Bill Hart is Back! -- May 8, 2024

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

Paramount asked exhibitors to "Play BIG Spring Pictures!" They starred Thomas Meighan, Gloria Swanson, Pola Negri and William S Hart. 

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

In a detail from the ad above, we see that this part of the item promotes Hart's movie Wild Bill Hickok. 

The Autobiography of Harold Lloyd -- May 7, 2024

Photoplay, May, 1924

One day I may post "The Autobiography of Harold Lloyd."

Photoplay, May, 1924

Here we see a studio scene taken during the production of Harold Lloyd's feature film Girl Shy, and a still from the film.

Exhibitors Herald, 03-May-1924

Harold Lloyd poses with his production team after they wrapped Girl Shy. 

Film Daily, 04-May-1924

Girl Shy played at New York's Strand Theater "for three consecutive weeks!"

Film Daily, 09-May-1924

"Records! Records! Records!" Girl Shy "breaks all records for gross and attendance" at several theaters including San Francisco's Warfield. 

Film Daily, 29-May-1924

Pathé provided music cue sheets to theaters that showed Girl Shy. 

Frankie Darro -- May 6, 2024

Photoplay, May, 1924

Half-a-Dollar-Bill was Frankie Darro's second movie. He was six and this was his second film. Cameo the Dog made about 20 films during her career. Frankie Darro appeared in about 190 movies and television shows. He was short of stature and played children and teenagers for many years.

He served in the Navy as a hospital corpsman during World War Two. 

We will meet him again. 

El Muchacho Alegre -- May 5, 2024

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone. I borrowed the Luis Aguilar poster from the wonderful blog If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats (http://tsutpen.blogspot.com/).

Jack Fuld Wants a Job -- May 4, 2024

Film Daily, 26-May-1924

"Jack Fuld Wants a Job."

Lubin's Marvel -- May 3, 2024

New York Clipper, 01-February-1908

The Lubin Manufacturing Company was a pioneering film production company founded in 1902 in Philadelphia by Siegmund Lubin. Lubin later produced movies in Jacksonville, Florida and Los Angeles, California. I did not know that they also built and sold projectors like Lubin's Marvel the Cineograph.

Motography, 01-August-1914

Semon Reissues Through Vitagraph -- May 2, 2024

Exhibitors Herald, 24-May-1924

Despite or because of the recent divorce, Vitagraph put some time and money in to rereleasing ten of Larry Semon's one-reelers. They made new prints with new subtitles and issued new posters and a "special press sheet." We see above that all the titles were from the period when alliteration was popular.

Film Daily, 07-May-1924

The Grapes of Wrath -- May 1, 2024

www.listal.com

John Steinbeck's novel about migrant workers fleeing the Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath, was a big hit in 1939.  The next year, Darryl F Zanuck produced a movie version at 20th Century-Fox.  John Ford directed and Henry Fonda gave the greatest performance of his career.  The Joad family faced injustice and oppression, but kept moving west.  The New Deal camp was the place where they got treated like human beings.

"I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad. I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready, and when the people are eatin' the stuff they raise and livin' in the houses they build - I'll be there, too."

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. 

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."

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."

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."

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.