The Smart Set (1928)

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Byron Morgan (scenario), Ann Price (scenario),

Stars:

William Haines, Jack Holt, Alice Day

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Haines	...	Tommy
Jack Holt	...	Nelson
Alice Day	...	Polly
Hobart Bosworth	...	Durant
Coy Watson	...	Sammy (as Coy Watson Jr.)
Constance Howard	...	Cynthia
Paul Nicholson	...	Mr. Van Buren
Julia Swayne Gordon	...	Mrs. Van Buren

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

fire hydrant | automobile accident | arrogance | police | sock on the jaw | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Orgulho Desportivo

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 80 min (2007 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Turner Classic Movies premiered the print on television on 2 December 2007. The only crew credits shown was on the title page ("A Jack Conway Production"); the crew credits in the IMDb database is from the AFI Catalogue of Feature Films, 1921-30, which are obtained from studio records and/or copyright submissions.

User Reviews

Highly enjoyable silent comedy starring William Haines...

WILLIAM HAINES was Hollywood's early "out of the closet" gay star who became a well-known decorator after he "retired" from his budding film career, thanks to the help of his friend Joan Crawford who had him design her home and led to his successful designer career.

He's at the center of this amusing comedy about a polo player who can't resist grandstanding all the time and showing his high opinion of himself, much to the annoyance of the girl of his dreams (ALICE DAY) and her boyfriend JACK HOLT.

The bulk of the story is energetically played and there's lot of physical comedy as he pursues the girl (mostly in an auto chase that is delightfully filmed) and at a swanky dinner affair where he pulls all sorts of stunts to attract her attention, always with the effect of alienating her affections.

But the last twenty minutes devoted to polo sequences gets a little stale and you begin to miss the comedy aspects that distinguished the first part of the film. The story turns serious with the game about to be lost unless our hero can get in there and play, and there's a stable fire that almost takes the life of his favorite horse during which he becomes the man who leads the horse from the stable.

All in all, a very diverting piece of entertainment, thanks to the presence and charm of WILLIAM HAINES. He does a lot of mugging and isn't afraid to show his gayness by way of gestures and movements that are quite obvious and even daring by today's standards for a leading man. But he radiates cheerfulness and charm in huge doses throughout.

Well worth watching, even if there's too much of the polo game on display toward the end.