gagman66

VP19, I think it's possible that TCM might pick up the Constance Talmadge features with Ronald Colman *HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE* and *HER SISTER FROM PARIS.* or Perhaps Norma Talmadge *KIKI* also with Colman, and one of the funniest films I have ever seen. Probably the best candidate of the three. There has been talk that Norma's *A WOMAN DISPUTED* with Gilbert Roland might be forth-coming on DVD part of future Talmadge set. Ditto for Constance *EAST IS WEST (1922)* which is being restored. For Colleen Moore the most likely possibilities right now would be *HER WILD OAT* or *LILAC TIME.* I don't know how likely either title is at the present time. Hopefully, one or both will pop up in the coming year.

I rather doubt it. Much the same problem as Thames HOLLYWOOD. There are just to many complex rights issues involved.

I mentioned this last night in the film-makers forum. No, Buster never worked for Mack Sennett at any time.

I said in 1927-1928 Clara Bow was the biggest Star Not overall in the whole Silent Era. Rudolph Valentino died in 1926. And it's interesting that he easily had more flops in his career than He did blockbuster hits. John Gilbert was arguably the greater Star between the two. Ronald Colman would be right in there as well. Maybe Richard Dix and Richard Barthelmess. Milton Sills was definitely no light weight, Wallace Reid before his early death was the top leading man in Hollywood. And Tom Mix was unquestionably as popular as anyone throughout the entire decade of the 20's. Now Norma Talmadge was every bit as big as Mary Pickford starting in 1920 she had eclipsed Mary's popularity, but today she is mostly forgotten. Mainly because her films haven't been seen much until just very recently. Norma was literally the undisputed Queen of screen for about 6 years or more. Swanson was never as big as Talmadge. Though they were rivals. Fact is Garbo wasn't even in it in terms of popularity next to Clara Bow during the late 1920's. In an informal poll published in Exhibitors Herald year ending October 1928 Issue Clara received 3 times as many votes as the the nearest competition. That being Lon Chaney. The second highest rated female Star by a comfortable margin was Colleen Moore. Third was Billie Dove. Garbo ranked a mediocre 12th in the voting, with two other MGM ladies far outdistancing her. Those being Marion Davies and Norma Shearer. It's also interesting that John Gilbert and Renee Adoree were in the top 5 list of movie couples. Gilbert and Garbo were nowhere to be found. Bow was the Biggest Star in the world in 1928. Colleen Moore was pretty darn close and had been a major Star for much longer than Clara was.

I have never seen *CHILDREN OF DIVORCE.* But it was restored by the LOC almost a decade ago, and has been touring the Art Houses. I'm just as interested in the movie for Esther Ralston as I am Clara Bow. Very good prints on DVD-R of *MANTRAP* and *HULA* are available from Sunrise Silents. Rich spent allot of time getting the transfers made up well to video. A nice print of *KID BOOTS* is also being sold by the Eddie Cantor Society on DVD-R. Though the film might be slightly incomplete. In truth, *IT* only exists today because collector Paul Killiam rescued a lone nitrate print from oblivion that Paramount literally pitched out into the street during the early 60's. Kevin Brownlow's Photoplay Productions currently owns the legal rights to the movie as I understand.

midnight08, Sorry, Paramount-Viacom, not Universal holds the rights to most of the Clara Bow Silents that people want to see. MANTRAP and KID BOOTS might technically be Public-Domain, but I'm not sure. HULA, GET YOUR MAN, LADY OF WHIMS, and CHILDREN OF DIVORCE are tied up in rights. So is WINGS. So many of the best Bow Paramount Silents are lost. THE RUNAWAY (1926), ROUGH HOUSE ROSIE (1927), THE FLEETS IN (1928), RED HAIR, (1928), THREE WEEKENDS (1928), and especially LADIES OF THE MOB (1928) are the most highly sought after. So depressing, because in 1928 Clara was far and away the biggest Star in Hollywood, and for that matter the world. Yet nothing survives but fragments of her four films from that year. UNIVERSAL might own some of her early talkies? I can't say for certain. She did have several Silents released by Universal, prior to her Paramount contract.

