The Patsy (1928) User Reviews

Wonderful!

[Devotchka · 8/10 · 27 September 2004]

This is an absolutely wonderful film. Everybody is fantastically entertaining and endearing in it, and Marion Davies proves that she is far more than a pretty face. Hearst did not want her to become involved in comedies, believing drama to be far more dignified, and we're fortunate that she went against his wishes.

In this movie, her incredible comedic talent shines through--her acting ability, mimicry, and overall charm and energy make The Patsy lots of fun for everybody, including (it seems) the cast itself! Definitely one of the best silent films I've seen, full of laughs that rely on something other than pure slapstick.

King Vidor certainly "got" Marion Davies...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 10 June 2023]

... He directed this film and "Show People", IMHO her two best silent films, and they both are such because they show off her talent for mimicry. She and Vidor practically invent the screwball heroine here.

Patsy (Marion Davies) is the youngest of two sisters. The older sister Grace, is doted upon by her mother, Ma Harrington (Marie Dressler), who always blames Patsy for every argument the sisters have. Pa Harrington takes up for Patsy, mainly because of the unfairness of the situation when Grace and Ma team up against her, but also because he and Patsy have a special rapport.

The family seems to be nouveau riche, because their habits, particularly at mealtime are strictly working class. However, they are mentioned as going to the Yacht Club dance, which is mentioned as being rather exclusive.

I wouldn't say Grace is prettier than Patsy, but she is more glamorous in a roaring 20s kind of way, and knows how to apply her feminine wiles to get her way. Grace is dating a rather dull businessman, Tony Hunter, who always wants to show Grace the blueprints for his business plans. Grace seems interested, but the guy she actually finds exciting is rich playboy Billy Caldwell (Lawrence Gray). Grace says she intends to marry Tony, dull as dishwater or not, but you get the feeling that is because Tony is husband material and a good provider, and that she probably intends to cotinue to play the field after marriage with guys like Billy. And that's too bad because younger sister Patsy really loves Tony, but he doesn't seem to notice Patsy is alive when Grace is in the room. Complications ensue.

The story is really no great shakes as far as originality goes. The entertainment is almost exclusively in Marion Davies and her comedic pantomime and especially when she impersonates silent actresses Mae Murray of the "bee stung lips", Lillian Gish of "The Scarlet Letter", and finally Pola Negri. That last impersonation almost scares a very drunk Billy Caldwell to death.

Marie Dressler got a comeback of sorts here as the hypochondriac mother. However she would have to wait for sound to come in to fully catapult to fame.

A silent classic that showcases Marion Davies' comedic talent

[Kareneeni · 8/10 · 15 July 2004]

This film shows Marion Davies to her best advantage - not merely the beautiful girlfriend of William Randolph Hearst who got into the movies due to his pull, as I'd always assumed before viewing this film. She is truly hilarious and touching in this, and shows a great talent for mimicry. My only complaint is the music - a man named Vivek Maddala did the music for the 2003 re-release and I find it completely inappropriate to the film. I know silent-film scores quite well and this one just doesn't cut it, as far as I'm concerned. It didn't fit the mood of the movie at all - I've seen this movie at a repertory theater and the score used then (by who, I don't know) was vastly superior and lent much to my enjoyment of the film. Overall, however, this movie is worth seeing.

Superb Marion Davies

[drednm · 13 July 2004]

Davies stars as the put upon sister in this delightful comedy with a soul. The first screwball comedienne, Davies reinvented herself in 1928 in this and her other comic gem, Show People. Davies then launched into sound with Marianne (also excellent). Freed from the stagy costume dramas Hearst loved, Davies found her own voice in these late silent comedies. Davies stars here with Marie Dressler (in a comeback vehicle) as well as Lawrence Gray, Jane Winton, Dell Henderson and the rather dull Orville Caldwell. The family bickering is fun, with Dame Marie lording it over the household and favoring the beautiful daughter (Winton) to make a good marriage.

When Davies, as the Patsy, decides to "get some personality," the house comes down in laughter. As stated elsewhere here, her impressions of Mae Murray, Lillian Gish, and Pola Negri are dead on funny and amazingly accurate. You have GOT to see Marion Davies transform herself into Lillian Gish! Amazing. Her impressions of Murray and Negri are hilarious. Davies was well known for her acid impressions of Hollywood's grand ladies. One wonders what this trio of stars thought about Davies' take on them.

