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Here's my first batch of reviews - the remainder are in the works.

In the meantime, however, I can confirm that a good time was had by all.

Thursday

VITAPHONE FROLIC (1937) gives the audience a front row ticket to a typical vaudeville show of the era. A peculiar act in which a very flexible man dressed as a life-sized golliwog allows himself to be thrown around like a rag doll is the most memorable of the four acts on display.

PATHS TO PARADISE (1925) - Our first delight of the festival came early. Betty Compson plays a canny conwoman who finds herself outwitted by the even cannier Raymond Griffith. The two are soon in competition to con a wealthy family out of a fabled diamond necklace, resulting in some very funny gags as they attend a fancy party, attempting to distract the family and each other, in order to make the theft. Eventually joining forces, they make a break for the Mexican border, and thus follows a prolonged, hilarious chase through all of Southern California! The story wraps up nicely enough without the missing final reel, although I understand that it has deprived us of a terrific final gag. Keep searching your attics, everyone!

HOLD THAT BLONDE! (1945) is a so-so screwball remake of the above, with the suave Griffith replaced by the less attractive Eddie Bracken, awkwardly Code-neutered into a dim-witted clinical kleptomaniac prescribed a good marriage as his cure, while Veronica Lake has been tricked into a life of crime via blackmail. Little of the earlier scenario is retained aside from a few gags and the central idea of a diamond necklace heist. A lengthy Harold Lloyd style thrill sequence was received with nary a titter, an essay on what works wonderfully in a silent, but just seems vaguely sadistic in a talkie.

I was sorry to miss THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 16th, especially the cameo by Cecil Kellaway, who reprises the trademark drunk act he first performed in the Australian-made hit of 1937, It Isn't Done.

Friday

BRIDE AND GLOOM (1921) is a great Monty Banks comedy which I found much superior to The Covered Schooner. Monty must scrape together $5,000 to marry his wealthy lady love, so he takes out a personal injury insurance policy. Unlike our typical silent comedy hero, he's trying his hardest to get hurt - but failing miserably! A cute ending makes Sherlock Jr style fun of the standard fade-out of the time. Good shots of early Los Angeles no doubt provided John Bengston with some homework.

$20 A WEEK (1924) - A wealthy industrialist (George Arliss) challenges his spendthrift son (a young and under-used Ronald Colman) to a bet in which they both agree to live on $20 a week. The comic possibilities of this scenario are abandoned in favour of complicated plot which has an incognito Arliss investigating criminal misbehaviour in the rival Reeves steel company, and a dullish subplot about Reeves' flighty socialite daughter (Edith Roberts) adopting a child. Performances are good and the film itself is OK, but you get the impression it all worked better onstage.

JOHN BENGSTON SPECIAL PROGRAM - John once again earned his title as 'the Kevin Brownlow of film locations' in this program, which focused on locations at Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, the Pacific Palisades, Chinatown and our favourite Cahuenga Boulevard. Not being as blazingly hot as last year, a large and enthusiastic group that included descendants of both Harold Lloyd and Chaplin's cinematographer, Rolly Totheroth, accompanied John on his tour of the area around Cahuenga. We no doubt baffled onlookers as to our fascination for apparently nondescript alleyways which, as we now know, are parts of cinema history.

BRONCHO BILLY AND THE BANDIT'S SECRET (2013) - This sweet modern silent, put together by the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum to commemorate the centenary of Essanay's arrival at Niles, finds Bronco Billy (Bruce Cates) seeking inspiration in the exploits of a local criminal gang for his latest film. Cates and Christopher Green Goodwin (The Sheriff) will have a long future in silents if they should so desire it, and a guest appearance by Diana Serra Cary surely boosted that good lady into the Guinness Book of Records. Nice work.

ALMOST A LADY (1926) - In this fun and frothy comedy, Marie Prevost is a fashion model who is talked into posing as a famous lady novellist as a favour to her boss's ditzy nouveau riche wife (Trixie Friganza), who hopes to impress a visiting Duke. Little does she know that the handsome stranger (Harrison Ford) is no Duke but a fellow victim of mistaken identity. Friganza is always fun, Prevost looks beautiful in her many close-ups, and the setting allows for a number of gorgeous Art Deco costumes - one of which Prevost ends up losing piece by piece, in the film's funniest sequence.

THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER (1938) - William Powell made a brief sojourn from MGM to 20th Century Fox to launch the American career of Frenchwoman Annabella in this enjoyable curiosity. Powell plays William Porok, butler to the conservative Prime Minister of Hungary (Henry Stephenson), who is suddenly elevated to Parliament for a progressive party that opposes everything his master stands for.

Powell must juggle his commitment to the Parliament and the family - and deal with his feelings for their beautiful but spoilt daughter (Annabella). Ironically, the weak link is Annabella herself, who might better have been introduced via a smaller role. Her accent is sometimes hard to understand, and it's rather incongruous coming from the daughter of an American and Englishman, but it's a small quibble.

(I'm probably the only member of the audience who noticed that the fancy tea trolley Powell uses at the film's opening featured a recognisable map and a coat of arms - not for Hungary, but for Australia! Someone who must have noticed was the Australian-born Frank Baker - brother of film star Reg 'Snowy' Baker - whom I was tickled to spot in a cameo).

KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE (1914) - It's only moderately funny, but the fascination here is in seeing ordinary people watching Charlie Chaplin as a complete stranger for the first and last time. In its restored state, the revelation is all the greater. The picture is so sharp that it's hard to believe that a week has passed since it was filmed, much less a century.

THEIR FIRST MISUNDERSTANDING (1911) - Mary Pickford and real life husband Owen Moore play a newly married but jealous couple who find various ways to rib one another before finally reconciling. Sensationally discovered in an old barn in 2011, it's unremarkable as a film but intriguing as a historical document. Given that Pickford credited herself with the scenario, you wonder if she already suspected her marriage to Moore would not be smooth sailing. Director Thomas Ince and an unrecognisable Ben Turpin appear as extras, but the real eye-opener was seeing Little Mary pretend to smoke a cigarette!

BEHIND THE SCENES (1914) - Pickford is a rising stage actress who marries a homebody (James Kirkwood). Just as she receives her big break, he demands that she give up her career in favour of life on the farm. She must decide between her husband and the career that she loves, and in choosing one, she comes to learn the value of the other. Arguably, there is a feminist message struggling to get out, but only arguably. The story is clear, the characterisations good, and the stage scenes interestingly rendered - and yet the film still lacked a certain something.

A few people I spoke to felt that the projection speed was a mite slow, an adjustment that might have made this as enjoyable as it felt it should have been.

BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN (1940) - This is the sort of film Cinecon does so well - well produced, shamelessly and relentlessly entertaining, and unjustly forgotten. Jack Benny plays radio star Jack Benny, later assuming the self consciously faux-Western persona of Buck Benny as he pursues the lovely but unwilling Joan Cameron (Ellen Drew), a member of the singing Cameron trio, who are working at a fancy desert resort. Benny lets a number of fellow radio stars share in the fun, including Phil Harris and Dennis Day, but it's Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson who almost steals the show as Benny's butler, particularly when he pairs with Theresa Harris in a great song and dance number. Unrelenting fun.

Saturday

THE ADVENTURER (1917) provides a succinct summary of Chaplin's acrobatics, with which we're all so familiar - but the restoration allows us also to see the nuances for the very first time. Several times, I spotted Chaplin flick the audience the merest glance as he works his way further into trouble, as if to say 'Ahem. Bear with me, now …' To me, the Mutuals remain the purest expression of what Chaplin did best, and kudos once again to all who were involved in their restoration.

As with Kid Auto Races, this viewing was greatly enhanced by John Bengston's presentation the previous day, which featured a detailed look at the locations used for both films.

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DIVORCE (1942) - This battle of the sexes comedy begins well, with sparkling dialogue and funny situations reminiscent of last year's wonderful Suddenly It's Spring, whose plot it resembles. Chauvinist George (Joseph Allen) becomes bothered by his hyper-competent wife Lynn (Lynn Bari). Literally bumping in to the helplessly feminine Lola (Mary Beth Hughes), he finds her subservience more to his liking.

The film skids off the rails when Lynn's new musician lover (Nils Asther, in an all-too-brief cameo), is dispatched for the sake of a rather nasty plot point, which both sides seize upon to further their agendas. Had this incident been better integrated, it would have made for a much better film - though this does not change the baffling matter of why Bari's character works so hard to win back a husband who remains a complete oaf.

COURT-MARTIAL (1928) - Betty Compson is Belle Starr, a Southern belle whose hatred of the North has transformed her into the feared leader of the meanest bunch of bandits in the land. Northerner Jack Holt manages to infiltrate her gang in an attempt to end her thieving ways, but finds her stealing his heart instead. With a plot like that, this should have been far more exciting than it is, and we know Compson is capable of much more than sitting around looking noble and troubled. Still, as a rare document of Columbia's transition from the corned-beef-and-cabbage days to major player it remains of interest, and there are moments of inspiration in the cinematography. The intertitles were a peculiar mishmash of English and Czech, but enough could be understood to easily follow the story.

THE ADVENTURES OF TARZAN, Chapter 3 - 'The Flames of Hate' - The first of a number of serial episodes to be presented this weekend, we meet a stockier and darker Tarzan (Elmo Lincoln) than the ones we're used to. Was it an 'electrifying chapter', as the poster boasts? Perhaps not, but the average cinemagoer would have got a real kick out of observing the menagerie of exotic animals and the concluding sequence of a jungle fire, which is tinted a vivid and effective red.

IF I WERE KING (1920) - This intertitle-heavy historical drama had its moments, but might have been a reel or two shorter. William Farnum plays Francois Villon, a romantic Robin Hood figure who is championing a rebellion against King Louis XI (Fritz Leiber, in an outrageously over-the-top performance). It is not until the fourth reel that the central conceit is revealed when, in an elaborate ruse, the King tricks Francois into spending a week believing he has become the leader of France. As a rare surviving feature by director J. Gordon Edwards, it does give us some impression of what his numerous lost Theda Bara historical epics might have been like.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957) - Billy Wilder's courtroom drama not only remains a knockout, but one of the most beautifully cast films I've ever seen. Each suspect has exactly the right kind of ambiguity for their character - Marlene Dietrich's mix of ice and fire for Christine; the earnest and yet evasive Leonard (Tyrone Power), while the mighty Charles Laughton anchors the film as the blustery barrister Sir Wilfred, with wife Elsa Lanchester in able comic support. In accordance with the concluding voiceover, I will not divulge the plot, except to say that if you've never caught the film and want to see a master at work, find a copy immediately.

