Broomall’s Len Cella: An Original Content Creator2

Local Star Written by Holly Stupak

Photos courtesy of Len Cella

You may have heard of famous YouTubers like Jake Paul and PewDiePie. Perhaps you’re familiar with Charli D’Amelio, the #1 TikTokker. But before there was TikTok and YouTube, and even before many homes had computers, Broomall had its own content creator who was ahead of his time. Back in the 1980s, Broomall resident Len Cella started making short comedy movies he called Moron Movies, which gained popularity and even caught the attention of Johnny Carson, host of The Tonight Show. Len is now 84 years old. He’s still creating content, and you can find his latest recordings on his Facebook page.

Len Cella grew up in Broomall and graduated from Marple Newtown High School in 1955. During high school, he excelled at sports and played football, baseball and basketball. He was even inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

Len Cella, creator of Moron Movies

After high school, Len joined the Army and spent 18 months stationed in Japan. When he returned home, his plan was to play baseball and study at Villanova University. He eventually transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he planned to study architecture and was on the baseball team. Ultimately, he decided that college was not for him and he was ready to join the workforce. For several years, he worked as a sports writer for the News of Delaware County, and later in the advertising field until he eventually started his own painting business.

Outside of working, Len had found a hobby he really enjoyed: making movies. He purchased a Canon camera and used that to create short films that he coined Moron Movies. The films were anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute in length, with titles like “Jello Makes a Lousy Door Stop” and “How to Stop a Mugger.” Len was the director, producer and star of all of his movies. He said his process was simple.

I’d find an object like a shoe or a piece of meat," he explained, "and then I’d create a story about it.

Eventually, he began screening them for friends and family in the early 1980s, but he wanted a bigger audience.

To get some more exposure for his videos, Len placed ads in some local newspapers and it eventually caught the attention of a reporter from the Philadelphia Daily News. After the first story about Len’s movies ran in 1984, other newspapers followed, and a feature about Len caught the attention of Johnny Carson, whose TV show was the most popular at the time.

Len Cella’s Hall of Fame Portrait displayed in Marple Newtown High School

From 1983–1985, Moron Movies were a regular feature on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

For those two years, 50 million people watched my films every week,” Len said proudly. “I’m happy they can still be found in the Carson’s Comedy Classics series.

Moron Movies even made Variety’s list of top-grossing films in 1985 despite only playing in only one New York theater. After The Tonight Show run, Len’s work was also featured on Dick Clark’s TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, although to Len’s disappointment they changed the name of his movies to “Len Cella’s Silly Cinemas.”

Broomall resident Seth Pancoast met Len through his father, Seth Pancoast Sr., who was a baseball teammate of Len’s back at Marple Newtown High School.

I’ve known Len for many years and there is one word that describes him: unique,” Seth said. “What I love about Len’s videos is that they’re all filmed locally. It’s fun to see one that was filmed in my neighborhood or on the Blue Route.

Len Cella in his Moron Movie called “World’s Worst Comedian”

Yes, that’s right: Len filmed one of his movies on the Blue Route! In fact, he rode a tricycle along the Blue Route, much to the dismay of a police officer who kindly had to ask Len to film somewhere else. These days, Len is still creating content, but instead of comedy, he’s writing and recording original songs.

Today, you can still find and watch Len’s Moron Movies. They’re on his YouTube channel, which he created in 2005. They’re also on Len’s Facebook page, where he has earned something of a cult following. There’s even a Facebook page dedicated to him: It’s called Moron Movies/Len Cella Appreciation. His videos have been described as both “absurd” and “hilarious.” Fans also remark how Len was way ahead of his time by creating and sharing viral video content, which is now more than a huge trend. When we asked Len how he accounts for the longevity of his videos, his answer was simple: “Because they make people laugh!”