WHAT SILENTS & PRE-CODES HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[CineMaven]

"Underworld." My interest's piqued.

[Robert Regan]

Don't miss Underworld, Theresa. It started the whole thing. Evelyn Brent never looked more alluring, and George Bancroft is one of those bears you seem to be fond of. And, speaking of Criterion, they posted some fascinating color pictures that promote b&w movies.

http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/ ... in%20Color


And take another look at Asphalt!

[The Ingenue]

Philips Holmes just might have been the wimpiest actor ever.

But that please-don't-step-on-me quality worked so beautifully in "Stolen Heaven" (1931), where Holmes plays a cog who's gathered his courage to rob the payroll for just one grand fling.

And, though I am putting myself out on a limb as I haven't seen the entire film, I did like him in "General Spanky" (1936)...smiling at the young'uns, knowing full well what tricks they're up to, and letting them have their fun as though he believes one can have it only in childhood.

Perhaps "wimpy" isn't the word for him, perhaps..."broken," and believing there's no mending, so he's just going on...

[Robert Regan]

CarrieLiz, you are very generous to Mr. Holmes. I admire that, and I must admit that he was very effective in An American Tragedy and The Man I Killed.

[feaito]

CarrieLiz, you are very generous to Mr. Holmes. I admire that, and I must admit that he was very effective in An American Tragedy and The Man I Killed.

And in my opinion also in "Night Court" (1932), a very good MGM Precoder.

[JackFavell]

I like Philips Holmes! I didn't mean that he was awful or anything, just that I'd rather have the career of Wolheim. I picked him because they both died young, and were from approximately the same time period.

I like Night Court the best of his film appearances.

Underworld is great!

[charliechaplinfan]

Phillip Holmes is inconsistent, in The Night Court and Broken Lullaby he's quite moving but in other films he's not as bright.

[intothenitrate]

We were scratching our heads about him earlier in this thread about his work in An American Tragedy, weren't we? ...wondering whether his dull, lackluster treatment of the character was by design, or due to other factors.

I thought of that conversation later when I saw Douglass Montgomery in the 1931 Waterloo Bridge. Here was a blond young man in a lead role with a fine mastery of his part, way beyond his years.

[charliechaplinfan]

Yes, that's so true.

Perhaps in An American Tragedy it's how Von Sternberg wanted him presenting, he was a woman's director and that picture gave him chance, I remember Sylvia Sidney far more than any other actress in this picture and memorable as Sheeley Winters is in A Place in the Sun she's over shadowed by the glow of Elizabeth taylor and Montgomery Clift in love. I don't remember the lovers as much in An American Tragedy. In that way they are two very different movies.

[JackFavell]

I watched Manhandled (1924), directed by the marvelous Allan Dwan, with Gloria Swanson and Tom Moore as the leads.

First of all, Tom Moore is my absolute favorite leading man from the silent era outside of John Gilbert. So far, I haven't found a more charming, good natured leading man from among the ranks of actors at that time. With his robust, apple cheeked Irish good looks, he always seems a bit more modern to me than most of the stoic silent stars.

Gloria Swanson is another who can't fail for me. I sometimes find myself thinking at the beginning of a movie that she is too sophisticated to be playing a shopgirl or a homely wife, but every time, she completely gets me by the end of the film.

Ian Keith is just great here, I am definitely going to have to find more of his work out there, I've only seen him in 4 silents, but his character was terribly attractive, in an oily kind of way.

The premise is very slight - Gloria is one of thousands of gals working at a department store in the big city. She's engaged to Tom Moore, a very busy car mechanic who is hoping his big invention to reduce gas flow in car engines will be the next big thing. Work for him takes precedence over everything. As soon as his ship comes in, he'll be able to do all the things he's wanted to, including marrying Gloria. He's become a bit neglectful, and Gloria is feeling it. She wants to make her way in the world as well, and decides to try for a better job. So one day, her friend Lilyan Tashman invites her to a big party and convinces her that Tom won't care, he'll be too busy anyway. Gloria gives Tom the benefit of the doubt, and sure enough, he dumps her for work instead. So she ends up rubbing elbows with writers, painters and other artsy types, and at first feels quite outcast. She gets made fun of, and falls flat on her face in front of everyone, after losing her underwear, which falls around her ankles. But then Lilyan gets her to do her Russian Countess imitation, and things start to go better - she is asked by an artist (played beautifully by wild haired Ian Keith, who cuts quite a figure as the bohemian) to pose for him, and she decides to do it.

The artist turns out to be a roue, and won't take no for an answer - but she's rescued at the last minute by Frank Morgan, unfortunately another roue but at least a controllable one. He tells her that if she would pretend to be that Russian Countess again, he'll pay her to get women to buy his beauty and fashion products. She does so, and starts earning scads of money, attending parties wearing the latest fashions. Tom meanwhile starts missing his little girlfriend, and decides to surprise her with tickets to a show.... but Gloria is not home when he gets there. When she finally shows up, it's well past midnight. He is upset, but she explains that she has to go to parties in order to do her new job and all is forgiven.

