Tuesday, April 30, 2024

WAGL -- When a Girl Loves -- April 30, 2024

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

When a Girl Loves was directed by Victor Halperin, who often worked with his brother Eddie. Their most famous film was the early talkie White Zombie

The film is probably lost.

I like the series of ads for the movie. 

Monday, April 29, 2024

Baby Peggy -- The Biggest Little Star in Pictures -- April 29, 2024

Film Daily, 20-April-1924

"A true symbol of mother love is Baby Peggy, sweetest of motion picture stars. Through the devotion of her mother and the constant care of her father she has been developed into what she now is -- the most winning child in the world." Ironically, her father got her blacklisted after fighting with a producer, and her parents wasted the substantial fortune that she had earned. 

Film Daily, 11-April-1924

Captain January was a feature film based on Laura E Richards' 1891 novel of the same name. Shirley Temple later starred in a talkie version. 

Film Daily, 13-April-1924

Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures produced Captain January. Eddie Cline directed. 

Film Daily, 13-April-1924

Even though she had moved up to feature films, Baby Peggy continued to appear in short comedies for Century.

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

Pal the Century Wonder Dog had his own series. 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924

Pal was the hero of "Checking Out," playing with Harry Sweet. Noel Smith directed. 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

"Hit 'em Hard" starred Jack Earle (seven feet, six inches) and Harry McCoy (short). Robert Kerr directed. 

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

Buddy Messinger was a boy who had his own series. 

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

James Berry, an African-American young man, who had performed in two Century Comedies, was signed for a series. He was often billed as Bubbles Baker. 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924

Century announced a series of bathing girl comedies. Bathing girl comedies were very popular during the silent era.

Film Daily, 09-April-1924

Educational offered free ad mats for their short subjects. These could be run as stand-alone newspaper ads or inserted into larger ads.

Dorothy Devore was one of Christie's most popular stars. The title "Getting Gertie's Goat." was probably a satire of the play (later filmed twice) Getting Gertie's Garter. Christie's short comedies were distributed by Educational. 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924

Dorothy Devore's success in short comedies led Christie to put her in feature-length comedies. Hodkinson released Christie's features. 

Film Daily, 18-April-1924

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

"Dandy Lions" starred Neal Burns. Lions were popular around this time in silent comedies.

Motion Picture News, 05-April-1924

Bobby Vernon, who had appeared in short comedies for many years was rewarded with his own unit at Christie. 

Film Daily, 23-April-1924

Clyde Cook was an acrobatic comedian. He was born in Australia. 

Motion Picture News, 05-April-1924
Note his pose in the last frame. 

Film Daily, 04-April-1924

Jack White produced Mermaid Comedies with Lige Conley.

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

This looks like a fun one. 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924



WAGL -- The Only Cold-Blooded Thing About When a Girl Loves is the Shooting in Reel One

Film Daily, 15-April-1924

"The only cold-blooded thing about When a Girl Loves is the shooting in Reel One."

Film Daily, 16-April-1924

"What did we say about the happy home When a Girl Loves?"

Film Daily, 16-April-1924

"Some wonderful settings in When a Girl Loves -- Nothing But!"

Film Daily, 16-April-1924

"It's a picture -- not an exhibition -- When a Girl Loves."


Sunday, April 28, 2024

Oscar Micheaux -- A Story of the Negro and the South -- April 28, 2024

Baltimore Afro-American, 18-April-1924

Baltimore's Roosevelt Theater, "Home of Great Pictures," ran this ad in the Baltimore Afro-American. Among the movies, we see that Oscar Micheaux's film Birthright, starring Evelyn Preen, will play on Thursday and Friday. Oscar Micheaux was a pioneer in producing what were known as race films. 

Springfield News-Sun, 11-April-1924

Micheaux's The Dungeon, which also starred Evelyn Preer, was playing at the Booker T Washington Theater in Springfield, Ohio, along with an early Our Gang Comedy which featured Sunshine Sammy Morrison, an African-American child actor. 