Cid, For your information Silents were still being released as late as 1930 in the United States.What's more, In Asia Silents were being made as late as 1937! Many films were being released in both Silent and sound versions, because smaller theaters took a long time to convert over to the expensive new sound systems. In small town America allot of people never saw a sound picture until as late as 1931. I am not exaggerating. Chaplin released *CITY LIGHTS* as a Silent in 1931. A film he took the better part of 4 years to make. Than in 1936 He released another mostly Silent film in *MODERN TIMES.* So there were plenty of Silents made after *THE JAZZ SINGER* was released in September of 1927. What eventually ended Silents was the rise of the movie musical. That didn't happen overnight. Film were still predominately Silent all of 1928 and even into 1929. Photoplay magazine a stable of the industry virtually ignored Talkies until about March of 1929. They only reviewed new Silent films.

Fedya, Those re-edits where made at a different time, and for a different medium. And with reasoning that no longer applies. Long before we had Blu-Ray's, DVD's, Director's cut editions, and even VHS or laser-disc. To recognize them as being the definitive versions now and suppress the true films the way Charlie made them is nothing short of ridiculous. I mean look around, collectors desire the most complete versions of every film now. That is why they have releases like the Ultimate NOSFERATU, or the complete METROPOLIS etc. So the Chaplin Heir's have to recognize that they are being backward in their approach. Instead of giving us more such as with the Lloyd DVD's for example, they are giving us less. They are out of touch with their audience and what that audience really wants to see from them. The sad thing is David Shepard restored all the Chaplin features, as well he First National shorts with the exception of THE GOLD RUSH to full-length. But those DVD's once offered by Image are long out of print and Criterion will be the second series of DVD's after the Warner's deal featuring only the re-edited versions of these films.

People who complain about Silents are just not watching them. Harold Lloyd's *SAFETY LAST!* is coming up and it's capable of turning anyone into an immediate Silent comedy fan. Though I would rather that TCM were airing *THE FRESHMAN.* My favorite Lloyd feature. Harold is my Idol!

This isn't really a favorite of mine, but well worth seeing because TCM rarely shows any Clara Bow films. They have aired the movie a few times in the past, and it has always been the Thames Silents version with a Carl Davis score that they have broadcast. So hopefully, that will be the case again tonight. *IT* is not tied down in copyright to Paramount, and that is one reason that TCM can air this picture, where movies such as *MANTRAP, HULA, GET YOUR MAN* and *CHILDREN OF DIVORCE* are presently off limits. While the film was a big hit in 1927, for me I can't stop thinking how much better this could have been with a younger and less prudish leading man than Antonio Moreno. I just don't see where He and Clara have much chemistry together, though that certainly isn't her fault. Interesting to note that in 1925 Elinor Glynn pronounced Norwegian blonde beauty *Greta Nissen* as being the personification of *IT* before she did Clara Bow.

musicalnovelty, I'm sorry, my mistake. it's been thirty years since I saw the sound short, and I seemed to recall Mack speaking through a Mega-phone at Buster? What film was that in do you know? Actually, I'm not sure I have ever seen the short? I believe that I am thinking of an old episode of *TIME WAS* with Dick Cavette Though the scene came from someplace.

This isn't really a favorite of mine, but well worth seeing because TCM rarely shows any Clara Bow films. They have aired the movie a few times in the past, and it has always been the Thames Silents version with a Carl Davis score that they have broadcast. So hopefully, that will be the case again tonight. *IT* is not tied down in copyright to Paramount, and that is one reason that TCM can air this picture, where movies such as *MANTRAP, HULA, GET YOUR MAN* and *CHILDREN OF DIVORCE* are presently off limits. While the film was a big hit in 1927, for me I can't stop thinking how much better this could have been with a younger and less prudish leading man than Antonio Moreno. I just don't see where He and Clara have much chemistry together, though that certainly isn't her fault. Interesting to note that in 1925 Elinor Glynn pronounced Norwegian blonde beauty Greta Nissen as being the personification of IT before she did Clara Bow.