Fun all the way and interesting to see handsome Lawrence Gray in a secondary role as the rich playboy. He was Davies' singing co-star in Marianne in 1929, her starring talkie debut. You gotta see this and Show People.......

A must see

[lmpc219 · 10/10 · 22 July 2001]

If any has ever doubted that Marion Davies couldn't act or hold her own against the biggest names of the time need go no further than this film. Her talent along with the always wonderful Marie Dressler made a good film a great film!

Her crowning moment is her dead on impressions. Especially her Lillian Gish. Her comic timing along with her beauty is a win win situation.

A must see for Marion Davies fans.

Perfect

[strsfgold · 10/10 · 13 February 2007]

TCM will be showing this gem on April, 29th 2007. So be sure not to miss it!

This little silent film is very dear to my heart. When ever I am feeling down or crying over some problems at school; I always pop in The Patsy. It never fails to erase all the sorrows from my heart and I feel as good as new. This film is the perfect medicine.

The story is simple enough: Marion Davies plays Patricia Harrington who lives in an average, modest house with her normal everyday family. She crushes really bad on her sister's boyfriend Tony (Orville Caldwell) and she will stop at nothing to get him. Along with Pat's quest for her man, there is another side to the plot. Pat is sadly mistreated by her mother (Marie Dressler) who seems to prefer her sister (Jane Winton). Even though Pat has the sure love of her wonderful and sensitive father (Dell Henderson) she craves for her mother's love as well. So, as always, Pat picks a hilarious and clever way to finally get her mother's attention....

The Patsy's print looks brilliant and it has a flawless soundtrack by Vivek Maddala. His score for this film is even better than his score for Wild Oranges. Lots of the title cards are really funny and witty - I have so much fun reading them!

If you want to introduce somebody to silent films, show them this one, especially if they're a lady. Everybody loves comedy, the print is in good shape, the story is still common today, and there are no "over-the-top" acting styles that have turned people off silent films before in the past.

Witty dialogue in a silent film

[rfwilmut · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

Marion Davies is remembered for being the mistress of the mogul of the American yellow press, William Randolph Hearst. He though she ought to star in big historical film epics, and paid for her to do so, but the films flopped. Orson Welles's film Citizen Kane, loosely based on Hearst, presented a girl-friend who Kane tried unsuccessfully to turn into an opera singer, and the film has done some damage to Davies's reputation, suggesting that she was no good at all as an actress.

In fact she was an accomplished comic actress, with a tremendous and hilarious presence on-screen, and would have been more famous if Hearst hadn't interfered in her career. The Patsy, directed by King Vidor, shows just how funny she could be. She plays young Pat, bullied by her domineering mother (a magnificent performance by the great Marie Dressler) and her selfish older sister: her henpecked father tries to defend her but is hopelessly ineffectual. Her having a crush on her sister's boyfriend doesn't make life any easier,either.

Trying to improve her personality, she studies a book of smart things to say, leading her to come out with gems like 'Nature gives us many of features, but she lets us pick our teeth'. Not surprisingly, this behaviour convinces her mother that she has gone insane and has to be humoured... this ploy doesn't work for long. A visit to a smart Yacht Club leads to further complications (her mother comments 'Don't you know it's not good manners to be polite to a waiter') but in the end she gets the boyfriend, her father explodes at her mother, who subsides (for the moment), and even the sister becomes a little more sympathetic.

Despite the lack of sound (and hence the need for subtitles) the dialogue is witty, and Davies's performance is charming, sympathetic and hilarious.

Wonderful

[Kieran_Kenney · 10/10 · 28 August 2003]

A hillarious movie from director King Vidor, with Marion Davies AND Marie Dresler! As the perpetually feuding mother and daughter, Dresler and Davies are not only side-splittingly funny, they are actually quite touching. The rest of the film delivers on all these levels as well.

If anybody believes that Susan Alexander Kane was an actual representation of Marion Davies, they aught to watch this film. Marion is a delight to watch, always full of warmth and energy, always beautiful and charming, and constantly surprising. Take for instance a scene in which she spies on her sister and the sister's boyfriend. Marion, or Pat rather, walks back and forth through the doorway, changing hats and characters, stopping at one point to remark "When in Bagdad, do as the Bagdaddies do!" Or there's the scene where she barges into an intended conquest's house and finds him in a state of drunken delirium. In an (unsuccessful) attempt to rouse him (or at least his attention), she goes about the room impersonating a series of popular film stars. First she's Mae Murray, then Lillian Gish, then Pola Negri. Gloria Swanson's Chaplin imitation is no match for the brilliance of this scene.