Ruta Lee, who played a minor role, was in attendance, and had some funny recollections about working with Laughton.

EAST IS WEST (1922) - Constance Talmadge plays Ming Toy, the daughter of a large Chinese family, who is constantly haunted by the prospect of being sold into marriage. Instead, she is adopted by kindly young missionary Billy Benson (Edward Burns) and brought to San Francisco. While she becomes fascinated by the local taste for jazz and chewing gum, Benson becomes fascinated by her. It's not until she's pursued for marriage by the sleazy Charlie Yong (Walter Oland) that matters come to a head.

There really isn't much more to this than Connie dancing around making cute quips and looking adorable in her Chinese pyjamas, and certainly no grand statements about race aside from a rather cringe-worthy pronouncement that sits uneasily with the film's ostensible message that 'East or West, we're all the same inside'. Some original reviews for the film were surprisingly lukewarm, and I find myself agreeing with them. It's very pretty but doesn't add up to much.

There is some significant damage to the first reel, and some missing scenes towards the end are filled in by intertitles in this high quality restoration from EYE. San Franciscans will love the shots of old Chinatown.

In the longer-than-expected break before the next film, we had the surprise treat of MOTHER GOOSE IN SWINGTIME (1939), a short of the Mickey's Gala Premiere celebrity spoof genre which looked great on the big screen in full Technicolor.

SNAPPY SNEEZER (1929) - This is a good example of a short that would have been perfectly charming as a silent, but sometimes feels a little clunky as a talkie, despite the presence of the always likeable Charley Chase. Charley's got problems with hay fever, and the man he sneezed all over turns out to be the father of the girl he wants to date (Thelma Todd). Needless to say, things don't go smoothly, as Thelma's driving lesson turns into a literal roller coaster ride.

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN (1940) - Young Midge (Gloria Jean, Universal's intended replacement for Deanna Durbin) is the beloved daughter of a hardscrabble extended family with a big heart. When she crashes a live radio broadcast and proves a hit with the listeners, she's signed to a contract and the family's luck changes. Soon, they're living in a huge mansion with fancy new friends, but Midge begins to suspect that fame and fortune aren't all they're cracked up to be. On the basis of Jean's performance, it's hard to see why she did not go further, except to say that she occasionally comes across as a little too polished. The supporting cast is good, and features Billy Gilbert as comic relief.

Of particular interest is Midge's large coterie of uncles, almost all of whom are played by silent era veterans, including Charles Ray, Maurice Costello, Monte Blue, William Desmond and Noah Beery Sr.

... and here are the reviews for Sunday and Monday.

It only remains for me to add that we had a great Nitrateville dinner at the Pig n' Whistle on Saturday night (photos, anybody?) in which we raised a glass to a number of people - to Rick Levinson, for the warmth and generosity he showed during his all-too-brief acquaintance with us; to Frederica, for planning the dinner; and to Bruce, Mike and all the Nitrateville mods for giving us a place to discuss our obscure obsessions, to teach and learn from one another about them, and to find new friends who share them.

Thanks and congratulations go once more to Bob Birchard, Stan Taffel and all of the Cinecon team for making it happen. Next year can't come soon enough!

Sunday

SCRAM! (1932) - This hoot-worthy Laurel and Hardy short has the boys, told by a court to beat it after being charged with vagrancy for sleeping in a park, befriend a wealthy drunk who invites them home. The trouble is, it's not his home, and the blonde they accidentally get drunk is not his wife!

KENTUCKY PRIDE (1925) - The tone of this heartwarming horse racing yarn becomes clear early on, when the horses receive top billing over the humans, and the narration comes from the horsey hero herself, Virginia's Future. Stud owner H.B. Walthall's kindly nature masks a gambling problem, plans for her glittering career as a racehorse go awry, and Virginia's Future finds herself tossed out into a sometimes cruel world. Ford measures out the pathos in careful doses, and before you know it, you're highly involved in her rousing story. Good clean fun.

HUMAN CARGO (1936) - I've enjoyed the Claire Trevor/Allan Dwan films of the late 30s that have been shown in previous years, and this one did not disappoint - a slam dunk as the best talkie of the festival. Claire Trevor plays a fast-talking society dame who wants a leg-up in the newspaper game. She receives one when she gets a lead on a human trafficking racket, much to the annoyance her rival, ace newspaperman Packy Campbell (Brian Donlevy). The two go undercover and form an uneasy alliance in an attempt to identify the ringleader, stumbling into further danger.

Donlevy and Trevor are terrific, an attractive brunette named Rita Cansino shows promise in her short role as a nightclub dancer, but Helen Troy, as a switchboard operator-cum-Greek chorus, almost steals the show. The film whizzes by at a whirlwind clip. Thoroughly entertaining.

SILENT SERIAL PROGRAM - Silent serials remain a blank spot for many film fans, but Ed Hulse, author of the recently released Masked Marauders and Distressed Damsels, aimed to change that, dispelling a number of myths about their production and marketing, and discussing the career of serial queen Ruth Roland. A Pathé promotional reel encouraging showmen to purchase their latest serial, Hands Up!, was of particular interest, while Episode One of The Timber Queen left us on a cliffhanger, as Ruth Roland careened through timber country on the back of a runaway train. It's a fascinating new area for exploration, and I hope to see some more of these serials in future years.

MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (1944) - Seeing this perennial favourite on the big screen was treat enough, but to see it in a jaw-droopingly gorgeous new million-dollar restoration was a knockout. The story probably needs no introduction - in any case, it's one of those films you watch less for the narrative and more to become enveloped in the atmosphere, and this screening only served to remind us of Vincente Minnelli's mastery. Margaret O'Brien's post-screening Q&A was quite brief, but contained some insights about performing with Judy Garland.

Monday

THE MASQUERADER (1914) - Chaplin plays a rejected actor who attempts to trick his director into giving him another role by returning to set dressed as a flirtatious actress. The main interest in this short is glimpses of the real-life Keystone studio in action. That, and contemplating that Chaplin makes a disturbingly attractive woman.

TRAVELLIN' ON (1922) - This subdued Western tells the tale of 'Travellin' On', an archetypal William S. Hart Good Bad Man, who travels into town believing in nobody but himself - until he meets the wife of a weak-willed preacher whom the ornery locals are determined to run out of town. The film looks beautiful, thanks to quality art direction and unusual chiaroscuro lighting, and Hart's fine-grained focus on grey morality is intriguing, but the pace is rather leisurely, and much like the film itself, Jon Mirsalis' score tended to walk when it could have done with the occasional trot or canter. The third reel is missing, but the lack of a driving plot made the gap imperceptible.

ALWAYS IN TROUBLE (1938) - In this very silly farce, Jane Withers plays the daughter of a newly wealthy family, whose madcap schemes to help her exhausted Papa see the family and a bewildered interloper stranded on a desert island, tangling with opportunistic crooks, and caught up in a fake kidnapping plot. I suspect that even the kiddies at the Saturday matinee for whom this was designed would have considered it pretty thin stuff.

THE ETERNAL GRIND (1916) - There was some doubt as to whether we'd get to see this fragment, as the video was late in arriving, but I'm very glad we did. It proved an unusual vehicle for Mary Pickford, and an appropriate film with which to celebrate Labor Day.

Pickford is impoverished New York garment worker supporting her two sisters - one a flirt, the other chronically ill. John Bowers, the compassionate son of the plant's harsh owner, chooses to experience the sweatshop conditions firsthand, where he takes a shine to Mary. Meanwhile his dastardly brother is leading the flirt up the garden path, and the third sister's condition is worsening. The surviving footage concludes about two thirds of the way through the story.

Bob Birchard valiantly stepped in to provide a running translation of the French intertitles, but the lengthy concluding crawl defeated us all, leaving the ending a mystery (Moving Picture World's review provides some elucidation). In addition to the evocatively realised clothing factory and tenements, there are some great early shots of New York.

THE WICKED DARLING (1919) - Guttersnipe Mary Stevens (Priscilla Dean) and her friend 'Stoop' (Lon Chaney) are petty street thieves. After stealing a pearl necklace from a socialite (Gertrude Astor), she is befriended by the deb's rejected fiancé Kent (Wellington Playter). Mary finds herself transformed by his compassion and belief in her innocence, and sets about changing her ways. Can their love survive Kent's discovery of her past transgression, and 'Stoop's jealousy?

Though it does mark Lon Chaney's first appearance under the direction of Tod Browning, this film really belongs to Priscilla Dean, who is entirely convincing as the diamond-in-the-rough Mary. Photoplay's typically high quality restoration made the best of a damaged source print and filled in some short missing scenes with explanatory titles. To my mind, the best silent of the weekend.

ONE NIGHT OF LOVE (1934) - Anyone who has read Bob Thomas' King Cohn will know this film by reputation, with reports of star Grace Moore's capricious behaviour and fractious relationship with Harry Cohn. There is little trace of these tensions in the completed film, the tale of an aspiring opera star who rises to fame under a prickly Svengali, Monteverdi (Tullio Carminati).

Moore sings beautifully and looks lovely, despite being saddled with some ghastly costumes, and I'm always interested to spot Mona Barrie, whose career began in Australia. The film risks wearing out its welcome as Moore ping-pongs between Monteverdi and the boy-next-door Bill (Lyle Talbot) but the lengthy excerpts from Carmen and Madame Butterfly are a highlight, and there is ultimately much to enjoy about this glossy production.

Sadly, that was my last one for the weekend. I'm looking forward to hearing everyone else's reviews.

Thank you Brooksie for providing all this interesting information. I don't' know how you can look at so many fillums in the one day? I would find myself getting frightfully mixed up trying to distinguish one from the other in trying to write them up. Photographs of your luncheon bash would be interesting - provided of course they were taken before the effect of all those toasts set in!