Huh? Robert Osborne's introduction completely knocked me for a loop. *Buster Keaton never worked for Mack Sennett!* They appeared together in a short film in 1933 called *THE FAMILY JOOLS* I believe. But to the best of my knowledge that is about the extent of their association. Also this is the first time I have ever heard *ONE WEEK* described as Keaton's best Two-reeler. Personally, I prefer *THE SCARCROW, THE PLAYHOUSE, THE HIGH SIGN,* and *NEIGHBORS.* Probably a few others. I've never been a huge fan of *ONE WEEK,* or *COPS* either for that matter. Incidentally, where did this music come from? I've heard several different scores to *ONE WEEK* and this one is pretty horrible! Sounds like electric organ? Another thing that is rarely mentioned about Buster is He didn't go straight for working for Roscoe Arbuckle to his one series of comedies at Metro. He had to spend some time in the Army first. Hoping against hope here that we get the new version of *STEAMBOAT BILL JUNIOR* tonight and that TCM had ditched the Alloy Orchestra score they have run the past 7 years, in favor of Biograph players. I was amazed that the Chaplin's read Janus films. I was not aware they were involved with Criterion or MK-2. These are still the condensed "Daddy Editions". Thank goodness that the Harold Lloyd Estate restored the missing footage to *SAFETY LAST!,* rather than given us badly re-edited prints.

Well, The 1925 *WIZARD OF OZ* is horrible. But F. Frank Baum had his own company and a series of OZ films during the 1910's. Bebe Daniels made one of her first appearances in a 1910 *OZ* short as Dorothy. *CAMILLE* was made twice as a silent in 1922 with Alla Nazimova and Valentino, and only a few years later in 1926 Starring Norma Talmadge and Gilbert Roland. I think there was at least one earlier version of *ANNA KARENINA* prior to the Gilbert and Garbo film *LOVE*. Details escape me at the moment. *ANNA CRISTIE* was made in 1923 Starring Blanch Sweet. Frankly the film is much better than the Garbo talkie. One film you didn't mention would be *BEAU GESTE (1926)* one of thee most successful films of the 20's with Ronald Colman, William Powel and that great all star cast. *TREASURE ISLAND* was made in 1924 with Lon Chaney. Alas the film is now considered to be lost. While I don't think we will ever see a *Silent Essential's* series on TCM, I would like to think they might consider a *TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection-The Silents* series on DVD. Already long over-due.

While TCM is airing Chaplin's *THE KID* this evening, as usual it will be the caustically reedited 1972 version. Not the original cut of the movie. The film is much stronger in it's entirety. If only the rather dense Chaplin Heir's understood this. They do Chaplin a disservice by not letting the complete works be scene. It's interesting that there has been no mention of *First National Pictures* in the series whatsoever. That would have definitely demanded a word about *Colleen Moore* since she was married to Studio Mogul *John McCormick.* Ditto The great *Norma Talmadge* who was just as big of an international Superstar as *Mary Pickford,* having actually eclipsed her popularity by 1920. Norma was married to the powerful *Joseph Schenck,*

wouldbestar, What survives of Von Stroheim's *QUEEN KELLY* is on DVD in a beautiful print from Kino with an awesome vintage musical score. It has been on TCM a few times in the past, though not for about 5 to going on 6 years. I posted three clips on TCM CFU some months ago. Here are the links: http://fan.tcm.com/_Gloria-Swanson-Queen-Kelly-By-Chance-Encounter/video/1170223/66470.html http://fan.tcm.com/_Gloria-Swanson-Queen-Kelly-Chastised/video/1170451/66470.html?b= http://fan.tcm.com/_Gloria-Swanson-Awake-In-The-Palace/video/1171194/66470.html?b= *Gloria Swanson and Walter Byron in QUEEN KELLY*

Scottman, Lo, is *THE VIKING* on this week already? I thought it was the end of the month. That's great though. Can't wait to get a good recording. A few Silents on tomorrow, err tonight, that might be new to allot of people. Including *IT.*

ugaarte, Whoops, my mistake on the Shirley Temple movie. I was of course mixing up *POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL* with *THE LITTLE PRINCESS.* for some reason. But hey I do the same with Mary Pickford's versions too! Anyway, you were correct about 1936 for Shirley's version. Did you get to see *THE HOODLUM?*