Viewed with a modern audience, this film transcends the generations. Though so much has changed in the many years since it's conception, so much is still the same. The Patsy is one of the greatest silent comedies, and one of the best comedies to boot, and one of the best silents, that I think I have ever seen.

Endearing

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 21 January 2019]

Marion Davies is a bundle of energy and this film has a lot of cute moments, many of which are forerunners of later screwball and romantic comedies. The story has her running around trying to get her big sister's boyfriend to notice her instead. She moons over him somewhat dementedly, which made the film take a while to grow on me, but it got there. Meanwhile, her sister (Jane Winton) looks to upgrade from the boyfriend (Orville Caldwell) to a more affluent man from the yacht club (Lawrence Gray), cracking the door open a bit for her.

It's an interesting family dynamic; Davies' character is bullied by her sister and not favored by her mother (Marie Dressler), but has a special relationship with her father (Dell Henderson). Her parents fall into the old trope of overbearing wife and henpecked husband, you know, that is until he's had enough. However, watching their relationship and the two sisters spar with little comments and gestures throughout the film is endearing. "If it wasn't for you, our family tree would die," says Davies. "What do you mean by that?," her sister asks. "You're the sap!" she answers. Director King Vidor opens with a clever overhead shot of the family all eating soup in sync with one another, and later has them scrambling around to get ready for an evening out, with the ladies jostling for position in front of the mirror. It's in these manic moments and Davies' hopeless love that the film has its charm. Vidor keeps things light, even though some of the little ways the characters manipulate one another venture from relative innocence (pretending someone else is interested to stoke jealousy) to what might otherwise be decidedly unfunny (faking the scene of an assault, and threatening divorce).

I didn't find any of the comedic elements to be laugh out loud funny, but I was often amused. At one point Davies gets a book on anecdotes (in order to "develop a personality"), and then begins rattling off one-liners (e.g. "A caterpillar is nothing but an upholstered worm.") They're quirky and offbeat, and more interesting for their window into the 1920's than anything else. To bother her sister who is with a man, she parades across a doorway wearing a succession of silly hats. However, easily the biggest highlight was her impressions of Mae Murray, Lillian Gish, and Pola Negri, which are fantastic. Each of them is preceded by a photo of the actress, and then we see Davies developing the impression, starting with expressions with her mouth, and then adding from there. It's a pretty simple little film, but watch it for moments like that.

Extremely funny

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 9/10 · 29 December 2021]

Judging by most other reviews on this site I'm not going out on much of a limb when I say The Patsy is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. I don't mean just funniest silent films. I mean funniest movies, period.

The plot is simple enough: younger sister (Marion Davies) moons over older sister's boyfriend. That's all anybody needs to know.

After that, it's one hilarious set piece after another. Dinner at the yacht club. Davies spouting gibberish out of a book of inane aphorisms. Davies mimicking her Hollywood contemporaries.

The intertitles are sharply funny. The physical comedy is pure gold.

Yes, Davies has charm and comedic gifts that have been overshadowed by her portrayal on the ponderously dull Citizen Kane. If you can't fall in love with her here, you're colder than New Hampshire granite.

As for Marie Dressler, what a force. It's not an exaggeration to say she might have been the funniest film actress of all time. I'm not sure she even needed dialogue to be funny. On the other hand, if you're familiar with her speaking voice from having watched one of her talkies (e.g., Min and Bill) it makes this performance that much better.

Unless you have some kind of disease that prevents you from watching silent movies, I unreservedly recommend The Patsy.

Marion Davies Plays the Patsy

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 31 August 2009]

Much-maligned Marion Davies (as Patricia "Pat" Harrington) always gets the tail end of the chicken when her family sits down for Sunday dinner. With mother Marie Dressler brow-beating sympathetic husband Dell Henderson (as Henry) into submission, Ms. Davies is treated as her family's "Cinderella". Davies' younger and sexier looking sister Jane Winton (as Grace) garners most of Ms. Dressler's attention, although Mr. Henderson tries to encourage Davies to make a play for sister Winton's boyfriend, Orville Caldwell (as Tony Anderson).