Thanks for the info, wish I could have attended

I could not hope to do a better review than Brooksie, but herewith is my report. It was lovely to see many people whom I only get to see once a year or so; there was much conviviality and shameless hugging. This year I discerned no themes…would Betty Compson be considered a theme? One thing I did notice, however, was the beautiful intertitle cards. Many of the films had them this year, more than I’ve ever seen at a Cinecon, I think. Without further ado, A Vamp Goes to Cinecon 50.

Thursday, August 28th

Vitaphone Frolics (1937). Kudos to those toiling to find and restore these shorts, as a record of vaudeville they are remarkable. They are also strange in many cases (“What killed vaudeville?...”) but one little short, no matter how strange, serves as an amuse bouche. This one was quite pleasant, the country group was fun and the LIME trio was a jawdropper.

Paths to Paradise (1925). I know this Raymond Griffith feature is old news to most of you, but this was the first time I’ve seen it—it instantly became one of my festival hits. The print was a beautiful 35mm from LoC; the film is missing the last reel, but that isn’t a deal-breaker. Griffith and cutie Betty Compson play dueling con artists vying to steal a diamond necklace large enough to have graced Elizabeth Taylor’s collection. The film culminates in an impressive and hilarious chase scene--impressive for many reasons, but for Californians mainly because Griffith and Compson drive from San Luis Obispo to Mexico in about ten minutes.

Hold That Blonde! Paramount (1945). This gutted-by-the-production-code remake of Paths to Paradise is best described as “limp.” Eddie Bracken is annoying, Veronica Lake is competent and pretty to look at, but the film lacked a certain je nes sais quoi…oh yeah, “humor.”

Friday, August 29th

$20 Dollars a Week (Selznick-Distinctive, 1924). This one was OK, but for heaven’s sake, don’t wave Ronald Colman in my face and then whisk him away for long stretches of time. The film suffered from too many plots, inadequately handled. It’s good to know that in the twenties you could go out for an afternoon’s accessory shopping, pick up a shiny new orphan, and then dump him on a hired nurse when he no longer matches your ensemble.

John Bengston Special Program. John discussed shooting locations at the beach, Chinatown, Olvera Street, and conveniently located Cahuenga Blvd, then led a group of cinephiles on a tour of the Cahuenga Blvd sites. I don’t know how he manages to identify locations by matching tiny architectural details to grainy old photos, but if the NSA ever finds out we’ll never see him again.

Broncho Billy and the Bandit’s Secret (Niles, 2014). A charming modern silent made by the Niles Museum, with an appearance by film wonder woman, Diana Serra Cary. This one should get around to the other festivals.

Almost a Lady (Columbia, 1926). At every Cinecon there are always one or two films that I do not remember a thing about at the end of the festival. This was it for this year. Marie Prevost kept losing pieces of her dress, which was funny. Why did Harrison Ford have a career? He just takes up space.

The Baroness and the Butler (20th Century-Fox, 1938). The plot will not bear close scrutiny but William Powell plays his patented butler role to the hilt, so all is forgiven on the plot thing. The film was planned as Annabella’s big introduction, but unhappily she’s the weak link in this film. She didn’t have the chops at that point to provide Powell with a competent foil, let alone carry a film, and she just comes across as spoiled. It has moments but I’m fine if I never see it again.

Kid Auto Races at Venice (Keystone-Mutual, 1914). No slapstick gene, but what a beautiful print and after John Bengston’s talk, I knew exactly where it was filmed.

Their First Misunderstanding (IMP, 1911). Mary Pickford’s first IMP—she and then-husband Owen Moore fall in love and get on each other’s nerves. Who hasn’t been there? Don’t get mad, Steve, but I completely missed Ben Turpin, although I did catch Thomas Ince.

Behind the Scenes (Famous Players-Paramount, 1914). I’m not sure but I think this was projected too slowly. It has good performances and backstage scenes but somehow it didn’t quite gel for me. I’m always tickled by the “let’s retire to the country and become farmers and live the good life” fantasy that was so prevalent then, and maybe now. Because farming is such a walk in the park.

Buck Benny Rides Again (Paramount, 1940). I had seen this before, so I skipped out for the evening. BBRA is a very funny film, featuring Theresa Harris’s second best role outside of her race films (the first is in Baby Face). It’s stolen lock, stock, and barrel by Eddie “Rochester” Anderson.

Saturday, August 30th

The Adventurer (Lone Star-Mutual, 1917) Another Chaplin short—still no slapstick gene, but the experience was much enlivened by having seen John Bengston’s talk the day before.

The Night Before the Divorce (20th Century-Fox, 1942). What the hell? This film sported great B production values, but the premise does not hold up well. Why in heaven’s name would you want to be partnered with a stupid, incompetent wife? George (Joseph Allen, Jr) does! His delicate ego is threatened by his wife’s (Lynn Bari) talents. The only mystery is why Bari would want to block the divorce, any sensible person would be racing for the nearest courthouse. Good performances by Bari and Mary Beth Hughes, who plays a manipulative blonde with the helpless act who steals Allen’s affections. Nils Asther appears briefly as a redshirt.

Court Martial (Columbia, 1928). The second Betty Compson film of the convention. Betty plays “Belle Stone,” a character obviously based on Belle Star, except for the gorgeousness. Betty/Belle is so stricken by her father’s death during the Civil Woah that she becomes an outlaw. Or terrorist, take your pick. Stalwart Jack Holt is sent to apprehend her, but falls in love with her. Sacrificing ensues. Meh.

The Adventures of Tarzan, Chapter 3, Flames of Hate. I think this is the first Tarzan serial episode I’ve ever seen…I might have seen a few as a child but I don’t remember them. Elmo Lincoln plays a less muscularly defined King of the Jungle than we’re used to seeing, and there wasn’t a lot of sense to the proceedings, but I’m sure the kiddee matinee audience enjoyed it and it was fun. There were quite a few animals running around in the jungle that don’t normally reside in the jungle, but it wasn’t a Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom episode, it was a serial.

If I Were King (Fox, 1920). Turgid medieval drama, with stubby William Farnum playing legendary French poet François Villon. It went on forever and the only interesting thing in it was Fritz Leiber’s bizarre performance as Louis XI (Louis the Crass? Louis the Tentative? I can never keep my Louis straight). Hugh Neely thought Leiber was aiming for a little theater production of Richard III, I thought it leaned more toward Marty Feldman as Eyegor. I haven’t seen The Beloved Rogue, but I was told that Conrad Veidt plays the same role in the same overwrought way—is this something peculiar to Louis XI that resonates with the French and just looks funny to the non-French? A stage-derived tradition? Or just plain old scenery chewing? Poor Huguette the lusty peasant maid had a great ensemble but very bad hair. Medieval hair products: primitive at best.

Witness for the Prosecution (Edward Small-United Artists, 1957). Classic courtroom drama based on an Agatha Christie story, which I have not yet read…has anyone? Charles Laughton gets the showiest role and makes the most of it. Tyrone Power lost his unearthly beauty early, but when he did he got far more interesting roles and was surprising good at playing weasels. Marlene Dietrich and Elsa Lanchester are perfection. The print was beautiful.

East is West (First National, 1922). I’m glad this Constance Talmadge film has been found and restored by EYE (thank you!) and I’m glad I’ve seen it. Except for the unintentionally risible denouement, that’s pretty much it, I’ve got nothing, talk amongst yourselves.

Sunday, August 31st

Scram (Hal Roach/MGM, 1932). Hilarious Laurel and Hardy short; the boys have been booted out of town on a vagrancy rap by the hangingest of hanging judges. They are rescued from a downpour by classic drunk Arthur Housman, who offers them a night’s respite at his stately manse, as long as his wife doesn’t find out about it. He then promptly takes the boys to the wrong house. I laughed a lot. This print was one result of UCLA’s Laurel and Hardy restoration project, thank you, more please.

Kentucky Pride (Fox 1926). John Ford directs this heartwarming film, told a la Black Beauty from the point of view of the horse. There’s the usual Ford stage Irishry, good footage of racing and several great racehorses, including the legendary (and photogenic) Man-o-War, a tearjerking story with a generous helping of schmaltz. What, it’s a Ford film. I loved every minute of it, it was my favorite silent film of the convention.

Human Cargo (20th Century Fox, 1936). This strangely timely film was directed by Allan Dwan and starred Claire Windsor and Brian Donlevy, featuring beautiful little Rita Cansino in a short early role. It’s a rip-snorting 66 minutes of action and snappy dialogue revolving around illegal aliens being smuggled into the US and the two reporters who hope to get the big story. Managing editor Allan Dinehart keeps yelling “Rewrite! Editorial! GET ME A BOY!” which we all tried not to take as a double entendre. Helen Troy comes close to stealing the whole production as the switchboard operating Chorus. My favorite talkie of the convention.

I skipped the afternoon’s films to catch a little quality time with my cats, which involved some napping, for both me and the cats.

Monday, September 1

The Masquerader (Keystone-Mutual, 1914). Another Chaplin short--still no slapstick gene, although I noticed one really interesting long focus shot.

Travelin’ On (Hart-Paramount, 1922). One of the reels is missing from this William Hart oater, but you don’t miss it. I found it a bit slow, although I liked the horses and the monkey. Hart had “it,” there is no doubt. My program notes advise me that this was one of Hart’s last features and that contemporary audiences found it lackluster—I’d have to agree, but I’m glad I’ve seen it.

Always in Trouble (20th Century Fox, 1938). How you feel about this film will depend on how you feel about Jane Withers. I can forgive her much for being mean to Shirley Temple, but nevertheless I find her hard to take. Thank heavens Charles Lane was in it because I wanted to shoot everyone else. Miami was pronounced “Mee-ami” throughout the film, when did the popular pronunciation change to “My-ami?”

The Eternal Grind (Famous Players-Paramount, 1916, Fragment). Wonderful Mary Pickford effort, with Mary playing a tired seamstress working in a New York sweatshop clearly based on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Mary is the backbone of her family, which consists of her two sisters, one an invalid and one a floozy. It’s not standard Pickford fare but the scenes of exhausted Mary sewing at night for extra money are immensely evocative. We were initially disappointed to hear that the film had not arrived and would be replaced by something else…then happy to hear that it had arrived, in the nick of time! The version we got, however, had French intertitles, so Evil Bob the French Benshi stepped up to the plate at the last minute to translate. Such is Cinecon, always an adventure.

