I watched a very nice print of "The Smart Set" (1928) taped off TCM. In it William Haines plays a pampered Polo player, full of himself who's chosen to take part of the American Polo Team. Alice Day is his love interest Polly; Jack Holt is the team's Captain and Hobart Bosworth is Alice Day's dad.
Although at times the antics of the character played by William Haines become sort of annoying and it's hard to root for his conceited character at first, in all I enjoyed the film very much and thought it had quite a contemporary feeling to it, and I must say it's mainly due to Haines' acting and persona (notwithstanding the fact that you may not like it all the time).
To discover William Haines' persona in some of the films I've had the chance to watch (two of them thanks to an American pal -the other is "Fast Life" 1932) has been very enlightening; I feel that until you have not seen a certain actor onscreen and you have not experienced one of his performances, you don't really know the subject matter, no matter how much you may have read about him (prior to seeing Haines' onscreen for the first time I had read his Biography). Thank God for Movie channels like TCM, which preserve the Cinematic Heritage of the USA.
Up to recently, when it came to Silents and early talkies, I had pictured the hero, the villain, the sensitive guy (Lew Ayres, Douglass Drumbille), the debonair man of the world (Bill Powell), the tough guys (Cagney, G. Robinson), the Macho He-Man (Gable) et al, but not this kind of pampered, sometimes annoying, immature, devil-may-care but ultimately charming kind of youngsters played by Bill Haines; always playing and fooling around, who try to win their ladies with all kinds of clowning and shenanigans. ("The Smart Set" and "The Girl Said No" are good examples of his Persona)
The film has brand new score and I liked it. Alice Day (Marceline's sister) is quite charming as Bill's love interest and responds well to him; Jack Holt is good as usual and Harry Gribbon, who plays Haines' valet, is very funny in a couple of scenes with "Master Van Buren". It was good to see Julia Swayne Gordon as Haines' mother.
Hey, I have this one and several more Wlliam Haines Silent's! I say, You and I have really got to communicate better. How come you won't ever talk to me??? Leave me a message please!
A TCM, and World Television Premier last weekend, this virtually unknown Silent feature is typical William Haines fair. Yet another insufferable "Smarty Pants" who eventually recognizes what an immature Wise-guy that He has been, and makes amends!
It's the same in virtually every film. BROWN OF HARVARD, TELL IT TO THE MARINES, WEST POINT, SPEEDWAY, WAY OUT WEST, even LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY. Haines is a habitual practical joker who doesn't take anything seriously until misfortune finely starts to befall him or those people around him that He cares the most about. In this case, A Horse! In every picture, before long He matures, and literally transforms into a different person!
The leading lady be it winsome Mary Brian, perky Eleanor Boardman, indifferent Joan Crawford, or exuberant Anita Page, is generally annoyed by Haines brash often abrasive personality, and off the wall shenanigans in the beginning, but eventually falls hook, line and sinker for the guy!
A rare exception is Marion Davies in King Vidor's SHOW PEOPLE. In this movie She is at first caught off guard by this flamboyant Billy Boone character, but by the time that their initial meeting is over she is already in love with the Fella! It doesn't take half the picture before Haines start's taking her breath away, as it generally does in Haines films. He wins over Peggy Pepper very swiftly.
Certainly Tommy Van Buren in THE SMART SET could have used a good stiff kick in the Keister! Born into a family that treats the game of Polo like a religion, Tommy is good at the game, and He knows it! He flaunts his skills, and takes every opportunity to remind people of them, every chance that He gets. Arrogant, and self absorbed to fault, it is hard to find many redeeming qualities to this prankster, unless you delve beneath the surface? They are there someplace, trust me. Turns out He has a fierce loyalty to his prize Palomino, and a young Stable-Boy, who apparently idolizes him?
Fed up with his Son's drinking and other escapades, after his walking off the team, just to make a point convinced of his indispensability, Tommy's Father threatens to disown him! He won't do that, but He does decide to put all of his Boy's prize Polo Horse's up for auction!
Yipes! A better title might have been "Please Daddy, Don't Sell My Pony"! Tommy is lost without "Pronto: to ride in the matches, and isn't the same player anymore! After losing his thoroughbred Tommy realizes that He had better start to grow up and fast!
Jack Holt is the strait-laced rival suitor, and He probably deserves to wind up with the Spirited Polly more than Tommy does. Haines is one of the great forgotten comic actors. A seemingly endless supply of kinetic energy and innovation on screen. Yet, at the same time He could shift bases to the dramatic at the tip of a hat.
You asked me about THE COSSACKS (1928), with John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, and Nils Asther. I know of one person who has a very good print, but I'm very sorry to say, that they will not trade, or sell me a copy. I also found a guy overseas last year that has a recording of this movie, but I have no idea of the quality? I do have Tod Browning's THE SHOW (1927), with Gilbert, Adoree, and Lionel Barrymore, if you need that one? The print and the score, are both very nice.
I am also looking for a quality copy of Gilbert's MAN, WOMAN, AND SIN (1927), with Jeanne Eagels. I have this film, but the it's from VHS, and looks like it was a Fith generation copy, before being transfered to DVD-R! The original recording though might have been quite good.