Rare Films in Historic Ohio Theatre

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

(MASSILLON, OH) Only a couple weeks after returning from the annual Hollywood Cinecon, I took off again for the 21st “Fall Cinesation,” held at the historic 1915 Lincoln Theatre in Massillon, Ohio for another weekend of classic films. This time there were 21 full-length features, 19 shorts, and the first 7 episodes of a 15-chapter serial, again many directly from the vaults of archives or private collectors and very few available on video or cable TV. Below are some of the highlights.

“The Gun Woman” (1918) is a little-known Triangle western directed by Frank Borzage that turned out to be one of the highlights of the weekend, despite surviving only in a mediocre 16mm copy. Texas Guinan plays a hard-boiled saloon owner who falls for a gambler while a greenhorn easterner not only falls for her, but is so outraged by the town’s lawlessness that he volunteers to become a sheriff deputy! Still, Guinan’s “Tigress” character remains the film’s focus. The unusual progression of romance, melodrama, and revenge that follows, as well as the gritty frankness, is more typical of a William S. Hart film and no less satisfying.

“George White’s Scandals of 1934” is a notorious pre-code Fox musical consisting essentially of about 20 minutes of obvious if convoluted romantic backstage soap opera that’s periodically interrupted by an hour or so of musical numbers and comedy bits loaded with pre-code innuendos. Rudy Vallee and Alice Faye (then still a teenage radio singer in her first film) star. As drama it’s routine formula, but as entertainment it’s a rollicking good time, even if several of the production numbers drag on too long.

Another enjoyable formula backstage romance, “Hooray for Love” (1935), stars Ann Southern and Gene Raymond. Along the way are some great musical numbers, especially a showcase for Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Fats Waller..

One of the weekend’s surprise hits was “You Made Me Love You” (1933). This virtually unknown British musical comedy directed by Monty Banks stars Stanley Lupino (father of Ida) with the delightful Thelma Todd as the headstrong spoiled rich daughter of an American music publisher. It’s a clever reworking of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” full of great comic turns by both Lupino and Todd, as well as a few nice songs.

“Betty Takes a Hand” (1918) was another hit of the weekend and may be the best of the few surviving films starring Olive Thomas. It’s a delightful comedy that spotlights her perfectly charming screen presence. She plays a poor relation who decides to turn her snobbish aunt’s home into a boarding house when she goes on vacation. Another rare Olive Thomas film, “Love’s Prisoner” (1915), was also screened, and is interesting, but is sadly missing the last two of its seven reels.

“Is My Face Red” (1932) is a fast-moving and fun precode comedy-drama with Ricardo Cortez doing a good job as a no-holds-barred newspaper gossip columnist juggling girlfriends and out-scooping rival reporter Robert Armstrong while seeking out and stirring up scandal. It doesn’t take long before a murder heats things up even further.

“Lord Jim” (1925) is the silent version of the famous Joseph Conrad novel, directed by Victor Fleming (“Gone With the Wind”). The strong cast stars Percy Marmont and Shirley Mason, with Noah Beery and Raymond Hatton as the villains. It’s a fine jungle adventure from Paramount, building steadily to an effective climax, and deserves a Blu-ray release (perfect to double-feature with the 1965 remake).

“The Showdown” (1928) is a moody tropical melodrama. George Bancroft is a wildcat oil prospector in the South American jungle, annoyed when a corporate rival shows up, and even more annoyed when a naïve newcomer arrives with his refined wife. The plot may be familiar, but the actors revel in the dark side of their characterizations, the art design and cinematography drip with atmosphere, and Victor Schertzinger’s fluid direction is the height of late silent-era filmmaking, including some elaborate tracking shots and even a quick pre-code flash of nudity in a seedy saloon.

“Feel My Pulse” (1928) has screened several times at MSUM’s Summer Cinema series and can be found on DVD with a little searching. This classic Gregory La Cava comedy blends the premise of “The Nervous Wreck” (among others) with a story of rum-runners hiding out in an old sanitarium that hypochondriac Bebe Daniels inherits. William Powell is a slick villain and Richard Arlen is the earnest undercover reporter who takes Bebe under his wing and naturally falls in love with her.

“The Half-Naked Truth” (1932) is a pretty good but not quite great Gregory LaCava pre-code comedy, with Lee Tracy as obnoxious press agent, with the help of Eugene Pallette, trying to pass of carney dancer Lupe Velez as Middle Eastern princess so she’ll be cast in Broadway show by Frank Morgan. It sometimes turns up on Turner Classic Movies.

“M’liss” (1936) is another film occasionally on TCM. Anne Shirley has the title role in this less intense but still fine talkie remake of the Mary Pickford silent about a tough but naïve girl up against antagonistic townspeople. The film captures the same charm and some of the rough-edged action of the Pickford classic and Bret Harte’s story, but is able to develop the characters and plotting a bit deeper through the addition of spoken dialogue.

Movie comic Larry Semon’s “The Wizard of Oz” (1925), a rather ill-conceived version of the famous L. Frank Baum story (and featuring Oliver Hardy) has its moments, and is a bit better than the numerous negative evaluations of it. It’s still rather too long and labored, but has a few amusing gags. This film is actually available as a standard-definition bonus with the recent Blu-ray of the classic 1939 version of the movie.

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