"SKINNER'S DRESS SUIT" (Universal, 1925; released 1926) Directed by William
A. Seiter; script by Rex Taylor, from the original
story by Henry Irving Dodge, Lawrence Marston and Edward Paulton; photographed
by Arthur Todd. 7 reels
Starring REGINALD DENNY and LAURA LAPLANTE, with Ben Hendricks jr., E.J. Ratcliffe,
Hedda Hopper, Henry A. Barrow, William Strauss, Lila Leslie, Betty Morrisey,
Arthur Lake.
During December of 1925, Universal were screening to the trade their two newest
Reginald Denny comedies. The first of them, "What Happened to Jones" (also
directed by William Seiter) rated first-class reviews, and was considered
Denny's best to date. Then, a few days later, the critics saw "Skinner's Dress
Suit" and were even more enthusiastic. "Harrison's Reports", for example,
stated: "Mr. Denny has appeared in many good comedies, but none of them equals
this is entertaining values ... it can be shown anywhere and under any cond-
itions. It is sure to give satisfaction". The verdict of The Film Daily was
"Denny's best yet after a succession of real comedy hits, Denny scores
another knockout and you have another boxoffice hit. Surefire entertainment -
you cannot afford to lose out on this one!" It's worth noting that every review
commented on the film's "clean and wholesome appeal", and on its complete
absence of the vulgarity and sex which were characterising so many other
current comedies.
"Skinner's Dress Suit", which had been made previously by Essanay in 1917 with
Bryant Washburn, Virginia Valli and Hazel Daly, is the slight but slick "Saturday
Evening Post" type comedy which has almost completely disappeared from current
cinema. As "B" productions they would cost too much, since they couldn't
succeed with B-calibre talent, And as "A" productions they wouldn't have the
guaranteed appeal that would justify their budgets. One of the very few films
in a similar vein in recent years (although now some five years ago) was the
very pleasing and overlooked Republic film, "The Lady Wants Mink". Perhaps it
is no coincidence that that film was also produced and directed by William
Seiter.
In plot it is admittedly slim, but nevertheless "Skinner's Dress Suit" is full
of gentle charm and fast-paced humor. There is less slapstick and melodramatic
action than in the other Denny comedies, and more "situational" fun. It takes
as its basic peg that old cliche that "clothes make the man" and comments on the
problems of acceptable social life in the 20's, the ways to advancement through
keeping up with the boss socially, and the complications of trying to do all this
on an inadequate budget. The party scenes are particularly lively, and feature
a spirited rendition of the Charleston -- an episode that was played up for all it
was worth in the original ads for the film.
"Skinner" too, is a welcome reminder of the high standards of the star vehicle
series of the 20's. Few series films are left now -- the Bowery Boys, alas,
meander on - and most of those that have died over the past 10 years were
generally of poor, and certainly of cheap, quality. But in the 20's, the good
star series were big money-makers, and were budgeted accordingly. "Skinner" is
quite a lavish production, with no stinting on sets. Laura La Plante, then
Universal's top feminine star, was cast opposite Denny right after doing one of
Universal's biggest of the year, "The Midnight Sun".
When we last ran "Skinner's Dress Suit" (some five years ago) we had one of our
all-time record smallest audiences. Our membership was small then anyway, and had
not yet been "educated" to Mr. Denny. And the fact that the show was held on
Christmas Eve probably didn't help, although the ten or so old reliables who
did show up enjoyed the program! Anyway, now seems to be a good time to
revive this really delightful little film.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
INTERMISSION
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"CRIMINALS AT LARGE" (Hal Roach; 1927-9) 2 reels
LAUREL & HARDY, James Finlayson, Tom Kennedy
As we mentioned in our earlier notes, this film is somewhat of a mystery,
and we haven't yet tracked down the original title. In recent years, it
has always been circulated under this title, but presumably that was just
a blind to conceal the fact that it was a bootlegged print. I have never
seen anything other than a dupe on this subject, nor any print with
original titles. We're not even sure of the date; somehow it seems too
good to be one of the Pathe Laurel and Hardy comedies. If it is in that
group, it must be at the very tail end of it, since Laurel and Hardy work
much more as a team than in any of their other Pathe films. It's good
enough to be one of the Metros -- and yet, James Finlayson apart, it has
none of the stock MGM comedy players in it. When we solve the mystery,
we'll advise you of the film's origin ... in the meantime, we suggest you
just enjoy it rather than puzzle over it! One running gag, which we won't
spoil by describing, is one of the funniest things Laurel and Hardy have
ever done. The latter portion of the film is a building-climbing routine
in the "Safety Last" tradition -- and as expertly done. While not Laurel &
Hardy's usual forte, it pays off for them as well as it did for Harold Lloyd.