The Wicked Darling (Universal, 1919). This is the first Browning/Chaney pairing, the print carefully restored and presented by Photoplay Productions. It has some of the usual Browning grotesquerie, but Chaney’s role is really more a supporting one—the star of the film is Priscilla Dean and she’s excellent. Who in the hell was Wellington Playter? The imdb shows a respectable filmography, I’d never heard of him before. The Wicked Darling came a close second to Kentucky Pride as my favorite silent of the convention.

One Night of Love (Columbia, 1934). In a stroke of fabulous casting, Met star Grace Moore plays an opera singer! What are the chances? The story is slim, in the way of these things, but the singing and music is magnificent, although the musical choices are located firmly in war horse territory. My program notes advise me that Moore received an Academy Award nomination for this film. The director was Victor Shertzinger, who also wrote the title song. I’m not the biggest fan of musicals, but I enjoyed this and would like to see more of Moore’s films.

A Sonja Henie film closed the proceedings. I’ve never seen a Sonja Henie film, and I’ve kept up the good work in that regard. I scampered out early and went home.

It was another great Cinecon, thanks to Bob, Stan, and Jim, the volunteers who help the convention to run smoothly, the accompaniests, Phil Carli, Frederick Hodges, Jon Mirsalis, Adam Swanson…haven’t I missed someone? I think I did, sorry, I thank you too. I’m already looking forward to next year.

pssst - William Powell, not William Butler...

Danny Burk wrote:pssst - William Powell, not William Butler...

Oops. Corrected!

Thanks Frederica and Brooksie for the reviews! This was the first year in several that I wasn't able to attend (was out of town for a wedding) so it is great to 'view' the films vicariously through you both.

Will either of you be at the Colleen Moore film WHY BE GOOD on Saturday at LACMA?

Can't wait for next year!

Todd

Decotodd wrote:Thanks Frederica and Brooksie for the reviews! This was the first year in several that I wasn't able to attend (was out of town for a wedding) so it is great to 'view' the films vicariously through you both.

Will either of you be at the Colleen Moore film WHY BE GOOD on Saturday at LACMA?

Can't wait for next year!

Todd

I will, will you? Wait...isn't it Friday, the 5th?

Decotodd wrote:Will either of you be at the Colleen Moore film WHY BE GOOD on Saturday at LACMA?

Speaking for myself - sadly, no. I came home in order to resume some dull thing called 'my real life'.

One thing I forgot to mention about Kentucky Pride: did anyone else notice that a completely different horse was used in the last few scenes? Instead of a star, it looked like somebody had got some whitewash and painted a tic-tac-toe cross on its forehead.

I must concur with Frederica on the general forgettability of Almost a Lady. Aside from the dress-losing scene, it had already vanished out one ear when I sat down to write my review, and I had to rely on contemporary reports to bring it back to me. I remember now that there was also a subplot about Marie Prevost's brother being creepily protective of her.

And thank you, Frederica - keep those reviews coming, everyone!

Brooksie wrote:

Decotodd wrote:Will either of you be at the Colleen Moore film WHY BE GOOD on Saturday at LACMA?

Speaking for myself - sadly, no. I came home in order to resume some dull thing called 'my real life'.

One thing I forgot to mention about Kentucky Pride: did anyone else notice that a completely different horse was used in the last few scenes? Instead of a star, it looked like somebody had got some whitewash and painted a tic-tac-toe cross on its forehead.

I must concur with Frederica on the general forgettability of Almost a Lady. Aside from the dress-losing scene, it had already vanished out one ear when I sat down to write my review, and I had to rely on contemporary reports to bring it back to me. I remember now that there was also a subplot about Marie Prevost's brother being creepily protective of her.

And thank you, Frederica - keep those reviews coming, everyone!

I noticed the different horse! They didn't even try to get the star copied properly, I have no idea why. Oh yikes, I just remembered the creepy brother in Almost a Lady. I thought we were heading into Lannister land there for a bit, which would have been very interesting for a silent.

One thing you did comment on, which I forgot to mention--the breathtaking hideousness of Grace Moore's costumes. Especially that pasta-sleeve number, that one actually frightened me. I kept being reminded of Dolly Tree's designs, and I'd rather not be.

Frederica,

WHY BE GOOD is Sept. 6 (Saturday) at 7:30pm

http://www.lacma.org/event/why-be-good" target="_blank

THE TINGLER and HOLLYWOOD STORY (which I think Cinceon screened a year or two ago) are Friday night.

Decotodd wrote:Frederica,

WHY BE GOOD is Sept. 6 (Saturday) at 7:30pm

http://www.lacma.org/event/why-be-good" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

THE TINGLER and HOLLYWOOD STORY (which I think Cinceon screened a year or two ago) are Friday night.

Thank you so much! I went home and checked my ticket, you're right, it's the 6th. That could have been very annoying, although who doesn't love The Tingler. Sent you a PM.

$20 A WEEK (1924) is a complex melodrama featuring a good performance by George Arliss. This was his final silent film, and was remade as THE WORKING MAN (1933) in the sound era. Arliss is a rich man who has a lazy son, Ronald. Colman. Arliss regrets breaking his business ties with his ex oil man partner. He dares his son to live reasonably on $20 a week, and does the same to show his son how. Arliss gets a job working for his ex-partner's spendthrift son, and sees a lot of the daughter, Edith Roberts too. Apparently you could just go pick out a cute but obnoxious kid at the orphanage to adopt, as Roberts does just that. Arliss gives a good performance. The film could have used better or more titles, as I didn't figure out the complex plot and relationships until two thirds of the way in. **

THE ADVENTURER (1917) was the last of Charlie Chaplin's Mutual comedies. It was one of the first Blackhawk films I owned as a kid, so I've really seen it dozens of times. The new restoration looks incredible. This one features Chaplin as an escaped convict who rescues Edna and her mother and gets invited to a swanky party. It was extra special after John Bengtson had shown us a slide presentation of some of the filming locations on Friday morning. ****

ALMOST A LADY (1926) was an independent Cosmopolitan/PDC FILM. Marie Prevost never looked cuter than as an artists' model who works for the lecherous John Miljan. Socialite Trixie Friganza, who is great in her small part, has a party for an Elinor Glyn wannabe, but the author cancels at the last minute. She gets Prevost to pretend to be the author. Prevost is dressed up in a beautiful gown, but it doesn't fit, so they quickly stitch it up. In a scene reminiscent of the previous year’s THE FRESHMAN's falling-apart-suit, she loses parts of her dress all throughout the party. Everyone mistakes Harrison Ford for a duke, and we have the makings of a romantic comedy. George K. Arthur is her overly-protective brother. The title writer had quite a few funny one in this film. ***

ALWAYS IN TROUBLE (1938) I have enjoyed some of the annual Jane Withers films at Cinecon, but this one was a bit over the top. It is one of those films where the kid is very smart and all the adults are buffoons. Withers plays a young girl whose father is incredibly rich, but the family does not want him to make a business deal. Withers gets her father's clerk to impersonate her father and the family takes a yachting trip and gets stranded on an Atlantic island. Luckily a big beach house is discovered, but kidnappers are also using it as a hideout. It's totally unbelievable, but at least we get to see Charles Lane and Jean Rogers. For some reason, everybody was pronouncing “Miami” as “Mee-am-I”. Strictly for kiddies. *1/2

THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER (1938) Directed by Walter Lang, this comedy/drama stars William Powell as the life-long butler for the Prime Minister of Hungary. When the social Democrats win more seats in Parliament, Powell is in the uncomfortable position of being a part-time butler and part-time opposition leader. Everybody except Annabella is very British about it, and they still get along just fine. It is a bit bizarre that one family has people speaking in British, American and Annabella's French accent. This was better than average, but I prefer the screwball MY MAN GODFREY with a similar plot much better. It was sad to think that in two years Germany would have overrun Hungary and this way of life would be gone forever. **1/2

BEHIND THE SCENES (1914) Mary Pickford is a stage performer who has a meet-cute with James Kirkwood (who also directed). They marry and she has to retire from the stage. Unfortunately, Kirkwood loses his job, so Mary goes back to the stage to support them. Kirkwood inherits a farm, and insists that she follow him there. She's totally miserable on the farm, so she leaves him and returns to the stage. She has to dodge lusty, rich men there though. You can guess how this one ends, but this film has a very feminist slant for 1914. Pickford plays the young wife well, and this is certainly not a "little girl" role. This print had nice tints. **1/2

BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN (1940) was a stylish comedy featuring the whole Jack Benny radio cast. There are even some voice lines from Fred Allen. Rochester really steals the film with great comedy routines and a dance number with Theresa Harris. Although both Rochester and Harris are both servants to white people, their roles are about the least stereotyped that you will see in any 1940s film. We had just seen Ellen Drew the night before, but this time she doesn't have much to do but get annoyed by Jack Benny and look pretty. Mark Sandrich directed, so you can bet the musical numbers look incredible. The western ranch / resort is nothing that would actually exist, but it is an Art Deco decorator's dream. Ward Bond is on hand as a fake bad guy who is actually a real bad guy. Very funny. ***1/2

BRIDE AND GLOOM (1921) was beat up print of a good Monty Banks comedy. Monty wants to marry his girl, but her father says he must have $5000 first. Pretty broke, he takes out a $5000 insurance policy on himself in case he breaks an arm, a leg, or dies. He tries many ingenious ways to hurt himself, but somehow ends up without a scratch. He finally gives up and tears up the policy. Almost immediately he is run over by a motorist, who happens to be his girl's father! Monty is on his deathbed and covered in bandages. The father feels guilty and gives his victim a check for $5000, not knowing it is Monty! ***

BRONCHO BILLY AND THE BANDIT'S SECRET (2013) is a modern day silent film produced by Niles historian David Kiehn and many others with the Niles Silent Film Museum in Fremont. It's a sweet film, with Bruce Cates doing a fine job as Broncho Billy. Scenes were filmed in the lobby and theater there. ***

Clayton Moore at 100: Frank Thompson's panel discussing the Lone Ranger star was very entertaining. I wish it could have lasted longer, as half of it was taken up by Jay Thomas' hilarious Lone Ranger experience. If you have not heard it, Thomas will be telling it again on David Letterman's show on Christmas Eve.