Richmond Planet, 26-April-1924

In Richmond, Virginia, the Rayo Theater "Where Everybody Goes" was running another Micheaux production, A Son of Satan. Lawrence Chenault was the star. Arthur L Boykin and His Reo-Tan Speedsters was "A Happy-Snappy-Jazzy Feast of Musical Comedy direct from 'Philly'."

WAGL -- Everybody Gets Excited When a Girl Loves -- April 28, 2024

Film Daily, 15-April-1924

"Everybody gets excited When a Girl Loves."

Saturday, April 27, 2024

Marion Davies -- April 27, 2024

Pictures and Picturegoer, April, 1924

I see I haven't mentioned Marion Davies for a while. I think she is in costume for Yolanda. That is a heck of a hat.


WAGL -- Many Things Happen When a Girl Loves -- April 27, 2024

Film Daily, 15-April-1924

"Many things happen When a Girl Loves."

Friday, April 26, 2024

Clara Bow -- The Ideal Society Flapper -- April 26, 2024

New Britain Herald, 18-April-1924

Clara Bow's career was skyrocketing 100 years ago today, in April 1924. "On Road to Fame in Films?" If that referred to Clara, it would not have had a question mark. It referred to the stiff-looking guy she is posing with, Draper Daugherty. I have never heard of him, and I can't find anything about him in the Internet Movie Database. His father was Attorney General under Harding and Coolidge. The star of Helen's Babies was Baby Peggy, a popular child actress. 

Washington Evening Star, 18-April-1924

Visalia Daily Times, 09-April-1924

Clara's breakthrough role was in Black Oxen, a 1923 Frank Lloyd film. The female star was Corinne Griffith, but Clara as "the flapperish Janet" made a big impression. "Frank Lloyd failed to find his ideal society flapper until he made more than fifty screen tests of well known flapper types." 

Indianapolis Times, 03-April-1924

Maytime was another 1923 movie, which was based on the Sigmund Romberg musical. Clara was the top-billed actress. The Whipping Boss is an interesting title. A whipping boss was the one in charge of discipline for chain gangs and other convict labor applications. I have not yet figured out "The Sensational Talbert Case." 

Daily Kennebec Journal, 05-April-1924

The Daring Years was another 1923 film. It starred Mildred Harris, Charlie Chaplin's first wife. 

Ventnor News, 09-April-1924

Clara's films were so ubiquitous that two of her movies were showing at the same time in Ventnor City, New Jersey. 

I was happy to learn that Taylor Swift's just-released album The Tortured Poets Department (The apostrophe was omitted on purpose) includes "Clara Bow," a song about Clara and other women in show business. I look forward to hearing it. 


WAGL -- Here It Is: When a Girl Loves -- April 26, 2024

Film Daily, 14-April-1924

"Here it is: When a Girl Loves."

Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Wonder Dog in a Human Drama -- April 25, 2024

Photoplay, April, 1924

Strongheart was born in Germany and trained to work for the police and the Red Cross during World War One. After the war, the dog's owner could not afford to keep him, so he placed him with a kennel in the United States. Director Lawrence Trimble saw Strongheart and persuaded screenwriter Jane Murfin to purchase him. Trimble trained Strongheart and directed him in four movies. Strongheart got burned by a studio light in 1929 and died from a tumor caused by the burn. Strongheart was one of the first German Shepherd dogs to star in a movie.

W-A-G-L -- You've Guessed it, Algernon. Each Letter Stands for a Word in a Picture Title -- April 25, 2024

Film Daily, 13-April-1924

"W-A-G-L -- You've guessed it, Algernon. Each letter stands for a word in a picture title."


Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Binge Watching -- Manhunt -- April 24, 2024


While I was recuperating last week, I decided to binge watch something. Apple TV+ was showing Manhunt, a miniseries based on James L Swanson's book. I was interested to see that many of the actors were British or Irish, including Tobias Menzies as Edwin Stanton and Anthony Boyle as the coward Booth. I thought Hamish Linklater, who played Lincoln, was Scottish, but he is an American. Lovie Simone played Mary Simms, a slave of Dr Mudd who helped to expose the conspiracy. Matt Walsh played Samuel Mudd. Will Harrison played David Herold. 

