The Silent Film Quarterly・!1
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The Silent Film Quarterly ——————————————————————————
Volume I, Issue 4 Summer 2016
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Table of Contents Editor’s Message
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Departments: In Their Own Words
“Watch Your Feet!” by Bebe Daniels, “40 Best Films of 1926,” “A Chat With Dorothy Gish,” “D.W. Griffith Would Preserve Old Sets,” “Parts I Have Played” by Lon Chaney, “Feed the Brute” by Harold Lloyd, “Ten Best Films of 1928”
Silents In Review
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It (1927), The Thief of Bagdad (1924), The Cohens and the Kellys (1926), Gribiche (1926), Beau Geste (1926)
Celluloid Collectibles
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Timothy Dean Lefler
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Rachael Grant
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Grosset & Dunlap Photoplay Editions
Original Features: Catching Up With Mabel:
Scenes From A Remarkable Life
Silent Star Who Spoke Volumes:
Rudy Cecera
The Life and Legacy of Mabel Normand
Treasure in the Junkpile:
A Firsthand Account of Silent Film Discovery
The Man Behind the Myth:
Donna Hill
A Look at Rudolph Valentino’s Varied Hobbies
“Is That ME…Or My Ghost?”: The Two Baby Peggys
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Mark Pruett
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On Early Actresses :
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Mark L. Evans
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Asta Nielsen, Lillian Gish, and the Spread of European Naturalism
Classic Feature: How The Movie Is Made:
D.W. Griffith
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Chuck Harter
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“Inside Dope On The Movies”
Interview: Little Elf:
Reflections on the Life and Career of Harry Langdon
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Silent Film Quarterly! Print subscriptions beginning at $40, digital subscriptions starting at just $20! ! Visit silentfilmquarterly.com for more information Coming Soon: The Silent Film Quarterly Year 1 Omnibus! All four issues, collected in hardback for the first time; PLUS bonus content!
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Editor’s Message
Silent Film Quarterly has made it to the end of its first year! It was around this exact time in 2015 that I began laying the groundwork for the magazine. I purchased the domain for silentfilmquarterly.com and sent a few emails to friends of mine to see if they might be interested in contributing to such a project. I never expected the response that I received. Every issue that I produce becomes my favorite until that time, and this one is no exception. In Issue 3, Claire Inayat Williams reviewed the San Francisco Silent Film Festival’s “Day of Silents;” in this issue, Carrie Pomeroy (whose wonderful piece on Jackie Coogan appeared in the last issue) reviewed the Kansas Silent Film Festival’s 20th anniversary lineup. It is my hope that this trend of reviewing film festivals will continue in future issues. It is also worth nothing that this is the first issue of Silent Film Quarterly in which I did not write any of the content (I only conducted the interview with Chuck Harter which appears). I believe that this is evidence of the continued growth of the magazine and its warm reception from silent film fans around the world. I’d also like to thank everyone who has contributed content to the first four issues; without you, this magazine would obviously not be possible. The cover of this issue features Mabel Normand, and two of the articles contained herein are about her life and legacy. Normand’s fleeting life is shrouded in myth and mystery, and the contributions from Timothy Lefler and Rudy Cecera will hopefully prove insightful for readers. The silent film community was shocked and thrilled by the discovery of several films in a British junkyard; I am thrilled that Rachael Grant, who made the discovery with her father, as contributed a firsthand account of the remarkable find. Also particularly special to me is an article by Mark Pruett about Baby Peggy (real name Diana Serra Cary). I was recently fortunate enough to sit down with Ms. Cary for a lengthy interview, which will be appearing in Issue 5. Mr. Pruett’s article is the perfect introduction to Baby Peggy’s career for those who are unfamiliar. Issue 4 is rounded out with an article by Valentino expert Donna Hill, a study of Asta Nielsen and Lillian Gish’s craft, an interview with Harry Langdon biographer Chuck Harter, and an article written by D.W. Griffith that has not been reprinted in over a century. It is my sincere belief that all fans of the silent era will find something that interests them in this issue. I’ll wrap this up by saying thank you once again to everyone who everyone who has played a part in the success of this magazine’s first year. It is my hope that year two will bring even bigger and better things! Your editor, Charles Epting
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Write for Silent Film Quarterly!
Want to write for Silent Film Quarterly? The magazine is always looking for interesting original content about the silent era, including feature articles and reviews of silent films. Please contact the editor at charleseptingauthor@gmail.com if interested or for more information.
