Laugh with Lewis R. Foster

We’ve been remiss in not treating of comedy auteur Lewis R. Foster (1898-1974) ’til now. Foster came out of the same Hal Roach cradle as better known guys like Leo McCarey, George Stevens, and Frank Capra. As a director he never helmed any major hits or masterpieces, though he was responsible for many comedy classics, especially early in his career.

Originally from Missouri, Lewis attended the University of California, and started out as a newspaperman in San Francisco. In the early ’20s he began working at Roach, initially as a gagman and writer. His best known association is with Laurel and Hardy shorts. He directed such classics as Unaccustomed As We Are, Double Whoopee, Berth Marks, Men o’ War, Bacon Grabbers, and Angora Love and wrote the story for Wrong Again (all 1929). He’s also responsible for the Charley Chase comedies Loud Soup and Movie Night (both 1929) and Harry Langdon’sHotter than Hot (also 1929–busy year!) In the early 30s he directed comedies with Louise Fazenda,Alberta Vaughn, Dane and Arthur and others.

The features he directed were mostly B pictures, mysteries and westerns done in spurts (1936-37 and 1949-58). His work as a screenwriter was steadier throughout the decades. He wrote the story for Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Classic comedy fans know such things as Mack Sennett’s Hypnotized(1932) and Fred Allen’s It’s in the Bag(1945), on which he worked. His last professional years were spent as a writer and director on the western TV series Tales of Wells Fargo.

For more on silent and classic comedy read  Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube.