The Patsy (1928)

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

Barry Conners (story), Agnes Christine Johnston (adaptation),

Stars:

Marion Davies, Orville Caldwell, Marie Dressler

Cast

Cast overview:
Marion Davies	...	Patricia Harrington
Orville Caldwell	...	Tony Anderson
Marie Dressler	...	Ma Harrington
Lawrence Gray	...	Billy Caldwell
Dell Henderson	...	Pa Harrington
Jane Winton	...	Grace Harrington

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

harbor | impersonation | argument | etiquette | motorboat | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein Mädel mit Tempo

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cosmopolitan Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min 77 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was actually Marie Dressler's turnaround film. After having quite a slump in her career, Dressler was apparently having her last meal at a restaurant before killing herself when Allan Dwan, who was sitting at a nearby table, ended up offering her the role for King Vidor that night. The movie was a success, and Dressler's career skyrocketed again.

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Quotes

Patricia Harrington: [Pretending to be off her rocker in order to gain Ma's symphathy] You know how you feel when you don't know how you feel? That's how I feel.

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Connections

References The Birth of a Nation (1915)

User Reviews

Wonderful

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.