''Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde'' is a 1925 American silent,

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

, directed by

Scott Pembroke Scott Pembroke (September 13, 1889 – February 21, 1951) was an American director, actor and screenwriter. He directed more than 70 films between 1920 and 1937. He was born in San Francisco, California and died in Pasadena, California. ...

and

Joe Rock Joe Rock (born Joseph Simberg, December 25, 1893 – December 5, 1984) was an American film producer, director, actor,Obituary '' Variety'', December 12, 1984, page 63. and screenwriter. He produced a series of 12 two reel short subject comedies ...

(also the producer). The film itself is both a spoof of the previous Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films (e.g. ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1912) and ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1920)) and the well-famed 1886 novella by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

.'' The film stars

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 10 ...

as the title characters.

Plot and Characters

Dr. Stanislaus Pyckle, (a play of the actor's name,

), successfully separates the good and evil of man's nature with the use of a powerful drug -- "Dr. Pyckle's 58th Variety", a spoof of " Heinz's 57". Transforming into the personality of Mr. Pryde (again Laurel), he terrorizes the town with unspeakable acts including stealing a boy's ice cream, cheating at marbles, and popping a bag behind a lady pedestrian. The townspeople track him down where Mr. Pride locks himself in the laboratory and transforms back as Dr. Pyckle. The doctor assures the townspeople that he hasn't seen the "fiend" they were after. While he talks, the drug used for the transformation spills in the plate of food of the doctor's dog. Dr. Pyckle confronts the fiendish dog when he locks the door and the townspeople leave. But once again, Mr. Pride emerges and brings havoc to the town, and again is chased down by the townspeople. He enters the lab and transforms back into Pyckle, and again assures the townspeople he has not seen the fiend. His assistant (Julie Leonard) begs the doctor to open and comfort him, but he transforms back into Mr. Pride. He opens the door to the assistant and locks it again. She screams seeing Pride and the townspeople hurry back, before the assistant can knock Pride down. The appearance of the fiendish Mr. Pride is an obvious spoof on the

make-up Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

designed for

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

as Mr. Hyde. Also spoofed are the sudden and strange movements Barrymore's Jekyll makes during the transformation, as well as Hyde's confrontation with Millicent, Jekyll's fiancée, when Hyde lets her inside the lab. Other scenes show obvious parodies of other Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films (e.g. ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1912) and the Haydon film from 1920).

Cast

as Dr. Pyckle / Mr. Pryde (sometimes as ''Mr. Pride'') * Julie Leonard as Dr. Pyckle's assistant * Pete the Dog (as Pete the Pup) *

Syd Crossley Syd Crossley (18 November 1885 – 1 November 1960) was an English stage and film actor. Born in London in 1885, Crossley began his career as a music hall comedian. He appeared in more than 110 films, often cast as a butler, between 1925 an ...

(uncredited bit role) *

Dot Farley Dorothea "Dot" Farley (February 6, 1881 – May 2, 1971) was an American film actress who appeared in 280 motion pictures between 1910 and 1950. She was also known as Dorothy Farley. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dorothea Farley was ...

(uncredited bit role)

Information

The following year (1926), Stan Laurel began his years-long collaboration with

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his ...

, and together they would make over 100 films. Pete the dog later starred in a series of ''Buster Brown'' films as Buster's dog Tige. The familiar circle around his eye was painted on by a makeup man.Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 284. .

Production

*Directed by:

and

*Produced by:

*Cinematography by: Edgar Lyons *Assistant Director: Murray Rock *Titles by: Tay Garnett *Company: Joe Rock Comedies

Additional details

*Runtime: 21 minutes *Country: United States *Language: English *Color:

Black-and-White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

*Sound Mix: Silent *Aspect Radio: 1.33 :1 *Certification: UK:U

References

External links

* * {{Stan Laurel filmography 1925 films 1920s parody films 1925 comedy films 1925 short films American silent short films American black-and-white films American science fiction comedy films American parody films Films directed by Joe Rock Films directed by Scott Pembroke Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films 1920s American films Silent American comedy films Silent horror films