COURT-MARTIAL (1928) during the American Civil War, Jack Holt is an army officer assigned to find a Confederate woman who is stealing Northern gold and supplies. It is Betty Compson, known as Belle Strong (AKA Belle Starr). Her daddy was killed by Northern raiders, so she has sworn vengeance ever since. Somehow she went from being a Southern Belle to a crack-shot bandit leader. Of course when her gang uncovers Holt as a spy, they want to kill him. And later Holt lets her escape the army, causing his court-martial. Jack Holt really looks the part, but his only two expressions are grim and not-so-grim. It was a pretty big-budget film for a Columbia picture. After seeing so many beautiful restorations this weekend, this was a huge disappointment. It had Czech flash titles for much of the dialogue, causing a groan from the audience. But there were also some English titles with minimal artwork. Why the MOMA didn't retranslate the titles I don't know. **

EAST IS WEST (1922) Constance Talmadge plays a young girl who grows up in China, apparently as part of a foster family of 16 children, mostly girls. Her "father" is abusive and apparently bought her and the other children so that they could be sold as wives when they grew older. When she is fleeing from a beating, a kind white American helps her flee to San Francisco. In San Francisco, she is courted by Charlie Yong, a rich, local guy who has a lot of influence in Chinatown. He is played by Warner Oland, one of the few "yellowface" actors in the film. When it looks like she must marry him, the American must rescue her again.
The film is virtually devoid of comedy, making it very disappointing. On the other hand, it has beautiful Chinese sets and the exteriors were almost certainly filmed in Chinatown in San Francisco. The film uses a howler of a plot device to have Connie end up with the American, Edward Burns. However, there were miscegenation laws in almost every state in the USA, so a Chinese-Caucasian marriage would not be allowed on film by local censors. Although missing parts of the first reel, the beautifully tinted film was restored by the Eye archive in the Netherlands. *1/2

THE ETERNAL GRIND (1916) almost didn't make it, but did arrive right before its Monday screening time. Unfortunately, it only had French inter-titles. I was able to remember some of my high school French, and Bob Birchard translated as a benshi. The film is not complete, but the first three or four reels survive. It is a gritty story of three women who work as seamstresses in a factory. One sister gets sick and is bedridden at home. Another becomes a kept woman to the wealthy son of the factory owner. Pickford, in a very grown-up role, tries to take care of both while working exhausting hours. John Bowers, another son of the factory owner, quarrels with his father and decides to work in the factory as a worker, not management. Things get complicated when the owner reduces salaries and the kept sister gets dumped. Surviving stills show an intense finale, but the explanation of the missing reels flashed on the screen so quickly that nobody could read in French. This film is very different from her later Pollyanna-ish roles. ***

HANDS UP! (1918) was a promo reel for the Ruth Roland serial that was designed to sell it to theater owners. The plot featured modern-day Incas, apparently in California! I'm guessing that the serial is lost, so this was a rare treat. ***

HOLD THAT BLONDE (1945) was a remake of PATHS TO PARADISE. If you hadn't just seen the earlier film, you barely would recognize the story. Due to the Production Code, Eddie Bracken is an unwilling kleptomaniac. He doesn't realize that he is stealing, and we don't actually see him steal anything although he ends up with stolen items in his pockets. Veronica Lake (minus her peek-a-boo curl) is blackmailed by crooks into stealing an expensive necklace. Although the leads are fine, the story is quite goofy and quite dumbed down. It is still funny in spurts, but not as good as the original. **

HUMAN CARGO (1936) was a dynamite film from director Allan Dwan concerning the still timely subject of illegal immigration. Claire Trevor and Brian Donlevy play rival reporters investigating a gang smuggling illegal aliens. Alan Dinehart play their fast-talking editor, who calls for rewrites several times and yells for a (copy) boy every five minutes. Rita Cancino (later Hayworth) plays a Mexican dancer stuck in the crime web. Helen Troy is absolutely hilarious as the switchboard operator who pines after Donleavy. Lily Tomlinson must have seen this film when she came up with her Ernestine character. This film really moves. ***1/2

John Bengtson Special Program: Cinecon always tries to book special guests, and this is the kind I like to see. John showed us scenes and filming locations from many Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd films and many other silent films. The locations at Venice were particularly fascinating. Then the Hardy ones among us went on a walking tour around Cahuenga and Hollywood. Boulevard. David Totheroth, grandson of Chaplin cameraman Rollie Totheroth and Sue Lloyd, Harold Lloyd's granddaughter, came along. John and Mary Mallory took a few of us exploring on Monday, and showed me the locations of the Chaplin Mutual/Keaton Metro studio, the Sennett Studio and the Mabel Normand Studio. We also found the giant set of steps used in the Three Stooges comedy AN ACHE IN EVERY STAKE. ****

KENTUCKY PRIDE (1926) is a sentimental John Ford film about a horse and the family that owns her. The horse actually narrates the film! Henry B. Walthall is the horse's owner who loses all his money twice while betting on the horses. Gertrude Astor is his icy wife who hates both kids and horses. After losing it all but his horse, Walthall and his daughter and their Irish trainer J. Farrell MacDonald struggle to prepare the horse for racing. There was a brief view of the famous Man O' War. You'd think that Walthall would learn about gambling all his money away, but of course his horse finally comes through. **1/2

KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE (1915) was the first film released with Chaplin in his tramp costume. I have a 16mm print of this one and also the Flicker Alley Keystone set, so I've seen it quite a lot. It's amazing to think that a few months later Chaplin and his costume were world famous and he would not be able to film a crowd scene incognito any more. **1/2

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN (1940) This was the late Saturday night feature with Gloria Jean. I was afraid I would fall asleep during the feature, so I went back to my hotel instead.

THE LOG JAM [chapter one of THE TIMBER QUEEN] (1922) This three reel opener to the serial took a little while to get going because there were a lot of characters to introduce. After Roland's weaseley boyfriend decides to make her life miserable, it really picks up. Ruth must be married by her 21st birthday, or guess who inherits her family's timberlands. Ed Hulse had a long but excellent introduction about Roland and silent serials in general. This one was produced by Hal Roach! I'll never know how she escapes off the runaway boxcar hurtling down the mountain at the end of chapter one... ***

THE MASQUERADER (1914) is a later Keystone Chaplin and one of the better ones. We get to see Chaplin without makeup, in his tramp outfit and disguised as a woman. As it takes place at the Keystone studio, we get some shots of the studio. Chester Conklin, Roscoe Arbuckle and Charley Chase are on hand to liven things up. **1/2

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1942) is a rather common title, but I'm embarrassed to say that I had never seen it before. It is a charming musical-romance about a family in St. Louis in 1903-1904. Warner Brothers spent a million bucks to restore it for this DCP and except for a little wavering of the color in one scene the result was stunning. Judy Garland was perfect as an older daughter and Margaret O'Brien (in attendance) was her cute, mischievous little sister. It was nice to see Mary Astor play a "nice" role as the mother of the family, and Marjorie Main is actually underused as the maid. The scene where Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a bittersweet, magical moment. ****

MOTHER GOOSE IN SWINGTIME (1939) was a last-minute filler. It was a beautiful Technicolor Columbia cartoon filled with dozens of caricatures of movie stars from Katharine Hepburn to Clark Gable. It's all gags and no plot. You have to wonder what someone with no knowledge of 1930s movie stars would think when watching this film. **

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DIVORCE (1942) was a complete surprise. Lynn Bari is the perfect wife. She is not a perfect wife like Myrna Loy, but she is just good at everything that she does. For example, she learns golf to be able play it with her husband, and is shooting par within a couple of weeks. When a burglar breaks into the house, she catches him and holds him until the police arrive. Her simpleton husband, Joseph Allen, Jr., gets frustrated and runs out in a huff. Annoyed by a slow motor scooter, he runs the blonde driver (Mary Beth Hughes) off the road. She may be blonde, but she is a scheming, manipulative woman. She cons him into nursing her back to health even though she really wasn't hurt. Then it is a battle of wits as the two women scheme to win the guy's affection before the divorce becomes final. The ladies sitting next to me couldn't understand why Bari and Hughes wanted to win such a dim-wit, but if he was a smart guy he wouldn't have gotten frustrated with his wife and strayed in the first place. I thought this was very, very funny and one of the best comedies of the weekend. ***1/2

THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH (1941) had a terrible title but was a nice little mystery. Sailor Robert Preston inherits a position on a company board of directors. There are a lot of funds missing from the coffers, and the board of director’s demand answers from executive Nils Aster. He is quickly bumped off, and suspicion immediately falls on Ellen Drew, his secretary. Preston initially believes that she is guilty, but after investigation he changes his mind and tries to prove her innocence. This film really moves and any mystery lover will like it. ***

ONE IN A MILLION (1936) This semi-musical features the debut of ice-skating sensation Sonja Heine. Adolphe Menjou plays the shyster leader of a vaudeville troupe stranded in Switzerland. When he sees Heine skating, he convinces her to skate in his show. However, she is to compete in the 1936 Olympics and getting paid for a performance would void her eligibility for the Olympics. This is exactly what happened to her father (Jean Hersholt) in an earlier Olympics. Hersholt is utterly charming as her father. Don Armeche was so young that I barely recognized him. I did actually enjoy the harmonica band, but the Ritz Brothers were really annoying. Heine actually won ice skating medals in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics. **1/2

ONE NIGHT OF LOVE (1934), I skipped out on this one as I don't do operettas.


