I have to concur with earlier comments about 2 of the characters, the Property Man and the Father looking a lot like each other and that is confusing. Who was the guy that was kicked out of the party? I thought it was Charlie Chaplin, but he would have been with Essanay by then. The storyline is simple girl meets her Matinée Idol and he is pleasant enough to her. Girl inherits lots of money, lots of boys become interested. Girl arranges a party and invites her Matinée Idol and pitches a deal, let her be his leading lady and she will finance his next production. The best part of this movie is the stage play itself. but it is not enough to get beyond 5 out of 10 for me.
5 Reviews
Rough-Edged, But Sometimes Very Funny
Snow Leopard9 February 2006
This Keystone comedy has their characteristic rough-edged, free-wheeling style, with some of the details left unattended to, but at times it is very funny, and all of it is watchable. It has good energy, and it picks up as it goes along, with the most enjoyable parts coming later on.
The story has Polly Moran as a stage-struck young woman who learns that she stands to inherit a large fortune. This suddenly earns her plenty of attention from hopeful suitors, while she herself still longs for the stage matinée idol whom she worships. It's the kind of simple setup that often works pretty well as a two-reel comedy. The rest of the cast includes Hale Hamilton and Slim Summerville.
The action in the first few scenes is not always carefully done, and it's almost necessary to watch it a second time to see just how it all fits together. Also, as an earlier commentator here has accurately pointed out, at least two of the characters become hard to distinguish from one another, especially since they spend much of the movie racing around.
But the movie makes up for the weaknesses with its spirited slapstick, especially in the climactic sequence. Its depiction of a low-quality stage production is very amusing, and it has enough material in it to have filled up two or three times as much running time. This part is well worth seeing again, to be able to catch all of the gag ideas. Overall, it's not a real classic or anything, but it's worth seeing for fans of silent slapstick comedy.
The story has Polly Moran as a stage-struck young woman who learns that she stands to inherit a large fortune. This suddenly earns her plenty of attention from hopeful suitors, while she herself still longs for the stage matinée idol whom she worships. It's the kind of simple setup that often works pretty well as a two-reel comedy. The rest of the cast includes Hale Hamilton and Slim Summerville.
The action in the first few scenes is not always carefully done, and it's almost necessary to watch it a second time to see just how it all fits together. Also, as an earlier commentator here has accurately pointed out, at least two of the characters become hard to distinguish from one another, especially since they spend much of the movie racing around.
But the movie makes up for the weaknesses with its spirited slapstick, especially in the climactic sequence. Its depiction of a low-quality stage production is very amusing, and it has enough material in it to have filled up two or three times as much running time. This part is well worth seeing again, to be able to catch all of the gag ideas. Overall, it's not a real classic or anything, but it's worth seeing for fans of silent slapstick comedy.
Proof that not all silents are golden
planktonrules3 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A starstruck lady wants to meet her idol, the actor Hale Hamilton (an actual silent star). However, she is tossed out of the theater and dejectedly returns home. Once she arrives, she finds out she is an heiress and quickly returns to the theater. There, she meets the same two boobs who threw her out but now that she's rich they try to woo her. She'll have none of that and only wants to star with Hale in his next production--which the klutzy woman then proceeds to destroy.
I love silent films--particularly comedies. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands and have posted many reviews of these films on IMDb, so I do have some idea about what does and does not constitute a "good" silent comedy. Unfortunately, when seen today, HER PAINTED HERO isn't particularly good or watchable, though when it debuted in 1915, it was about average to slightly below average for a comedy. While it has a few somewhat funny moments, the overall film is pretty flat and uninvolving.
I love silent films--particularly comedies. I have seen hundreds, if not thousands and have posted many reviews of these films on IMDb, so I do have some idea about what does and does not constitute a "good" silent comedy. Unfortunately, when seen today, HER PAINTED HERO isn't particularly good or watchable, though when it debuted in 1915, it was about average to slightly below average for a comedy. While it has a few somewhat funny moments, the overall film is pretty flat and uninvolving.
Good for a few laughs
knsevy24 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
COULD BE SPOILERS Polly Moran is the most 'live' character of this slapstick romance, playing a stage-struck girl who's in love with beefy 'matinee idol' Hale Hamilton.
The theatre property man and local bill-poster don't take her seriously until she inherits millions from a dead uncle, then they engage in a slapstick fight to the finish to win her for their own, while she pines for her 'matinee idol'.
There are some fairly clever gags, in this film, but mostly slapstick laughs - and the better kind of slapstick, definitely. I generally shy away from the frenetic 'Keystone style', but this is a paced, building comedy that manages to get a little character development in, on the side.
The biggest problem I had with it is that, due to film quality and costume, it became very difficult to tell Polly Moran's father from the theatre manager, leading to some confusion in the viewing.
This is a funny little film, with the two men who formerly rejected her trying hard to woo her back, while she's trying to woo a man who won't have anything to do with her.
The theatre property man and local bill-poster don't take her seriously until she inherits millions from a dead uncle, then they engage in a slapstick fight to the finish to win her for their own, while she pines for her 'matinee idol'.
There are some fairly clever gags, in this film, but mostly slapstick laughs - and the better kind of slapstick, definitely. I generally shy away from the frenetic 'Keystone style', but this is a paced, building comedy that manages to get a little character development in, on the side.
The biggest problem I had with it is that, due to film quality and costume, it became very difficult to tell Polly Moran's father from the theatre manager, leading to some confusion in the viewing.
This is a funny little film, with the two men who formerly rejected her trying hard to woo her back, while she's trying to woo a man who won't have anything to do with her.
Her Painted Hero is a pretty funny outing from Polly Moran for Mack Sennett
tavm30 July 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is the first time I've seen a film starring Polly Moran. Boy, what expressions she has on her, sort of a Carol Burnett quality to her face and body. In a nutshell, she stands to inherit some money after her uncle dies. When some members of a theatre nearby read about this, they, formally having rejected her, now rush to ask for her hand. She, instead, pines for the leading man of the play which she offers to back if he'll make her his leading lady. He does which he might have regretted since she causes many disasters to happen during performance...Plenty of slapstick fights happen during the party of men all there to ask for Polly's hand but the real laughs are during the play where the props fall down and Polly herself ends up literally hanging by a curtain! Well worth seeing for that alone. This was another pretty funny outing from Mack Sennett.
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