Stan Laurel was a well-known silent film actor before he teamed up with Oliver Hardy. I’ve uploaded his 1925 film, Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde, to YouTube with my accompaniment. The two-reel comedy plays off two earlier Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films, both released in 1920. In this version, Laurel’s character turns into a prankster rather than a real menace. He escapes from the angry crowd by returning to Jekyll’s lab and drinking the reversing potion, but his supply is limited.

There are several clear references to the Barrymore version, the best being a close-up shot showing Pyckle’s hand turning into Pryde’s.

The end of the movie is lost, and as far as I can tell, there’s no record of how it ended. The surviving film concludes with a cliffhanger. Some cuts give an illusion of resolution by stopping when his assistant hits his head with a bottle, but the more complete version shows him shaking the impact off.

Creating music for this was straightforward. My aim was to underscore the point that Pryde is a mock menace. When I accompanied the film earlier on Twitch, I used “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” heavily, but I’ve moved away from musical jokes.

Another movie based on Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the German Der Januskopf (the Janus head), starring Conrad Veidt, with Bela Lugosi in a supporting role. Sadly, it’s a lost film.

But you can enjoy Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde. If you think of a good ending, leave it in the comments, either here or on YouTube.