"THREE LITTLE PIGS" (Walt Disney-UA-1933) 1 reel
One might term this "The Birth of a Nation" of cartoons; with its "Who's
afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" theme-song, it remains one of the most
diverting of the early Disneys. The music is catchy, the action fast
and simple, the drawing charming. Our print is in black-and-white, but
the gentle pastel shades of the original color reproduce well. Incidentally,
somewhere along the line this cartoon was "doctored" for reissue; originally
when the Wolf poses as a salesman, he was drawn (and given dialogue) in such
a way as to indicate a Jewish stereotype. This scene was subsequently
re-drawn and re-dubbed, so that now the wolf is merely a straightforward
Fuller Brush man!
"HOLLYWOOD EXTRA GIRL" (Paramount, 1935) 1 reel. Directed by Herbert Moulton;
dialogue by Herman Hoffman; continuity by John Flory; photographed by Harry
Fischbeck; special effects by Gordon Jennings; starring CECIL B. DEMILLE
with Suzanne Emery, Ann Sheridan, Clara Kimball Young, Toby Wing.
Designed as a short to be taken quite seriously (and, incidentally, to plug
DeMille's "The Crusades" at the same time), this is possibly the funniest
(unintentionally) item on our program tonight. It gets off to a good start
with the narrator intoning seriously about "faces" -- while the cameraman
focusses solely on bosoms sparsely covered with sea-shells and feathers!
DeMille, depicted here as a hard taskmaster who is a fervent disciple of
"the art of the cinema" and a paternal friend to struggling young extra
girls, gives the performance of his life! In later years, when making
"guest" appearances, he became much more benign. Here he is given to
unleashing streams of invective on hapless assistant directors who don't
quite realise the artistry of their profession! And in one glorious scene,
he turns dumbly to his script girl and asks "What'll we do tomorrow?"!
The simplifications of film production methods have to be seen to be
believed; sitting inside the studio, DeMille directs a massive exterior
scene. In one take it comes out fully edited and orchestrated, whereupon
DeMille calmly says "O.K., let's take a reverse angle on that!" Of course,
it's easy for film society audiences to carp at such astonishing fictions;
actually we're not carping. It's too much fun for that. And the "Cinderella" t
heme is maintained right to the last shot, when the narrator explains that
even if the extra girl doesn't make good, there's always "that young man
back East" waiting with a diamond engagement ring!!
"PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP" (MGM-Roach-1928) Directed by Clyde Bruckman;
supervised by Leo McCarey; photographed by George Stevens.
2 reels
This is the first time that this classic Laurel and Hardy has been shown
by any film society, and it's a wonderful re-discovery. We're much indebted
to Bob Youngson for making this print available to us. It's a magnificent
print, right off the original negative. One of the most unusual (and least
typical) of all the Laurel and Hardy comedies, it has little sadism, almost
no slapstick, but instead some wonderful visual and situational gags, and
also much more character depth than usual, especially insofar as Laurel is
concerned. Laurel's wonderful pantomime of a rape victim is one of the
subtlest things he has ever done. Frankly that bald statement does a
disservice to the sequence in suggesting a vulgarity which is not present;
the situation arises logically and hilariously out of the action, just as
did their satire with the unwanted baby in "Their First Mistake". To discuss
this sequence more would be to rob it of its delicious surprise element, so
we'll say no more. The comedy is really more that of Keaton than of Laurel
and Hardy, and perhaps this film thus owes rather more to its director,
Clyde Bruckman, than did the rest of the L & H comedies to James Horne, et
al. Bruckman of course directed some of the best Keaton films, as well as
comedies with Lloyd and W.C. Fields. To me at least, this is one of the
real gems of comedy from the late 20's, and perhaps the most individual
of all the Laurel and Hardy comedies, though not necessarily the funniest.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
BONUS An Announcement and a Warning!