The Silent Film Quarterly・!4
In Their Own Words Primary sources from the silent era ・・・
Watch Your Feet! By Bebe Daniels
From The Picturegoer, January, 1921 One hundred-and-fifty pairs of stockings, and sixty-five pairs of shoes. It sounds very extravagant, I know, but I must confess that my hosiery-and-boot cupboard contains this quantity of footgear. And I confess it unblushingly. Why? Because I consider shoes and stockings the most important features of a woman’s attire. Nine women out of ten fail to make the best of their looks because they neglect to give proper care to the little things of the wardrobe. Without this profusion of limb apparel I could not possess the well-dressed, perfectly groomed appearance that is essential to a kinema star. I have seen scores of women with expensive and beautiful gowns who looked like frumps because their shoes were run down at heels and lacked a shine. And, on the contrary, one often comes into contact with those who gain admiration with a simple little dress, just because they take the utmost pains in selecting suitable hose and shoes, whose perfect cut gives full opportunity to the beauty of the foot. For my work on the screen I always have two pairs of shoes and stockings for each gown. To gain the full savour of a beautiful dress one must practise variety of this sort. Of course, to many people the expense would be prohibitive; but it is absolutely necessary to us of the screen world, if we are to hold our places in the favour of the public. Lack of money, however, need not be a bar to woman’s desire for a charming appearance. Good things are always more economical in the long run than articles
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cheap in their first cost. By proper care one good dress and its accessories may retain their beauty long after a whole assortment of cheap; shoddy things have gone into the discard. And it is also sound economy to have as extensive a wardrobe as your purse will allow. If you ring the changes on your attire, and take proper care of your things, you will get a life-time’s wear out of them. Always avoid extremes of fashion, so that no part of your wardrobe may have to be permanently discarded because it is out of date. ・・・
40 Best Films of 1926
From Billboard, January 15, 1927 Selected by the National Board of Review and listed alphabetically (for some reason, only 39 films were listed by Billboard). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.
The Amateur Gentleman Beau Geste An Alaskan Adventure Ben Hur The Black Pirate The Blackbird Diplomacy Don Juan The Exquisite Sinner Everybody’s Acting Faust For Heaven’s Sake Gigolo God Gave Me Twenty Cents The Gorilla Hunt The Greater Glory Hotel Imperial La Boheme Mare Nostrum Michael Strogoff Nell Gwynn The Marriage Clause Oh, What a Nurse! Potemkin The Quarterback The Return of Peter Grimm The Scarlet Letter
The Silent Film Quarterly・!5 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39.
The Sea Beast The Secrets of the Sea The Show-Off Siberia Silence Sorrows of Satan The Strong Man The Temptress Variety The Waltz Dream What Price Glory The Winning of Barbara Worth ・・・
A Chat With Dorothy Gish
From The Arcadian Observer, August 31, 1918 Of all the various types of acting, by far the hardest and that which requires the most skill is high comedy. For this reason, therefore, the hardest working actor or actress, and the one who must pay the greatest attention to the thespian art is the comedian or his feminine co-worker, the comedienne. In this respect today the one that stands out completely as the peer is Miss Dorothy Gish, who achieved the zenith of the art in her characterization of the “Little Disturber,” a role which she created in the “Hearts of the World.” The scenes from this masterpiece were taken in battle-torn Flanders, and as the “Little Disturber” intermingled with the troops of the Allies, practically living their lives, I knew when she returned to the States she would bring some message to the American soldier in training. It was between scenes of her new piece that I interviewed Miss Gish, and asked her if there wasn’t something in particular that she had in mind to say to the men of the Balloon School. “What can I say to a soldier boy? That’s a question that is not so easily answered as you might imagine. Of course, I can say ‘Hurrah! Go get ‘em, fellows; bring me back the Kaiser’s mustache, or something just as good.’ But every one tells
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you that, and I would like to say something just a little bit different. “I wonder how many of you fellows are writing to your mothers, your sisters, or your sweethearts? And I wonder if, right down in the part of your heart where you feel things most; I wonder if you know just how much a letter means to those same people. Do you know how a girl likes to open a letter with that little red triangle or K. of C. on it, or with the insignia of some branch of the service ? You don’t, just because you aren’t a girl. But I can tell you, because I have opened some of them. It feels like nothing else on earth, and just between ourselves, there isn’t a girl in the country who doesn’t like to do it in the presence of company. Of course, she won’t show your letter, but she will read a paragraph or two to an intimate friend, and the way she does it is ample proof that she is going to take a pen and ink and some paper and sit down for a few minutes and send your answer post haste. And while I have no accurate information on the subject, I am told that you like to get letters. “I don’t need to tell you how much your mother likes to hear from you. You know that she is proud of the fact that you are wearing the colors of your country and that you are under the flag wherever it goes; but there is a deeper feeling, and the always present fear that you may be hurt, wounded or sick. You ought to write to that mother just as often as you can get to the materials. “And about your own letters; if you will just write home as often as you can, you’ll get all kinds of mail. I know that, because I write a lot of it myself. “So, as I don’t know anything else to tell you, I do want to say again, ‘write home and do it often.’ And after that you will be in better shape to go and get that mustache you have promised to somebody —you know you have.” “Sincerely yours, Dorothy Gish.” ・・・