Silents Is, er, Are Golden (4/29/17)

Saturday brought showings of Why Girls Love Sailors (1927) and You’d Be Surprised (1926).

Why Girls Loved Sailors starred Stan Laurel and featured Oliver Hardy (though you could see the germ of something growing there). Oliver was first mate on a ship and Laurel was a lowly tar—but one who fell in love with a lovely lady. She was manhandled by bullies, so Stan donned drag to entice all of the other sailors (unbeknownst to them) to discredit the first mate. After much hilarity and slapstick, Stan got the girl. Maybe that was the only time?!?

You’d Be Surprised was the third in a series of staff picks series, ‘Star of the Season’, Raymond Griffith. Mr. Griffith, in top hat and with slick moustache, is the Coroner (the many-times-asked-for Coroner) who is called upon to uncover the murder of a man who hosted a party. OK, on the plot, for what it’s worth. Host, party on a houseboat, diamond necklace, necklace disappears, man opts for honesty (d’oh!), necklace case opened, request for necklace to be returned during lights out, lights out, lights up, host with knife in back. With me so far?

Enter cop, cop, cops, sarge, lieutenant, and commissioner, all saying (via title cards, of which there were many—precursors of sound?) this is a case for the Coroner. Griffith, the Coroner, eventually solves the case after a second death occurs—or did it? The assistant Coroner, a deaf/mute man, assumes the role of the murdered man in a re-enactment and ends up with a knife in his back. Even though Griffith and the actor portraying the assistant Coroner used ASL, I’m not sure whether it was real or a ruse. Things are seldom what they seem in murder mysteries or silent films. Anyhoo, after twists and turns, our hero finally untangles the web that was weaved (woven?).

As always, Ben Model did a fabulous job with the live piano accompaniment, Bruce Lawton (staff member whose picks these were), and Steve Massa, who spoke afterwards (even though I ducked out quickly), provided great insights into what we had just seen. A very worthwhile series—both the three Raymond Griffiths, and the Silent Clowns Film Series.

MovieMeister