PATHS TO PARADISE (1925) I love this film. I've got a 16mm print and have seen it many times. It has never officially been released on video, so it was a treat to see it in 35mm. Many people compare this film to Hands Up!, Griffith's other great film from 1925. HANDS UP! has more laughs, but I like this one better because it has a very clever script and Betty Compson plays such a worthy adversary. Compson was actually the top-billed star. If only we could find the last reel. One reason why this is better than the HOLD THAT BLONDE remake is that Griffith and Compson are gleefully amoral, rather than being forced to steal. This film is a blueprint for many caper/thief comedies to come. ****

SCRAM (1932) I have this title on 16mm and DVD, but it was still great to see this beautiful restoration from UCLA. Laurel and Hardy were found sleeping in the park, and are ordered out of town by angry judge Richard Kramer. Leaving in the pouring rain, they help perennial drunk Arthur Houseman retrieve his car keys from a sewer. Houseman invites them to his mansion, but they have to break in when he can't unlock the door. Of course, Houseman has mistaken the judge's house for his own... This is really just an average Laurel and Hardy, but still quite funny. ***

The Sixties Kids: I only caught the last half of this panel interview. Poor Diane McBain barely got a word in, as Barbara Luna and Francine York did most of the talking. Luna was on one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, "Mirror, Mirror"' and had some good stories.

SNAPPY SNEEZER (1929) is an early Charley Charley chase comedy short with Thelma Todd. Charley Has bad hay fever on a trolly ride and accidentally sneezes on the same man several times, making the man very angry. He makes a date with Thelma, not knowing that the man he sneezed on while riding the trolley is her father. It was a little slowly paced, being an early sound film, but had quite a few laughs. **1/2

THEIR FIRST MISUNDERSTANDING (1911) was Mary Pickford's first Imp (later Universal) film after she left Biograph. It costars Owen Moore, who secretly married her after filming wrapped up. I already saw this earlier this year at the Kansas Silent Film Festival. It was cool to see the Imp logo on the floor. Several more cast members have been identified since the KSFF screened it in February. It is a bit rushed as many one-reel dramas seem to be. After Mary and Owen have been married a year, Owen meets an attractive woman at a party and Mary is pursued by a poet. Owen decides he should probably let her leave the marriage for the poet, but of course it is a misunderstanding. **

TRAVELIN' ON (1922) I've been bored with William S. Hart lately, as he's always the long suffering good bad man who starts out mean and ends up redeemed by a woman's love. This one starts out a lot like Hell's Hinges, as a preacher and his beautiful wife Ethel Grey Terry come to a lawless Western town. The preacher wants to build a church. When he runs out of funds, he robs a stagecoach and frames Hart for the crime. The local bar owner Dandy Dan McGee will do anything to have Terry, and Hart also pines for her. The film is missing a reel, where we apparently miss a confrontation between the preacher and Hart and the monkey (!) is introduced. This film features beautiful lighting and cinematography by Joseph August. This is one of Hart's better films, but it does move at a leisurely pace. ***

WICKED DARLING (1919) was a Tod Browning crime drama that starred Priscilla Dean and featured Lon Chaney as her villainous partner in crime. Dean and Chaney are pick pockets. A rich woman drops her pearl necklace outside a ball, and Dean grabs them and runs. The police pursuit scares her to death, and she takes refuge in a rich man's house. By coincidence, the woman that had dropped the pearls had just broken off her engagement with the homeowner because he had lost most of his fortune. He feels sorry for Dean and lets her go. This starts her thinking about going straight. Chaney's character is determined to get the pearls back at any cost. Chaney is only the film for 15 minutes, but gives one of his creepiest performances. Although this film used to be available from David Shepard on DVD, our print was a Photoplay restoration by Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stansbury. The surviving print had a lot of mold spots but was otherwise sharp and was beautifully tinted. My favorite silent film of the festival. ***1/2

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957) I was planning in skipping this as we took a side trip to the Hal Roach exhibit at the Hollywood museum, but the previous film ran long and I ended up seeing the whole thing. It is one of my favorite Billy Wilder films, and I've seen it several times before. I don't go to Cinecon to see readily available classics like these, but I realize they have to program for a diverse audience and many came to see Ruta Lee in person. The film famously has two shocking secrets revealed at the end, and there were audible gasps during those, so quite a few in the audience had not seen it before. ****

THE WORLD AND THE FLESH (1932) was a pre-Code Paramount directed by John Cromwell. Set during the Russian Revolution, it was really had to like as most of the characters in the film were pretty loathsome. George Bancroft is a sailor who is spurred to revolt due to the cruel treatment from his officers. Miriam Hopkins looks fabulous, but her cultured accent is completely wrong for a peasant who became a rich aristocrat and then lost it all again. And although this is a pre-Code, she stills falls in love with the violent Bancroft after she is forced to sleep with him to save the lives of others. A big disappointment. *1/2

VITAPHONE FROLICS (1937) This ten minute musical short featured four different vaudeville acts. The first one was a pair called the Stanley Brothers. Besides normal dancing, some of their dance moves were more like body contortions. The Clements siblings were fine singers, but frankly I don't remember the next act, Zeb Carver and his cousins. The L.I.M.E. Trio was a bizarre hillbilly music act that had to be seen to be believed. **

My review of Cinecon, with illustrations from Lantern:
http://ladailymirror.com/2014/09/05/mar ... ric-films/" target="_blank

Frederica wrote:One thing you did comment on, which I forgot to mention--the breathtaking hideousness of Grace Moore's costumes. Especially that pasta-sleeve number, that one actually frightened me. I kept being reminded of Dolly Tree's designs, and I'd rather not be.

Apparently the man responsible for the Leg of Lamb with Pasta Salad number was Robert Kalloch. According to his IMDb capsule bio:

Kalloch was known as an extremely timid personality, whose many phobias included being in an upright position, while riding in the back seat of a motorcar (he needed to lie down, covering his head with a blanket!)

Given that he also did Claudette Colbert's train blanket skirt and turban ensemble from It Happened One Night, I'm going to have to give him a pass.

Well, a week ago we were still watching movies on the last day of Cinecon 50. I've finally got capsule comments on each of the 25 features and 11 shorts. I did not get to any of the presentations at the hotel, but have also mentioned some of the non-movie presentations at the Egyptian Theatre. The schedule had a blend of familiar classics with rare obscurities, some not shown publicly since their initial releases some 70-100 years ago! Occasional shared themes and/or stars were evident among the selections. Even though I’d seen about a third of the titles already (and actually own several on 16mm film, DVD, or Blu-ray), it was well-worthwhile revisiting them projected on the big screen at the historic Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre, most in archival 35mm film prints and some in new digital restorations, especially when some of the stars were present in the audience. While the bulk of the program consisted of films from the 1910s through the 1950s, it was fun to see the world premiere of a new 2013 short silent film, actually shot on 35mm black-and-white film using an antique hand-cranked camera.


CINECON 2014 capsules

Thursday
--------

VITAPHONE FROLICS (1927 or 37) ***
This fun collection of five 1920s vaudeville acts presented a true variety of singing, dancing, and acrobatics. I thought it showed 1927 on the title card but it's listed as 1937 in the program and the IMDB. In any case it looks like 1920s vaudeville much more than 1930s, despite the presence of the 1937 tune "The Merry-go-round Broke Down." With luck it will make it onto a future Warner Archive collection of Vitaphone shorts (which hopefully will eventually get Blu-ray upgrades).

PATHS TO PARADISE (1925) *** 1/2
Raymond Griffith is at his best in this clever comedy of con artists (the other is Betty Compson) who first try to con each other in a delightful opening sequence of twist after twist after twist, and then go after a famous diamond before being chased by the entire California coastal police departments! The plot cuts off with a rather modern resolution as the pair are nearly to Mexico, but in the missing final reel after another chase they decide to give back the jewels and go straight.

HOLD THAT BLONDE (1945) ***
This pleasant Eddie Bracken picture is a very loose remake of PATHS TO PARADISE but changes the protagonists into a bumbling kleptomaniac and a beautiful girl (Veronica Lake) being forced by crooks to pull off a robbery for them. While entertaining on its own level, it never reaches the heights of the Griffith version except in portions of the robbery, mostly the memorable dog-with-a-flashlight gag lifted nearly intact from the silent.

THE NIGHT OF JANUARY 16th (1941) ***
Robert Preston stars in this nice little mystery-romance with touches of comedy as a sailor who suddenly finds he's on the board of directors of a corporation run by Nils Asther that's got a 20-million-dollar graft being covered up, and soon there’s a murder investigation implicating the beautiful secretary (Ellen Drew).


Friday
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BRIDE AND GLOOM (1921) ** 1/2
Monte Banks stars in this moderately amusing slapstick short about a man who must have at least $5000 for his girlfriend's father to approve him marrying her. He takes out an accident policy and tries to get himself injured in numerous ways, with a typically ironic conclusion to set everything aright.

$20 A WEEK (1924) ***
George Arliss is always a treat, and here plays a business tycoon with a playboy son (Ronald Colman) who has no interest in work. They bet each other that neither could survive on only $20 a week, so Arliss winds up getting a job at the rival business of his former partner and uncovers a takeover scam. Arliss later remade this as a talkie called THE WORKING MAN, and both versions are great fun.

John Bengston Program (2014) ***
Movie location archaeologist John Bengston gave a fascinating Powerpoint presentaion revealing the surviving sites of numerous classic 1910s and 20s films, especially those by Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd.

BRONCHO BILLY AND THE BANDIT'S SECRET (2013) ** 1/2
This leisurely but entertaining oddity is a modern recreation of a Broncho Billy style train-robbery two-reel western made by the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum and shot on location in northern California. The film's acting is adequate and it could use a few additional descriptive titles to clarify things near the beginning, but is an impressive effort, especially as it was shot on 35mm black-and-white film using an original 1922 hand-crank camera!

ALMOST A LADY (1926) *** 1/2
This delightful Marie Prevost comedy released by PDC was among the weekend's highlights. She plays a fashion model hired to impersonate a famous romance novelist at a society party when it is believed that a duke traveling incognito will be attending. Meanwhile a new college grad whose last name is Duke (Harrison Ford) has a letter of introduction to the nouveau riche dowager throwing the party (the flamboyantly fun Trixie Friganza) and naturally is mistaken for the Duke, and naturally falls for the ersatz novelist, leading to all sorts of amusing complications. Throughout the misadventures, her paranoid interfering brother (George K. Arthur) keeps bursting in, attempting to save her from a fate worse than death.

