Matchmaking Mamma (1929)

This marriage is the second for both Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius McNitt. He is panty-whipped by his social climbing second wife. She has recruited Clifford Figfield to stage and direct a charity ... See full summary »

Director:

Harry Edwards

Writers:

Carl Harbaugh, Jefferson Moffitt,

Stars:

Johnny Burke, Sally Eilers, Daphne Pollard

Cast

Cast overview:
Johnny Burke	...	Cornelius McNitt
Sally Eilers	...	Sally McNitt
Daphne Pollard	...	Mrs. Cornelius McNitt
Matty Kemp	...	Larry Lodge
Carole Lombard	...	Phyllis (as Carol Lombard)
Irving Bacon	...	Clifford Figfield
Andy Clyde	...	The Minister
Ronald Tilley	...	The Butler

Storyline

This marriage is the second for both Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius McNitt. He is panty-whipped by his social climbing second wife. She has recruited Clifford Figfield to stage and direct a charity pageant, which is more a means for her to hobnob with the social elite, and to nab Larry Lodge, the pageant's leading man, as a husband for her flighty daughter Phyllis, the pageant's leading lady. Larry ends up only having eyes for Sally McNitt, Mr. McNitt's visiting daughter, and she, in turn has eyes for him. Some misunderstandings on Larry's part - he ends up believing that Sally is the household maid, and that she and Mr. McNitt are having an affair - and Mrs. McNitt trying to maneuver Sally out of the way may prevent a Sally/Larry happy ending. But Phyllis coming to a decision of her own and Mr. McNitt looking out for the welfare of his daughter may throw wrenches into the proceedings.

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Plot Keywords:

two strip technicolor

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1929 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mack Sennett Comedies

Technical Specs

Runtime:

23 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

"Just Think, We Would Have Never Met if I Hadn't Thrown My Trousers!"

Mack Sennett's MATCHMAKING MAMMA (1929) is one of the last silent comedy shorts filmed and boasts a fairly good cast and is a pleasant enough time-killer but alas has no real laughs. Pint-sized matron Daphne Pollard, married to her second husband (Johnny Burke), is producing an amateur play in an attempt at social climbing and landing young heir Matty Kemp for her daughter Carole Lombard. Trouble is Burke's daughter Sally Eilers shows up during rehearsals and he falls for her instead, despite initially thinking she was the maid.

This movie has a few brief scenes filmed in the early imperfect Technicolor. Ms. Pollard, something of a cross between Beatrice Lillie and character actress Maude Eburne, works hard to mine what little humor there is in the story. One major problem is Sally Eilers' bland wholesomeness cannot carry the story or be credibly more appealing than beautiful young Carole Lombard (who is fairly wasted here) as her stepsister. Matty Kemp, a Charles Farrell type, is quite handsome as the young male lead and smiles prettily and is appealing in a modest way. Plump young comedienne Madalynne Field, a Sennett staple, has a bit as the heftiest of the chorines.