As an added attraction (?) we're running a wonderful (or revolting,
depending on how you look at it!) reel of fluffs from old Monogram and
Universal films -- film scenes in which actors forget their lines, or
lose their tempers, fall over, and generally explode into curses of a
surprisingly standardised but nevertheless colorful nature. Although the
few really raw expletives have been blooped out, what remains is not the
sort of material to expose one's maiden aunt to. So -- nervous or timid
people are advised to leave early!! Actually, the reel of fluffs is a
whale of a lot of fun. John Carroll, it seems, can't speak a line without
lousing it up. Western star Jack Randall is the worst of the lot -- what
fun it would be to disillusion the kiddies by putting this reel into a
Disneyland show! Boris Karloff's swearing is dignified and gentlemanly,
as one would expect, and Carole Lombard's is scatterbrained and shrill!
Others involved are Warren Hull, Frankie Darro, George Cleveland, Leroy
Mason, Zeffie Tilbury, Eugene Pallette, Holmes Herbert, Polly Ann Young,
Movita (with a fine display of temperament), Robert Warwick, Tom Keene,
Charles King, William Powell, Claudia Dell, Betty Blythe (her expletive
evokes a disapproving stare from Guy Usher!) and sundry others. But Jack
Randall and John Carroll are very much the stars of the show, and Carroll's
lose of temper makes one wonder about the inventive quality of his fluffs
when appearing opposite Vera Ralston at Republic! Old-timers in the
society may remember that we ran this reel before, about six years ago.
Then it was a fine clear print, with everybody easily recognisable. What
happened to that print we never knew, but this one is a descendant, about
twenty times removed. Through the years it has been duped and reduped
until little more than shadows remain. You'll have trouble spotting some
of the players (although if anyone is concerned, we'll identify all the
scenes for you afterwards) but luckily the sound-track is o.k. - which
is really all that matters! This is a very funny reel, but is out
very quickly -- if you allow yourself to laugh too much, you'll miss some
very choice swearing in the next scene!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Program Notes & Enquiries: Wm. K. Everson, Manhattan Towers Hotel,
2166 Broadway, New York City 24, NY.
Committee: Charles Shibuk, Edward S. Gorey, Dorothy Lovell.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
JULY PROGRAMS
We're not absolutely sure what our July programs will be, as a number
of prints are en route to us, and until we've screened them, we can't be
sure of either condition or quality.
However, it seems fairly certain that one of the films will be "PEACOCK
FEATHERS", a Universal of 1926, directed by Svend Gade. It stars
Cullen Landis and Marion Nixon, and is a lovely three-toned print.
Currently on the way from Hollywood is "THE LOCKED DOOR", a 1929 George
Fitzmaurice production, written by C. Gardner Sullivan, and starring
BETTY BRONSON, BARBARA STANWYCK, WILLIAM BOYD and ROD LA ROCQUE. We
haven't seen a Fitzmaurice film yet that wasn't worth a showing, so we're
hoping for the best. We might make a special Betty Bronson show out of
this by running some 30 minutes of excerpts from PETER PAN along with it.
Or alternatively, we might hold out the PETER PAN material for a memorial
show to Herbert Brenon, who has just died. This would depend on our
acquiring a worthwhile Brenon feature; so much of his material is just
unavailable, and films that are available are all familiar - BEAU GESTE,
THE PASSING OF THE THIRD FLOOR BACK, DANCING MOTHERS, etc. If we can
locate a print of THE SPANISH DANCER with Pola Negri (not a top Brenon,
but a good one, and one that is occasionally available) we might run that.
And somewhere between Skokie, Illinois, and New YorK, a print of "MARY
TUDOR" is en route to us. This is a German production of the mid-20's
starring Ellen Richter; reputedly a very lavish production, but a film on
which critical comment, either pro or con, seems hard to find. Actually,
unless it's unbearable, it will probably find its way into our programs.
Merit has never been our yardstick, and as long as a film has interesting
things in it, either historically or filmically, we'll provide a showcase
for it. We might even have special showings of some of the "unbearable"
rejects if there's enough interest -- does anyone have the stamina for a
double-bill consisting of Rod la Rooque in STAND AND DELIVER and Ricardo
Cortez in Frank Lloyd's EAGLE OF THE SEA???? We hope not -- but they,
and others of their ilk, are lined up patiently waiting for the day when
the Huff Society runs out of film.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|