THE BARONESS AND THE BUTLER (1938) ***
William Powell stars as the beloved butler to a Hungarian Prime Minister (Henry Stephenson) and his baroness daughter (Annabella), but shocks the family when he is elected to Parliament by the opposition party and becomes a national celebrity, even though he continues to serve as butler. Meanwhile the baroness's philandering husband (Joseph Schildkraut) has political ambitions of his own, based entirely on pragmatism rather than ideals. Along the way we get genteel sociopolitical comedy blended with sophisticated romantic comedy and a rather abrupt but satisfying ending.

KID AUTO RACES AT VENICE (1914) ** 1/2
The first film in which audiences saw Charlie Chaplin in his iconic "tramp" costume, filmed halfway during the shooting schedule of MABEL'S STRANGE PREDICAMENT but released first, is also a candidate for the first "mockumentary" with its satirizing of newsreel cameramen attempting to film a real-life soapbox derby while Chaplin improvises getting in the way of the camera and bemused spectators aren't quite sure what is more entertaining -- the race or the apparently harassed movie crew. The clarity of the surviving print, lovingly scanned to a high-definition digital copy, gives a sense of seeing it a century ago.

THEIR FIRST MISUNDERSTANDING (1911) ** 1/2
Mary Pickford demonstrates her impressive screen charisma in this otherwise fairly primitive I.M.P. short co-starring her new husband Owen Moore as her new husband. The clarity of this slightly damaged print, recently rediscovered, overcomes the reliance on long and medium shots because we can clearly see Pickford's evocative facial expressions as she becomes upset with her husband's misinterpretations of her actions and decides to teach him a lesson.

BEHIND THE SCENES (1914) ** 1/2
Mary Pickford’s strong personality again carries the show in this early feature about a young actress torn between her career and starting a new life as a farmer's wife. It tends to drag at times and might have been more effective as a two-reeler, but gives an interesting look into the theatrical world of the 1910s.

BUCK BENNY RIDES AGAIN (1940) ***
Jack Benny does an entertaining variation on his radio persona for the big screen in this pleasant comedy-western where he pretends to be a rugged ranch owner to impress a girl (Ellen Drew) but inadvertently gets mixed up with crooks. Eddie “Rochester” Anderson provides strong comic and musical support, with amusing bits by Andy Devine and Phil Harris as themselves.

THE WORLD AND THE FLESH (1932) ***
George Bancroft and Miriam Hopkins pretty much carry this slickly made but fairly routine story of the Russian Revolution and the in-fighting of revolutionary factions that sets the backdrop for a rough sailor’s love for an aristocratic dancer who rose from poverty to become part of the class he is now fighting against.


Saturday
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THE ADVENTURER (1917) ***
One of Chaplin’s best-known shorts for Mutual is even more enjoyable with the spectacular detail visible in this new high-definition digital restoration where you can now see the grains of sand when Charlie’s escaping convict pokes his head up next to a cop! The fun continues when he rescues Edna Purviance from drowning and winds up as a houseguest at a swanky estate, while burly rival Eric Campbell tries to expose him as a fraud.

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE DIVORCE (1942) *** ½
This amusing screwball comedy of a love-hate relationship is cleverly plotted so that it develops into a murder mystery that becomes a key element in reuniting the feuding lovebirds. A man (Joseph Allen Jr) becomes disgusted with how perfect his wife (Lynn Bari) is at everything, and becomes involved with a young woman (May Beth Hughes) who realizes she can effectively pursue her desires by pretending to be a dumb blonde. The couple’s detective friend (Truman Bradley) wants them back together and devises some subterfuge of his own after Bari’s new boyfriend (Nils Asther) is found murdered.

COURT-MARTIAL (1928) ***
This late Columbia silent stars Jack Holt as a Civil War captain charged with bringing Southern renegade leader Belle Starr (Betty Compson) and her gang to justice. Naturally he falls in love with her, but this George B. Seitz production has some unexpected twists as it goes along. Preserved from two or three sources, the print quality varies and periodically switches from original English title cards to Czech flash titles, but is still easy to follow.

THE ADVENTURES OF TARZAN Chapter 3 "Flames of Hate" **
This typical serial chapter is not particularly involving and apparently was so unmemorable that I’ve already forgotten it!

IF I WERE KING (1920) ** ½
The classic story of vagabond poet François Villon and King Louis XI of France was best told in Frank Lloyd’s 1938 Ronald Colman film of the same name and John Barrymore’s 1927 silent THE BELOVED ROGUE. Here William Farnum and Fritz Leiber do admirable jobs acting the famous roles, but J. Gordon Edwards’ pedestrian direction looks more like a stage play filmed five or six years earlier, despite some spectacular sets and a sometimes impressive number of shot setups. Even during scenes with faster editing, actors tend to be lined up in a row across the screen suitable for a stage tableau, and the major battle scene even happens off-screen (or off-stage). While the film is no worse than the primitive musical version THE VAGABOND KING, and does pick up pace about halfway through, Farnum’s A TALE OF TWO CITIES directed by Frank Lloyd in 1917 is much more cinematic.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957) *** 1/2
Billy Wilder’s adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery combines his trademark darkly comic wit with Christie’s ingenious plotting and outstanding performances by Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Marlene Dietrich, and Tyrone Power to deliver a true classic. To tell much of the plot would ruin it for first-time viewers, but it was great fun to see in a nice 35mm print with co-star Ruta Lee in attendance and regaling the audience with interesting anecdotes afterwards. This film just came out on Blu-ray this summer from Kino.

EAST IS WEST (1922) ***
The Cinecon screening was the U.S. premiere of the new restoration from the Netherlands. This Constance Talmadge vehicle shows off her comic charm as Ming Toy, a girl in China who prefers the daring habits she learns from American missionaries and businessmen over Chinese traditions. Complications develop when her father sells her to a wealthy Chinese restaurant magnate in San Francisco (Warner Oland). The ending is pretty predictable for its era, but the film is no less enjoyable along the way.

MOTHER GOOSE IN SWINGTIME (1939) *** ½
This vivid Technicolor cartoon from Columbia is a hugely entertaining pastiche of movie star caricatures as a precocious little girl interacts with various characters from nursery rhymes. This was a welcome and unannounced bonus when EAST IS WEST ran a bit shorter than expected!

SNAPPY SNEEZER (1929) ***
This early talkie Charley Chase comedy pairs him with Thelma Todd in an amusing story of romance being thwarted by untimely attacks of hay fever as well as a disapproving father. Highlights include an uncooperative donkey and a learning-to-drive sequence.

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN (1940) ***
Child singing prodigy Gloria Jean was only 14 when she starred in this pleasant if predictable vehicle for her talents and parable about family and friendships being more important than wealth and popularity. She plays a little girl whose sidewalk singing is discovered by a radio show and soon catapults her to stardom, professional voice lessons, and newfound prosperity for her family. The theme of nouveau-riche people abandoning their working-class roots showed up in several films over the weekend. Especially notable is the appearance of numerous silent-era veterans as her many working-class uncles.


Sunday
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SCRAM! (1932) *** ½
One of Laurel & Hardy’s best shorts is even better in this lovely UCLA restoration. Here they’re vagrants who after much trouble help a wealthy drunk get home, where they’re invited to spend the night – except it’s actually the home of the tee-totaling judge who ordered them out of town. Naturally the drunk’s supply of gin manages to get mixed into the home water supply and the judge’s wife soon becomes unusually friendly.

KENTUCKY PRIDE (1925) ***
This John Ford film for Fox tells an otherwise fairly standard horse-racing family story from the point of view of a horse, who narrates and comments upon the events via title cards, foreshadowing in certain aspects the classic Robert Bresson film AU HASARD BALTHASAR. Peaches Jackson plays the little girl who loves both the horse and a little boy who wants to be a jockey. We also get J. Farrell MacDonald in one of his largest roles as the horse’s caretaker who later becomes a cop after its gambling addict owner (Henry B. Walthall) loses his estate and his greedy ex-wife (Gertrude Astor) sells off the stables. Naturally things eventually develop into a climactic racing scene that solves everything for everybody.

HUMAN CARGO (1936) ***
This unusually timely newspaper drama pits an ace reporter (Brian Donlevy) against a socialite wannabe-reporter (Claire Trevor) as both try to beat each other to solving the case of ruthless profiteers smuggling illegal aliens into the country. The direction of the plot quickly becomes obvious but the fast-paced execution keeps it engaging and exciting throughout its short running time of barely over an hour.

The Sixties Kids - Panel Discussion (2014) ***
Actors Francine York, Barbara Luna, Diane McBain, and H. M. Wynant discussed their interesting careers for interviewer Stan Taffel.

Silent Serial Program (2014) ***
Serial expert Ed Hulse discussed the early history and importance of the chapter photoplay in determining patterns of film exhibition before introducing examples by serial queen Ruth Roland.

HANDS UP promo reel (1918) ***
This action-packed short promoted to theatre owners the exotic adventure and of course the virtues of booking the Ruth Roland serial for their patrons, as well as the extensive advertising available.

THE TIMBER QUEEN chapter 1 “The Log Jam” (1922) ** ½
This three-reel opening chapter sets up the situation of a woman controlling a lumber business that is being threatened by rivals, and plays like the first half of a feature but is just the first of fifteen episodes. It drags a bit here and there but ends with a spectacular runaway boxcar sequence.

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) ****
This nostalgic musical look at middle-class life in 1903-04 is a charming classic for the ages, and never looked better than the stunningly beautiful digital restoration that was shown, appearing even sharper than the gorgeous-looking Blu-ray that came out a few years ago. Of course it was all the more enjoyable to watch with star Margaret O’Brien in the audience and speaking afterwards.


Monday
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THE MASQUERADER (1914) ***
One of Chaplin’s best Keystone shorts gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at moviemaking of the era, with Chaplin and Arbuckle playing parodies of themselves working at the Keystone studio. When Charlie gets fired for messing up various scenes with his uncontrolled improvisational antics, he comes back disguised as a woman and gets hired as a leading lady before the ruse is revealed. The beautiful high-definition digital presentation showed off the beautiful condition of the surviving print used for this copy.