Thankfully, MGM and William Randolph Hearst obtained the services of King Vidor to direct this Barry Conners comedy for their often pigeonholed star; and, she makes it shine. Davies' hilarious, dead-on impersonations of Mae Murray, Lillian Gish, and Pola Negri are excellent. Although he isn't her main suitor in this picture, frequent co-star Lawrence Gray (as Billy Caldwell) was one of Davies' better foils (along with William Haines). Appearing this time as a handsome speed-boating playboy, Mr. Gray has a great scene with Ms. Dressler and the cast; pretending to be a waiter, Gray ends up serving Dressler a celery stalk in her cleavage. Dressler who quips, "Don't you know it's bad manners to be polite to a waiter," is marvelous.

******* The Patsy (4/22/28) King Vidor ~ Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Lawrence Gray, Dell Henderson

Davies & Dressler: A Dynamite Duo

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 14 September 2004]

A kooky younger daughter becomes THE PATSY of a social-climbing family when she falls in love with her older sister's beau.

The delightful Marion Davies gets to exhibit her considerable comedic skills in this very enjoyable silent film from MGM. Often dismissed as merely the pretty mistress of one of the nation's most powerful men, William Randolph Hearst, Davies was actually a very skilled actress. Better known for her stodgy costume dramas, director King Vidor invited her to star in THE PATSY after seeing her personality & talents unbridled whilst a guest at the fabulous home she shared with Hearst at San Simeon. Watching Marion moon over the man she secretly loves, acquire a very peculiar new personality, or attempt a riotous seduction of a notorious Lothario, is to see a very fine artist at her best.

Davies has her work cut out for her: playing her mother is the formidable Marie Dressler, who steals every scene with galumphing grace. With her large shapeless body and a face that probably scared dogs and small children, the marvelous Marie puts her genius for physical comedy into high gear as she grimaces, glares, pouts & flounces her way across the screen. This film is actually credited with saving her life: according to Hollywood legend the out-of-work Dressler was eating her last meal before committing suicide when she was spotted in the restaurant by Alan Dwan and offered the role of Davies' Ma. The rest is history--within a couple of years Dressler would be the movies' most popular star, a status she would hold until her untimely death in 1934.

Dell Henderson plays Davies' lovable, but thoroughly henpecked, father. Glamorous Jane Winton has the role of her spoiled older sister. Orville Caldwell is the earnest fellow Davies adores. Lawrence Gray is hilarious as the lively playboy who gets a late-night visit from Davies he'll never forget.

The three contemporaries which Davies mimics with such precision during the seduction scene are Mae Murray, Lillian Gish (amazing) and Gloria Swanson.

Vivek Maddala has contributed a perky score for the film's restoration.

Cute comedy

[Philipp_Flersheim · 7/10 · 31 December 2021]

A hysterical mother, a henpecked father and a domineering sister: poor Pat has her work cut out, and not only because she must serve at table and do the dishes. The man she adores persistently overlooks her, and whatever she does in order to change this seems to backfire. Her attempts to develop a 'personality' are hilarious. Marion Davis is great as Pat, and so are Maria Dressler and Dell Henderson as her parents. The other men in the picture remain a bit underdeveloped, and so does Jane Winton as Pat's older sister. The pacing of the film is somewhat uneven, but it is still a great comedy. Highly recommended.

the patsy

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 21 May 2021]

And another reason I dislike silent films is that snappy dialogue doesn't work in them because the wittier the repartee the more often the screen has to turn black with writing on it and that disrupts the flow of the friggin thing.

Outstanding

[mikbyr · 10/10 · 28 May 2005]

The Patsy is tremendous. The fact that this film is unavailable seems like a huge travesty, considering all the junk that has been released on video tape and DVD. Marion Davies seems to have practically invented the screwball style of comedy acting that became hugely popular in the 30's. But with the exception of a few film historians, no one seems to give her any credit. Popular culture tends to remember her as the untalented hack supposedly based on her in Citizen Kane. One thing that jumps out at me is her intelligence. She lets us see her thoughts in her face even while her expression is changing rapidly.

Ted Turner should get his head out of that tight, dark place and release a few hundred more classic films on DVD, and soon.

What a wonderful movie!

[aldiboronti · 10/10 · 15 March 2017]

One of the greatest comedies ever made by one of the greatest directors of the 20th century and starring probably the greatest comedienne of that century.

That's a lot of superlatives to live up to but every one of them is justified. The great power of this comedy is that as well as being absolutely hilarious it manages at the same time, as all great comedies do, to wring the heartstrings. I really do wish that more people would overcome their aversion to silents and to B&W in order that they might have the chance to enjoy this film, although it is their loss if they cannot.