The story moved right along, jumping back and forth in time. It did not try to exonerate Mary Surratt. It strongly implied that Jefferson Davis ordered the murder. I found it worth watching. I wonder what someone who had not read the book would think.  

The Secret's Out! A WAGL is a Girl Who Marries for Money -- April 24, 2024

Film Daily, 13-April-1924

"The secret's out! A WAGL is a girl who marries for money!"

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Says Movies of Future Will Reproduce Sound and Color -- April 23, 2024

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

"...Leon Bakst, famous Russian scenic artist, predicts that the motion picture of tomorrow will be in natural colors and reproduce sound by means of radio." 

Motion Picture News, 19-April-1924

The weekly Pathé Review included a section in Pathécolor, which was a stencil process.

Film Daily, 09-April-1924

Film Daily, 16-April-1924

Film Daily, 24-April-1924

The Brock Company, which I know nothing about, appears to have kept busy applying hand coloring to sequences in feature films. 

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

This item is a bit confusing. Where most Phonofilms were single shots showing vaudeville act, De Forest said his new film would be shot with exteriors and a cast of twenty. I can't find a film like that in the Phonofilm filmography. J Searle Dawley (great name) did direct some Phonofilms, and De Forest supplied the soundtrack for a 1925 Fleischer Brothers cartoon called "East Side, West Side." I will have to dig around. 

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

"...there has been much widespread comment and query as to whether or not the talking motion picture has a real future, or whether this is only another novelty." 

Film Daily, 24-April-1924

De Forest planned to donate prints of his Phonofilms to the Smithsonian Institution "for the permanent use of that establishment." 

Motion Picture News, 26-April-1924

The reader will notice that WE Waddell is said to be the person who wrote the story for the ambitious Phonofilm "East Side, West Side." 


"Does the Public Want Talking Pictures?
"By W. E. Waddell

"There has been much discussion recently as to whether or not there is a demand for other than pantomime motion pictures. In the opinion of many the silent drama fills every requirement.

"The old-timer is wont to say, 'O, yes, I've seen talking pictures and they are no good — the people don't want them.' He is guessing when he says the people do not want them, for no one in the history of amusements has yet been able to successfully guess what the public wants, and when he refers to talking pictures he has seen in the past he is thinking of various combinations of phonograph and motion picture machines. By this method there has been no illusion, no perfect tone production.

"In addition there are still more vital reasons why this method is doomed to failure. A phonograph record is limited to time of running, and no change of scene can take place. The motion picture of today consists of many quick changes of scene and settings.

"Many of the 'shots' are not over ten feet (ten seconds) in length. Therefore a picture that talks cannot successfully compete with its silent brother if it be limited to a single set.

"What happens when the film breaks with the phonograph-motion picture combination? There is only one answer to that. Burn it up, and get another print, for synchronism has been permanently destroyed.

"But a new talking picture has arrived in the remarkable adaptation of radio to motion pictures, invented by Dr. Lee DeForest, who calls it the Phonofilm. There is no phonograph used in connection with the Phonofilm. The film itself literally talks and reproduces music. The actor performs exactly as he does upon the speaking stage. While the camera lens is catching every movement of his lips a tiny gas-filled tube by its side is faithfully catching every sound he utters.

"By the Phonofilm method pictures may be made with all the latitude of the silent drama except that the director must discard his megaphone.

"Long shots, close-ups, interior and exterior scenes may be made without regard to continuity. Then they are assembled in the usual way, with perfect synchronization.

"What happens when the film breaks? Nothing. Simply patch it together and a fraction of a word with its accompanying action is missing as in a regular motion picture; but synchronization is not disturbed.

"Many stage successes are useless for the reason that their charm lies in clever repartee. Therefore a world of splendid material is available for the talking picture that has been considered useless for the silent drama. In addition, musical comedies, light and grand operas, great orchestra concerts, may be reproduced."

Motion Picture News, 12-April-1924

Meanwhile, inventors on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were working to develop mechanical television systems. C Francis Jenkins was working in the US. This item mentions that he had developed an early motion picture projector, the Phantoscope. 

Film Daily, 14-April-1924

John Logie Baird was working on his own system in the UK.