TRAVELIN' ON (1922) ***
William S. Hart’s career may have been fading with the public by the time he made this film, but he remains in top form doing what made him a star, and TRAVELIN’ ON ranks with his best work of his peak period in 1914-17. The third reel is missing from the surviving print but has little effect on the plot, which is set up in the first two reels, and a few plot points we don’t see can easily be inferred from what happens later. As usual Hart is a stranger with a shady past who falls for a good woman in the town he’s passing through. In this case, however, the woman is the wife of a fanatical preacher who himself once was a bandit, leading to some unusual complications after a stage is robbed, as well as plot developments that would never have been permitted a dozen years later after the Production Code was in full force.

ALWAYS IN TROUBLE (1938) ** ½
Jane Withers always attends Cinecon, and Cinecon lately has been featuring a different Withers movie every year. This one is as good as any and better than many with its complicated plot. She plays Jerry, a precocious girl in a nouveau-riche family that has been trying to break into society and suppressing the old father’s desires to keep working. After smuggling some business papers to the office for her dad, she then gets the office clerk mixed up in what turns into a believed kidnapping attempt on the family who become stranded on a deserted island that happens to have the unoccupied house of a vacationing millionaire where smugglers have decided to hole up.

THE ETERNAL GRIND (1916) ***
This early Mary Pickford feature is missing its final reel or two (covered by explanatory titles in the standard-definition video copy supplied by the Cinematheque Française). The gritty and interesting dramatic tale follows three sisters living together in poverty in a big city, working for a clothing factory with poor conditions and a ruthless cash-conscious owner whose sons are polar opposites in personality. One son is a womanizing playboy happy to help one of the sisters live well by making her his mistress, while the other castigates their father’s policies and leaves home to be a social worker, where he falls in love with Pickford. The third sister, meanwhile, is gradually dying of tuberculosis. Of course the conscientious Pickford character eventually gets to set everyone straight and have a happy ending (missing from the print). Cinephile Bob Birchard gave a live English translation of the essence of the French title cards in the surviving film.

THE WICKED DARLING (1919) *** ½
The first Lon Chaney film directed by Tod Browning is really a Priscilla Dean vehicle and a great, atmospheric crime thriller from beginning to end except for the rather hokey happy ending in the final minute or two. Dean plays a pickpocket in league with Chaney, stealing a pearl necklace from a gold-digging society woman (Gertrude Astor) who has just broken up with her boyfriend (Wellington Playter) because he’s just lost his fortune. When escaping the police, Dean winds up hiding in Playter’s house and the two form a bond that becomes tested a number of times throughout the story as she decides to go straight and he learns more of her past. Luckily this film can be found on a nice DVD from Image Entertainment that includes a decent scan of this color tinted 35mm restoration along with VICTORY, another fine 1919 film featuring Chaney, although it’s sadly out of print.

ONE NIGHT OF LOVE (1934) ***
This moderately entertaining formula vehicle for opera singer Grace Moore follows the predictable efforts of a young woman to make it big in the world of opera, from losing a radio audition to studying in Italy to being discovered singing in a café to being tutored by a famous but temperamental voice teacher and becoming an international sensation. Of course the two fall in love and various conflicts and misunderstandings ensue before they can find happiness, while we get to see her sing several complete famous arias from the likes of “Carmen” and “Madame Butterfly.”

LOVE LETTERS OF A STAR (1936) ***
This slick little murder mystery with touches of dark humor starts off with a suicide in the first reel by the daughter of a prominent family who then discover she was being blackmailed about some steamy love letters she’d written years before to a traveling stock company’s matinee idol. Then the blackmailer shows up at the family’s estate, there’s an argument, he suddenly winds up dead, and the men of the family try to dispose of the body, which somehow gets discovered at a gangster’s residence many miles away. In the meantime they are spotted by a sharp-eyed and suspicious undertaker, who promptly reports them to the police. Plenty of plot complications and twists keep things moving throughout the tight 66-minute running time.

ONE IN A MILLION (1937) ** 1/2
This year’s Cinecon concluded with a pleasant if predictable little vehicle for Olympic skating star Sonja Henie, playing a hopeful Olympic skater discovered by fast-talking theatrical promoter Adolphe Menjou and faster-talking reporter Don Ameche. Also appearing are Jean Hersholt, Ned Sparks, and the Ritz Brothers, among others. The episodic romantic comedy is peppered with various comedy and musical routines by members of Menjou’s down-on-their-luck theatrical troupe.

Christopher Jacobs wrote:COURT-MARTIAL (1928) ***
This late Columbia silent stars Jack Holt as a Civil War captain charged with bringing Southern renegade leader Belle Starr (Betty Compson) and her gang to justice. Naturally he falls in love with her, but this George B. Seitz production has some unexpected twists as it goes along. Preserved from two or three sources, the print quality varies and periodically switches from original English title cards to Czech flash titles, but is still easy to follow.

I was ruminating on those Czech intertitles; I don't know how the English intertitles were reconstructed (from the scenario, perhaps?), but you're right, the lack of translation on the Czech titles didn't affect understanding. There also seemed to be far more Czech titles than there were English, so I wonder if the Czech titles were added to the film for the Czech audience? Anyone know?

Frederica - I probably can't convert you to being a Harrison Ford fan, but he was an able farceur- Bob Birchard has called him "The Jack Lemmon of the silents". I'll suggest two titles which IMHO show him off.

HAWTHORN OF THE USA - Wallace Reid is an adventurer in an unstable European country & Ford is his slightly unwilling sidekick, with a range of "what mess have you gotten us into this time?" expressions

UP IN MABEL'S ROOM: Ford faces off against Phylis Haver in a bedroom farce- here is a clip. Unfortunately they don't show the best gag- he has to retrieve an item of compromising lingerie & can't resist modeling it:

FrankFay wrote:Frederica - I probably can't convert you to being a Harrison Ford fan, but he was an able farceur- Bob Birchard has called him "The Jack Lemmon of the silents". I'll suggest two titles which IMHO show him off.

I haven't given up on him yet, I just haven't seen him in anything I found particularly memorable so far. He may yet turn me into a fan.

Frederica wrote:I was ruminating on those Czech intertitles; I don't know how the English intertitles were reconstructed (from the scenario, perhaps?), but you're right, the lack of translation on the Czech titles didn't affect understanding. There also seemed to be far more Czech titles than there were English, so I wonder if the Czech titles were added to the film for the Czech audience? Anyone know?

The fact that the Czech titles seemed to be flash titles whereas the English ones were of the usual duration just deepened the mystery.I wonder if it might have been some kind of work print, developed during the process of translation? It's the only explanation I could think of.

Thanks again for the reviews, everyone. They're the best part of Cinecon besides going to Cinecon.

I asked UCLA archivist Jere Guildin about those flash titles, and he was just speculating since MOMA did the restoration and not UCLA, but he thought that there might have been a separate roll of English titles that were removed from the film but still survives. It was just a guess though. I don't think that you could call this a restoration, since half the titles were Czech flash titles. The titles were so short that even a Czech speaker could not have read them.

FrankFay wrote:Frederica - I probably can't convert you to being a Harrison Ford fan, but he was an able farceur- Bob Birchard has called him "The Jack Lemmon of the silents". I'll suggest two titles which IMHO show him off.

Yes, i was also surprised at the lackluster response of several people to Harrison Ford, who usually shines in that sort of role. He's also fun in A Pair of Silk Stockings with Constance Talmadge (one of 10 films they made together, plus another four with Norma).

As for If I Were King, there's also the talkie version with Ronald Colman, with Basil Rathbone in his most eccentric performance as the King. Yes, there must be something about that part. Frederica, you haven't seen Beloved Rogue yet? You must see the oiled-up Barrymore. Any movie with both Barrymore AND Veidt is a must see. Though be forewarned, there is a fair amount of slapstick. Also, per another thread, a surviving cast member--Dickie Moore is the baby.

greta

greta de groat wrote: As for If I Were King, there's also the talkie version with Ronald Colman, with Basil Rathbone in his most eccentric performance as the King. Yes, there must be something about that part. Frederica, you haven't seen Beloved Rogue yet? You must see the oiled-up Barrymore. Any movie with both Barrymore AND Veidt is a must see. Though be forewarned, there is a fair amount of slapstick. Also, per another thread, a surviving cast member--Dickie Moore is the baby.

greta

I haven't seen either yet but I'm now on a quest. Normally I love oiled actors, except for Whatsisface in Ramona, that was just unhygienic. I checked the web to see if there was anything historical about Louis XI (the Odd) that would generate such strange performances, nada. Perhaps it's just a theatrical holdover.

silentfilm wrote:I asked UCLA archivist Jere Guildin about those flash titles, and he was just speculating since MOMA did the restoration and not UCLA, but he thought that there might have been a separate roll of English titles that were removed from the film but still survives. It was just a guess though. I don't think that you could call this a restoration, since half the titles were Czech flash titles. The titles were so short that even a Czech speaker could not have read them.

Are you sure this was in fact a restoration? I just assumed it was a shelf print that had been cannibalized from two different prints--one English, one Czech.

Mike S.

precode wrote:

silentfilm wrote:I asked UCLA archivist Jere Guildin about those flash titles, and he was just speculating since MOMA did the restoration and not UCLA, but he thought that there might have been a separate roll of English titles that were removed from the film but still survives. It was just a guess though. I don't think that you could call this a restoration, since half the titles were Czech flash titles. The titles were so short that even a Czech speaker could not have read them.

Are you sure this was in fact a restoration? I just assumed it was a shelf print that had been cannibalized from two different prints--one English, one Czech.

Mike S.

Exactly. It looked to me like a simple reconstruction from whatever materials they could find, rather than any attempt to restore it as it was originally seen (otherwise all the Czech titles would have been either replaced with original English text or translated, reshot, and inserted or at least a printed translation made available for reading at the screenings).

Luckily most of the key information came in the English titles that were present, and most of the Czech titles did not seem to be critical for understanding of the scenes. Enough was still there to make for an entertaining film, and prove that it's a decent credit for both of its main stars.

I don't suppose that Sony happens to have any materials on this that could lead to a more comprehensive restoration?

It might just be a quibble about semantics. I consider "preservation" the act of making a copy of original prints or negatives that is not necessarily meant for projection. A "restoration" would be combining two or more prints into a more complete film to be viewed by audiences. Since they obviously did some work to restore the film, it seems like they could have translated the Czech titles, or at least printed them longer so a Czech reader could at least understand them. It is definitely an unfinished project at the MOMA.