Marion Davies is magnificent. She invests the character with such sweetness (although she is never never saccharine). And her comic technique is superb. Her whole performance is a master-class in the art of comedy. Watching her in this and her other comedy classics (Show People, Not So Dumb, Five and Ten) you have to wonder again at Orson Welles' depth of hatred and resentment towards William Randolph Hearst that he could caricature Davies in Citizen Kane as a no-talent dumb blonde. His film is a classic of course but I can never watch it without real anger at the injustice to Davies.

The other players all do their parts well, especially Marie Dressler, for whom this was something of a comeback. I also liked the performance of Dell Henderson playing Patsy's Pa. (He also played Davies' father in Show People.) To sum up this is one of my favorite films. Another reviewer mentioned that they always watched it when they were melancholy to cheer them up and I find it has the same effect on me. I'm not a great believer but I always imagine King Vidor and Marion Davies reunited in Heaven forever young and making endless classic comedies which cause the skies to reverberate with the sound of angelic laughter and sound to those on Earth below as thunder.

What's With the Music?

[medwardb1976 · 17 August 2009]

I am glad everybody that has reviewed the film so far has enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I did not. Not that there was anything wrong with the film itself. Far from it. The thing that spoiled it for me was the music! Some late silents had a musical score added to it, such as Joan Crawford's "Our Dancing Daughters/Modern Maidens" series. And a fun bouncing '20's score, to enhance the flapper theme of the film, it was! Evidently "The Patsy" had no such score attached. So naturally, for the sake of modern audiences, someone had to add one. But why the angst-riven post-modern dissonant cacophony for a film about a Roaring Twenties flapper??! It's as if they had dubbed "The Wizard of Oz" with Philip Glass!

As a matter of fact, a TCM special about the life and career of Marion Davies has a clip of "The Patsy" accompanied by a rollicking '20's recording of "There Ain't No Maybe In My Baby's Eyes," which complimented the fun of the film and Marion's antics perfectly. But no! The actual version TCM puts on screen moves the spirit of the Holocaust two decades ahead!! Why? Why? Why?

I think it's high time TCM stopped hiring these hack musicians that want to put their stamp and their personal statement on silent masterpieces that suit their own self-absorbed whims, and hire real composers that write for the film - instead of for themselves. Or else, just add actual recordings from the 1920's that would suit such films as did the TCM Marion Davies special.

Maybe I'm going overboard and being a bit provocative, but such disrespect for painstakingly restored masterpieces renders me apoplectic, and I think it should rile a few other fans as well. Someone tell TCM to STOP destroying beautiful silent films with stupid-sounding sound!!!!

comedic exuberance of Marion Davies

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 8 November 2021]

Bratty teen Patricia Harrington (Marion Davies) has older sister Grace. Her clueless mother keeps pushing the family for upward mobility. Grace has ambitious boyfriend Tony Anderson. Prankster rich playboy Billy Caldwell takes a liking to Grace. Tony is jealous as Grace falls for Billy. Pat has her eyes set on Tony.

Marion Davies is well known as William Randolph Hearst's longtime mistress. She may be in her thirties but her exuberance sells her as a teen. She's no trophy girlfriend. She's a good comedic performer. This may work better if her character is a more appropriate age. It would make her romance with Tony a lot less awkward. It's too bad that she will forever be best known as a mistress to a powerful old man.

A Gem

[kerrydragon · 8/10 · 30 April 2007]

I had never seen Marion Davies in a movie until now.What a treat.Such a pretty,talented,funny,expressive ability she had.Charisma with a capital "C",a doll for sure.No wonder Hearst loved her so.Marie Dressler I have seen before,and she usually is the dominant mother,head of the household.She is stern, but comes through as caring in the end.I love everything about silents,the quirky,shaky movements,the old phones,the hairdo's and clothes.This movie transported me back in time to the twenties.I also liked marion's sister jane in this movie.She had a sexuality and charm that was rather advanced.Very flirtatious and fickle.Loved the scene where marion show's off different hats and those faces,priceless.

The Patsy review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 4 May 2020]

Marion Davies shines in a so-so comedy that's at its best when focusing on the dynamics of her family life rather than her pursuit of her older sister's boyfriend. Given how dull he is, you have to wonder what she sees in him.

