Oh Ma The Rent Taker (3/21/1923) D: Harry Edwards. Sidney Smith

Only a Husband (4/9/1923) D: Alfred Santell. Sidney Smith

Tin Knights In A Hallroom (4/23/1923) D: Alfred Santell

Ham And Yeggs (5/18/1923) D: Harry Edwards. Sidney Smith

Monkeying Around (6/4/1923) D: Alfred Santell. Al Alt & Zip Monberg

Seaside Simps (7/16/1923) D: Harry Edwards. Sidney Smith




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