Dumb Dora Does Her Daily Dozen -- December 29, 2023

Motion Picture News, 01-December-1923

Baby Peggy Montgomery was Century's biggest comedy star.

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Baby Peggy's first feature film appearance was in The Darling of New York, which was directed by King Baggott.

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Baby Peggy had recently signed a contract to make features for Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures. Her first production would be Captain January, an adaption of the book by Laura E Richards. Shirley Temple later starred in an adaption of the same book. 

Photoplay, December, 1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Pal the Dog was another popular Century star. 

Film Daily, 22-December-1923

Christie advised exhibitors to stop stoking the egos of big producers and start entertaining their customers with well-made short films. 

Film Daily, 14-December-1923

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 as "Dumb Dora Does Her Daily Dozen" in "Kidding Katie." Lots of Ds and Ks. I like the dog.

Film Daily, 28-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Educational released series of short comedies made by many different producers. Cameo Comedies were one-reelers.

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

"Laurel is making 'em all look to their laurels." That is an awful picture of Stanley. 

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

"Real people doing really funny things in a really human way." Hal Roach's Spat Family movies were situation comedies. 

Motion Picture News, 22-December-1923

Hal Roach's Our Gang pursues Baby New Year 1924. 

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Motion Picture News, 08-December-1923

Snub Pollard appeared in a series of two-reelers for Hal Roach. 

Motion Picture News, 15-December-1923

Baby Peggy's First is Completed -- August 30, 2023

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Baby Peggy moved on from appearing in short comedies for Century to feature films for Universal.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Whose Baby Are You? was the first Baby Peggy movie for Universal. King Baggott (whose name I have always liked) directed. 

Motion Picture News, 11-August-1923

Newspapers in twenty cities ran Baby Peggy lookalike contests. 

Vancouver Sun, 28-August-1923

A full page ad for the Vancouver Sun's Baby Peggy contest. Warning: Very large image. 

Motion Picture News, 18-August-1923

Erie Beach, a resort near Buffalo, had a Baby Peggy Day. 

Buffalo Times, 14-August-1923

Want to apply to the "Times Baby Peggy 'Double' Contest"?

Motion Picture News, 11-August-1923

Cameo Comedies offered "Wrecks," starring Cliff Bowes and Virginia Vance. 

Motion Picture News, 25-August-1923

Educational distributed the short films of several producers and stars. "Educational Pictures are proud to offer to exhibitors the splendid one and two-reel pictures outlined on the following pages. They constitute a bigger, better finer program of Short Subjects than we have ever offered before."

Christie Comedies -- New Ideas -- New Laughs -- April 30, 2023

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Christie Comedies were becoming more ambitious. "Backgrounds from Hawaii to Alaska -- different in every picture. "Green as Grass," centered on horse racing, starred Jimmie Adams and was directed by Scott Sidney. "... a fast and thrilling race of laughs."

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Jimmie Adams and Charlotte Herriam. 

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Unfortunately, Christie chose to make "Roll Along" with his actors in black face. Scott Sidney directed The movie was shot along the Sacramento River but set along the Mississippi. Jimmie Adams played Rastus Jones. "Every actor in the picture will be in burnt cork, that is to say there will be no real colored folks in the piece..."

Motion Picture News, 07-April-1923

Century Comedies, which had produced short comedies like "Sky High" was going to feature their biggest star, Baby Peggy, in a feature-length movie. Elsie Jane Wilson was to direct, but King Baggott would end up with the credit.  

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Doris Eaton became known as the "Last Surviving Ziegfeld Girl" before she died in 2010. She appeared in three editions of the Ziegfeld Follies between 1918 and 1920. Her husband Joe Gorham, a former director for Flo Ziegfeld, produced a revue called the Gorham Follies. Joe Gorham died six months after they married, leaving Doris a widow at 19. At least two short comedies in the Gorham Follies series were produced. 

Doris and her sisters Pearl and Mary, all beautiful, appeared in several editions of the Ziegfeld Follies.

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Hal Roach was producing short comedies which alternated between Paul Parrot, brother of Charley Chase, and Stan Laurel. 

Motion Picture News, 28-April-1923

Hal Roach's new series, Our Gang, was a hit.

Motion Picture News, 28-April-1923

Snub Pollard had his own series of two-reelers for Roach.

Motion Picture News, 07-April-1923

Lloyd Hamilton had his own series released by Educational. "His unerring sense of comedy..."

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

"The majority of  'F. O. B.' was shot in a box car ... The cast of 'F. O. B.' has no women."

Motion Picture News, 14-April-1923

Educational released Mermaid Comedies, produced by Jack White and often starring Lige Conley. Note the lion.