‘Mack Sennett Collection’ gathers 50 slapstick classics into one set

The Keystone Film Co., under the direction of producer-director Mack Sennett, is considered the birthplace of slapstick comedy. The roster included a who’s who of comedy including Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, the Keystone Kops and Charley Chase. A new Blu-ray/DVD set, “The Mack Sennett Collection, Vol. One,” released by Flicker Alley, features 50 painstakingly restored, digitally remastered classics beginning with 1909’s “The Curtain Pole,” directed by D.W. Griffith, and ending with W.C. Fields’ 1933 “The Fatal Glass of Beer.” The silent films have new musical scores. Extras include audio commentaries and Sennett’s 1954 appearance on “This Is Your Life.”