Kinokima, Alas, Thames HOLLYWOOD was released on Laser-disc in the early 90's, but never on DVD anyplace. There was talk of a DVD release back in 2006 in the UK. Nothing ever came of it and plans were abandoned. Whoever is selling this has copied the series from Laser-disc, or more likely VHS. I have the series on 7 DVD-R's from laser-disc. It's about the best you can do, unless everything is all re-mastered for DVD or Blu-ray in the future. Nothing seems to have been re-mastered for MOGULS AND MOVIE STARS, so I don't see it happening.

Kinokima, My first Colleen Moore Slide-Show. http://fan.tcm.com/_Colleen-Moore-Slide-Show-1/video/1227853/66470.html

> {quote:title=hlywdkjk wrote:}{quote} > > > But I need to know - what films were featured in the clips in the final few minutes - the flooding of the underground chamber with two men "trapped" and the shot of John Barrymore (?) looking into a mirror and seeing himself as a skeleton. Any thoughts or help? > > And could the foreshadowing of *Sunset Blvd.* get any more explicit? > > Kyle (still really enjoying each episode ALOT) In Hollywood hlywdkjk, The actor who witnesses the vision is in-fact the tragic *Wallace Reid* in the scene, not *John Barrymore.* The film is Cecil De Mille's 1921 extravaganza *THE AFFAIRS OF ANATOL* also with Gloria Swanson, Bebe Daniels, Wanda Hawley, Theodore Roberts, Agnes Ayres, and Monte Blue. So basically an all star cast. Thie movie is or at least was available in a gorgeous Multi-Tinted and toned print, with some Stencil color sequences on DVD from Image Entertainment some years ago. It might be out of print now, I am not sure? Reid and Barrymore also share in common that neither has been mentioned at all in the series.

> {quote:title=VP19 wrote:}{quote} > A good episode, with one huge mistake. Louise Brooks did NOT popularize the page-boy hairstyle of the 1920s; that honor belonged to Colleen Moore, who 1) wore it several years before Brooks; 2) was a far bigger star than Brooks, especially in America; and 3) wasn't even mentioned during the episode (her fame during the 1920s was about the same as Clara Bow's). What gives, TCM? The series is getting allot of critique a fair amount of it negative, on Nitrateville. Comments are that it is really like a extremely condensed Cliff-Notes History of Hollywood. I said that they Cherry-Picked a few names that they felt might be somewhat familiar, and virtually ignored everyone else. But the *Colleen Moore* exclusion distresses me in particular, given that Warner's technically owns most of her existing films. I'm also shocked at the poor print quality of much of the footage, when dramatically better elements survive. Sad to say, I found episode three the weakest entry in the series thus far. I was hoping that it would be the best. No such luck. Here is the link to the ongoing thread. http://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=7630&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

SisterLuke, Here is a very nice thread on THE HOODLUM from Nitrateville. Harold Ahren's review is fantastic. Most thought the film was great, but there was one cynic that was very hard to understand. Also linked the thread for POOR LITTLE RICH GIRL. Hope you are watching THE IRON HORSE the print is gorgeous. http://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=7671 http://nitrateville.com/viewtopic.php?t=7641

Kelly, TCM just aired a bunch of Silent premiers including two Mary Pickford features in the past 4 days. They are also airing *THE VIKING* for the first time in 11 years later this month. So they aren't just showing the same few titles as you implied. The are also resurrecting *MARE NOSTRUM* next month, and *TIDE OF EMPIRE* come January. None of these have been broadcast in a very long time.

Fedya, *THE BIG PARADE* Overrated? How can it be overrated when relatively few people alive have even seen it? Incidentally, your complaints about the March through Bella Wood being unrealistic and laughable frankly are uneducated and stupid The scene has always been lauded and praised for it's gripping drama and historical accuracy. Now you have really ticked me off! Everyone else I know who has seen it loves this film, even people who had never seen a Silent before said it was among the finest movies they ever saw.