Notorious Hollywood scandals, the rise of the Motion Picture Association, and the establishment of self censorship are covered in the third episode of Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's 13-part documentary for Thames Television, "Hollywood." Prohibition was the law of the land, and incensed by scandals and perceived licentious behavior, puritanical Americans set their sights on Hollywood.
Brownlow and Gill extensively detail the career of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a loveable and now nearly forgotten comedic star, and his fall from stardom after the death of Virginia Rappe, a young actress, at one of his parties in a San Francisco hotel. Tried in the press and prosecuted by an ambitious district attorney, Arbuckle was eventually acquitted by a jury, but his career was finished. However, generous clips of Arbuckle's work, both solo and with Mabel Normand, highlight his talents, which included female impersonation. Although another notorious scandal, the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, is glossed over, viewers can find a detailed account in A Cast of Killers, a book by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, that relates director King Vidor's investigation and eventual solution of the long-unsolved crime. A third less public scandal, the drug addiction of matinee idol Wallace Reid, is less well known; after an on-set accident, a doctor prescribed morphine for Reid's pain, the handsome actor became addicted, and the studio facilitated his addiction to maintain his value to the company.
Clips from Reid's films introduce the less well-known actor, and extensive footage from Cecil B. DeMille's original "The Ten Commandments" illustrates the penchant for wallowing in on-screen sin, before addressing the wages of such behavior. The episode briefly deals with the formation of the Motion Picture Association, the selection of Will Hays as head, and the establishment of a self censorship that frowned on such behaviors as illegitimacy, women drinking, and married couples sharing a bed. Hollywood fan magazines are mentioned, as well as the countless young women drawn to Hollywood by dreams of stardom; many of them ended up as high-class prostitutes or in stag films. Well-chosen clips from Colleen Moore's "Ella Cinders" provide a family-friendly view of one such woman drawn to Hollywood in pursuit of an elusive stardom.
Like other "Hollywood" episodes, the interviews with stars, writers, and directors are the jewels of the series. Adela Rogers St Johns discusses the Arbuckle scandal, Viola Dana talks of the parties at the Hollywood Hotel and the injustice of the Arbuckle accusation, while writer Sam Marx, actresses Gloria Swanson and Colleen Moore, and actor Ben Lyon add depth with their recollections. The third episode in the Brownlow-Gill series is solid and engaging, although it definitely suffers from slights to the Desmond Taylor murder, to the influence of fan magazines in creating star myth, and to Hays and the Motion Picture Association; however, the quibbles are slight, and the episode, like the series, is essential viewing for silent film enthusiasts.
Brownlow and Gill extensively detail the career of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, a loveable and now nearly forgotten comedic star, and his fall from stardom after the death of Virginia Rappe, a young actress, at one of his parties in a San Francisco hotel. Tried in the press and prosecuted by an ambitious district attorney, Arbuckle was eventually acquitted by a jury, but his career was finished. However, generous clips of Arbuckle's work, both solo and with Mabel Normand, highlight his talents, which included female impersonation. Although another notorious scandal, the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, is glossed over, viewers can find a detailed account in A Cast of Killers, a book by Sidney D. Kirkpatrick, that relates director King Vidor's investigation and eventual solution of the long-unsolved crime. A third less public scandal, the drug addiction of matinee idol Wallace Reid, is less well known; after an on-set accident, a doctor prescribed morphine for Reid's pain, the handsome actor became addicted, and the studio facilitated his addiction to maintain his value to the company.
Clips from Reid's films introduce the less well-known actor, and extensive footage from Cecil B. DeMille's original "The Ten Commandments" illustrates the penchant for wallowing in on-screen sin, before addressing the wages of such behavior. The episode briefly deals with the formation of the Motion Picture Association, the selection of Will Hays as head, and the establishment of a self censorship that frowned on such behaviors as illegitimacy, women drinking, and married couples sharing a bed. Hollywood fan magazines are mentioned, as well as the countless young women drawn to Hollywood by dreams of stardom; many of them ended up as high-class prostitutes or in stag films. Well-chosen clips from Colleen Moore's "Ella Cinders" provide a family-friendly view of one such woman drawn to Hollywood in pursuit of an elusive stardom.
Like other "Hollywood" episodes, the interviews with stars, writers, and directors are the jewels of the series. Adela Rogers St Johns discusses the Arbuckle scandal, Viola Dana talks of the parties at the Hollywood Hotel and the injustice of the Arbuckle accusation, while writer Sam Marx, actresses Gloria Swanson and Colleen Moore, and actor Ben Lyon add depth with their recollections. The third episode in the Brownlow-Gill series is solid and engaging, although it definitely suffers from slights to the Desmond Taylor murder, to the influence of fan magazines in creating star myth, and to Hays and the Motion Picture Association; however, the quibbles are slight, and the episode, like the series, is essential viewing for silent film enthusiasts.