Tom gets his chance to sell his invention taking a 2 week trip to Poughkeepsie. Gloria spends her time in society, but the men are all only after one thing. She eludes their advances, but it gets more and more difficult. She comes home each night exhausted and writes little messages in Tom's calendar, telling him how much she loves him. Tom comes home with good news, but when he hears about how Gloria has been 'manhandled', he doesn't want her anymore. He tells her he truly loved her, that he did everything for her. He doesn't believe she's been true to him and leaves, completely broken up over the situation. In her apartment, Gloria, sobbing, prays to god that he'll realize how much she loves him. Tom, distraught, goes back to his apartment.....and finds the calendar, with all the little notes on it, and all the other things she left for him. He now knows she loved him all along. He goes back and forgives her, telling her he made a million dollars on his invention, and they are set for life. The scene fades out with them talking happily about their plans for the future.

The really fine cast, and the extremely competent direction of Allan Dwan make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. This movie could have been preachy or overdone, but Dwan's light touch really fashioned a wonderful movie out of nothing at all. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I would watch it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I'd love to watch it again right now! There are tons of little touches, from Gloria's battle just to get on and off the subway, to her sticking chewing gum everywhere, to the scene where a real Russian comes up to talk to her and she fakes a breakdown at hearing her 'mother tongue' spoken, to the lovely relationship with Tom Moore.... the whole thing lasts a little over an hour but it felt like five minutes. I'd have liked it if they had made another film with more of their adventures.

[Gagman 66]

Wendy,

The Grapevine version of MANHANDLED is from a 16 Millimeter Kodascope Libraries cut-down struck in the 30's or 40's. It is missing well over a reel. Including the scene where Gloria does the Chaplin impression. However, one of the major archives, I think it's the LOC has a full-length 35 Millimeter print. Speaking of Swanson, Did you see the clips that I posted from FINE MANNERS? This is a truly delightful picture. et on New Years in Manhattan. Here are the links:

[JackFavell]

You know, Jeff, I saw those clips, and never realized it was you who posted them! Fine Manners looks like a scream! Is there a copy somewhere I can see of the whole thing?

I had a feeling that Manhandled had some scenes cut, I was expecting more from Gloria's party sequence, and then it just was over before it really got started. I just loved the movie anyway, which tells me that Dwan really did a fantastic job of directing.

[intothenitrate]

Wish I could just plop down and watch Manhandled, JF, mostly on the strength of your write-up. I'm not always won over by Swanson -- knowing her mostly from her films with DeMille -- but when I am, I'm won over big.

I've got a trilogy of pre-codes that I'm fixing to write about, ones in which shop-girls debate the prospect of accepting the favors of wealthy men in exchange for you-know-what. Of course, these are Depression Era stories, a world away from the psychological setting of your story. Gloria being the Star that she was at the time, I suspect that she was in the driver's seat during all these adventures.

[JackFavell]

Sometimes I feel that way too, but she usually wins me over just based on her talent for putting something over. She's really a marvelous actress. When you take away the glamour and the airs, she's remarkably good. She's kind of like Joan Crawford, once you get past the outer reputation, you find a very competent actress who almost always gets the job done well.

I can't wait to see your write ups, ITN, pre-code and silents being my favorite areas of classic film right now.

If you ever want to watch Manhandled, it's here on youtube (the print isn't great but it's still watchable):

[youtube][/youtube]

[charliechaplinfan]

I was going to ask you where you got a copy, I bought one off ebay a long time ago but it was almost unwatchable. Tomorrow I'm going to watch it myself. Gloria I find more accessible in the later films, in DeMille's films she's a mannequin but they are fun to see the things he puts her in and watching after reading her biography at the same time is a hoot. She knew she wasn't the greatest actress, she also knew she was in the right place at the right time sometimes but she was more than a clothes horse and Manhandled is a good example of her in a good role. I can't wait to see it again.

I watched Madame X 1929 today, directed by Lionel Barrymore and starring Ruth Chatterton and Lewis Stone. It's difficult to evaluate Barryomre as a director off this one movie, it's static and it's recording isn't great. It's got a good storyline but he doesn't agree with the saying that less is more in dramatic terms, I think he lets Ruth Chatterton overplay a little too much but it doesn't hamper the film too much, Ruth Chatterton is a favourite of mine in these very early precodes and it is her story, Lewis Stone doesn't have a great deal to do apart from give support, in fact it's the earlier scene between them that jarred with me slighty. It is because of it's good, if slightly unbelievable story and leading lady that make this movie a nice way to pass an hour.