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In the 1930's movies drew on the talent of dancers like Cagney, who made the switch to dramatic acting. By the 80's film was drawing on the talent of comedians, the clubs became places where up and coming young actors could work on their timing. Television forced the comic into static routines. Zero Mostel did a week as guest host on Carson, and it was a disaster because the old vaudvillian could not stay inside the frame, even though his hyperfrenetic bombast was more than funny enough for the movies. Comedians like Martin, had some nice moves early in their career, King Tut, and Woody Allen was doing Buster Keaton in Sleeper. I have never seen a more elegant runner than Woody in full stride in the streets of Manhattan. The older comics don't have the moves, the younger comics never learned them, because TV didn't require a lot of gestures. The young comedians are unprepared, and the directors compensate by closing in the edges of the frame. When you compare their work to Keaton or Chaplain you immediately sense the disparity, and the audience feels a little cheated.
The recycling of old material is partly a creative torpor, but the remake also serves to reinforce the notion that the filmgoer is watching a moving picture.