That classic tale of Cinderella reformed by King Vidor in his funniest film ever, probably. One of the wittiest, craziest and quirkiest films of its time.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 8/10 · 29 December 2021]

The Patsy (1928) : Brief Review -

That classic tale of Cinderella reformed by King Vidor in his funniest film ever, probably. One of the wittiest, craziest and quirkiest films of its time. After watching Vidor's earlier timeless classics like 'The Big Parade' (1925) and 'The Crowd' (1928), I never imagined that he could make such a funny film. What a hysterical comedy it is. Pure fun and not limited, but all out! I can even compare it to the works of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, who were ruling the comedy genre in the 1920s. I have seen at least 10 classics each from Keaton, Chaplin and Lloyd's filmography but I don't think any film had such quirky and witty dialogues. That classic formula of Cinderella is reformed in family drama and rom-com genre with a highly adorable, nasty and crazy character at the centre. King Vidor's funniest film maybe. If I write down all the dialogues (intertitles actually) of the film and post them on social media Today, in 2021, that's 9 decades after the film release, I'm sure those meme pages who post mediocre jokes and the people who like them will understand the real quality stuff. What a fantastic bunch of intertitles this film has got. I just can't believe that someone has used such a high level of humour in 1928 and what amazing outcomes it shows. "I will sit down.. but I won't stand anything." Holy cow. How!? An awkward teenager hopelessly in love with her elder sister's boyfriend tries to make him notice her. Marion Davies runs an absolute Riot! I don't have any other words. 'The Patsy' will always be remembered for her performance. Her expressions, eyes, looks, cuteness, that Lillian Gish get-up, her desperate attempts to make Tony notice her, the way she looks at him and even the way she tries to kiss him.. I will remember everything. Overall, a carnage of madness. An out-and-out hilarious comedy that can never lose a single cent of its magic. Strongly recommended.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Parts better than the whole

[MissSimonetta · 7/10 · 23 April 2022]

Maybe the hype killed it for me, but I was rather let down by this film, which just meanders for much of the run time. The romance is rather dull-- and unfortunately is the engine of the story. The movie works better when it's focusing on the dysfunctional family or when Marion Davis does those savagely hilarious movie star impressions.

It's not bad, just not the great comedy everyone hypes it up to be.

Magical.

[Joshieboyucla · 10/10 · 2 February 2012]

Simply magnificent. This film embodies everything that is grand about silent films; It's touching, warm, cute, funny, and all without the need to rely on cheap, vulgar, dirty humor. The character's personalities come out shining through immediately, a simple gesture, a look, a movement of their hands or bodies is all that is needed to define them. Marion Davis, as Patsy, simply incredible, showing vulnerability, innocence, silliness, and wit. Her mother and sister, simply contemptible, wretched characters, but amusing, particularly the mother.

There's a lot of magic in silent films, magic that often gets lost with dialogue, a language that is universal, it transcends race, sex, time. The subtleness of a movement, of an expression on a face, conveys more emotions than one piece of dialogue ever could.

Highly recommended for even those that are intimidated by silent films. Good silent films, like this one, draw one in and make one forget that one is watching a silent film.

Give silent films a chance.

Marion and Marie: a great comedy duo

[gee-15 · 7/10 · 10 November 2023]

Marion Davies plays Pat, a young girl who decides to assert herself, despite the wrath of her domineering mother and the obliviousness of her romantic target, a man who wants to date her snobbish sister. Marion Davies is absolutely charming in this silent film and Marie Dressler, as her mother, more than her match in the comedy department. The plot is slight and nothing more than excuse for a few comical hijinks as Pat works hard to get the world's attention for a change. It's silly fun from beginning to end and, despite being a silent movie, surprisingly witty. And the scene where Marion Davies does impressions of the other stars of the era is worth seeing for itself.

Marion Davies is indeed one of the greats

[rickodonovan · 10/10 · 6 June 2016]

It never ceases to amaze me what a great talent Marion Davies was. She is too-often overlooked and it seems when she could get out of Hearst's grasp for MGM productions with the genius King Vidor (I really love Show People) she finds her niche in romantic comedy. This one's a beaut. It is not only extremely funny, but dramatic and sad. With each film of hers I get to see, Marion Davies is sure showing up and delivering as one of the great actresses of the silent screen. She has wonderful support from Marie Dressler, who was dragged out of retirement and would soon after appear with Garbo in Anna Christie. With King Vidor at the helm during this period, any film was instant gold and the top brass at MGM knew darn well to get Davies for the part. This film is paced so wonderfully and is a real treat.