THE MATINEE IDOL (Columbia, 1928), directed by Frank R. Capra, is a silent comedy/drama taken from the story, "Come Back to Aaron," by Robert S. Lord and Ernest S. Pagano. Starring Bessie Love and Johnnie Walker (the actor, not the drink), it's a pleasing story about actors from different walks of life getting together for a stage play production.
Opening with view of the New York City district of Broadway, "a street that runs north, south and wild," the story introduces Don Wilson (Johnnie Walker), the "king of blackface comedies" who "arrived at stardom with both feet so the shock won't go to his head." Because of his overwork profession, Don decides to take his long overdue rest somewhere in the country. Taking his fellow actors and Arnold WIngate (Ernest Hilliard), stage producer, with him, they drive off only to have the car break down in some small town, forcing the men to push the car over to the nearest garage. With the mechanic gone to attend a stage show, Don and his friends walk over to find him. They approach the theater where "The Bolivar Players" are staging a Civil War melodrama written and directed by Colonel Jasper J. Bolivar (Lionel Bellmore). Because one of the actors is fired for refusing to do labor work, Bolivar's daughter, Ginger (Bessie Love), who also acts in her father's plays, puts up a sign, "Actor wanted. No experience necessary." Not satisfied by the wanna-be actors on line outside her tent, Ginger accidentally approaches Don. Satisfied by the way he says, "I love you," she hires him on the spot. Passing himself off as Harry Mann, the professional actor purposely gives a bad performance, turning the dramatic play into a comedy hit. With Wingate and friends in the audience, Don arranges for Wingate to hire this unprofessional troupe to perform their play on Broadway, using everyone in the cast, including the fired Harry Mann. While in New York, Don hides himself in blackface and costume party mask so not to give himself away to Ginger, and coming out as Harry Mann during rehearsals. Problems arise as theater patrons react differently towards the play than Ginger expected, and Don resuming his guise from Ginger for reasons of his own. Among the other cast members are Sidney D'Albrook (J. Madison Wilderforce); and David Mir (Eric Barrymaine).
Noted as a long lost movie discovered in the 1990s, THE MATINEE IDOL, coming late into the silent era, with plot resembling an early talkie with musical sequences. Johnnie Walker mannerisms as a blackface entertainer immediately makes one think of Al Jolson. Jolson, who's great in comedy, would have excelled in something like this, as opposed to his overly sentimental musical melodramas as SAY IT WITH SONGS (1929). Bessie Love, who would achieve brief popularity following her Academy Award nominated performance triumph in the early sound musical, THE BROADWAY MELODY (1929), is wonderfully cast as Ginger. Of a handful of previous silent movie roles in which she appeared, one would wonder about her other long forgotten and unseen movies of the 1920s. Frank Capra, early in his career as director before achieving his three Academy Award wins as Best Director in the 1930s, keeps the pace moving, blending humor and sentiment to the best degree. Take note that the camera tracking towards theater audiences would capture a young boy picking his nose while watching the stage performance. After viewing Johnnie Walker's leading role here, the next question is, Whatever became of him? The plot to THE MATINEE IDOL was musically revamped as THE MUSIC GOES ROUND (Columbia, 1936) starring Harry Richman and Rochelle Hudson.
With the original theatrical score unavailable, THE MATINEE IDOL features a good new mix of orchestration and piano accompaniment conducted by Robert Israel, whose scoring for silent movies is often great and pleasing to the ear. Other than its availability on DVD including a Frank Capra biographical documentary on the disc flip side, THE MATINEE IDOL at 55 minutes, with few missing scenes, did have some television exposure on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: October 18, 1997). Highly recommended. (***)
Opening with view of the New York City district of Broadway, "a street that runs north, south and wild," the story introduces Don Wilson (Johnnie Walker), the "king of blackface comedies" who "arrived at stardom with both feet so the shock won't go to his head." Because of his overwork profession, Don decides to take his long overdue rest somewhere in the country. Taking his fellow actors and Arnold WIngate (Ernest Hilliard), stage producer, with him, they drive off only to have the car break down in some small town, forcing the men to push the car over to the nearest garage. With the mechanic gone to attend a stage show, Don and his friends walk over to find him. They approach the theater where "The Bolivar Players" are staging a Civil War melodrama written and directed by Colonel Jasper J. Bolivar (Lionel Bellmore). Because one of the actors is fired for refusing to do labor work, Bolivar's daughter, Ginger (Bessie Love), who also acts in her father's plays, puts up a sign, "Actor wanted. No experience necessary." Not satisfied by the wanna-be actors on line outside her tent, Ginger accidentally approaches Don. Satisfied by the way he says, "I love you," she hires him on the spot. Passing himself off as Harry Mann, the professional actor purposely gives a bad performance, turning the dramatic play into a comedy hit. With Wingate and friends in the audience, Don arranges for Wingate to hire this unprofessional troupe to perform their play on Broadway, using everyone in the cast, including the fired Harry Mann. While in New York, Don hides himself in blackface and costume party mask so not to give himself away to Ginger, and coming out as Harry Mann during rehearsals. Problems arise as theater patrons react differently towards the play than Ginger expected, and Don resuming his guise from Ginger for reasons of his own. Among the other cast members are Sidney D'Albrook (J. Madison Wilderforce); and David Mir (Eric Barrymaine).
Noted as a long lost movie discovered in the 1990s, THE MATINEE IDOL, coming late into the silent era, with plot resembling an early talkie with musical sequences. Johnnie Walker mannerisms as a blackface entertainer immediately makes one think of Al Jolson. Jolson, who's great in comedy, would have excelled in something like this, as opposed to his overly sentimental musical melodramas as SAY IT WITH SONGS (1929). Bessie Love, who would achieve brief popularity following her Academy Award nominated performance triumph in the early sound musical, THE BROADWAY MELODY (1929), is wonderfully cast as Ginger. Of a handful of previous silent movie roles in which she appeared, one would wonder about her other long forgotten and unseen movies of the 1920s. Frank Capra, early in his career as director before achieving his three Academy Award wins as Best Director in the 1930s, keeps the pace moving, blending humor and sentiment to the best degree. Take note that the camera tracking towards theater audiences would capture a young boy picking his nose while watching the stage performance. After viewing Johnnie Walker's leading role here, the next question is, Whatever became of him? The plot to THE MATINEE IDOL was musically revamped as THE MUSIC GOES ROUND (Columbia, 1936) starring Harry Richman and Rochelle Hudson.
With the original theatrical score unavailable, THE MATINEE IDOL features a good new mix of orchestration and piano accompaniment conducted by Robert Israel, whose scoring for silent movies is often great and pleasing to the ear. Other than its availability on DVD including a Frank Capra biographical documentary on the disc flip side, THE MATINEE IDOL at 55 minutes, with few missing scenes, did have some television exposure on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: October 18, 1997). Highly recommended. (***)