''Show People'' is a 1928 American silent

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

King Vidor King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...

. The film was a starring vehicle for actress

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

and actor William Haines and included notable cameo appearances by many of the film personalities of the day, including stars

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is conside ...

(who appears twice),

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

, William S. Hart and John Gilbert, and writer

Elinor Glyn Elinor Glyn ( Sutherland; 17 October 1864 – 23 September 1943) was a British novelist and scriptwriter who specialised in romantic fiction, which was considered scandalous for its time, although her works are relatively tame by modern stan ...

. Vidor also appears in a cameo as himself, as does Davies (to a decidedly unimpressed reaction by herself in character as Peggy Pepper). The film is a lighthearted look at

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

at the end of the silent film era (it was released the year after breakthrough talking picture '' The Jazz Singer''), and is considered Davies' best role. ''Show People'' features no audible dialog but was released with a Movietone soundtrack with a synchronized musical score and sound effects. The film was re-released in the 1980s, with a new orchestral score by Carl Davis. In 2003, ''Show People'' was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". It is currently available on DVD on-demand as part of the

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...

collection. In February 2020, the film was shown at the

70th Berlin International Film Festival The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director C ...

, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

Plot

Young Peggy Pepper (

) wants to be in motion pictures, so her father (

Dell Henderson George Delbert "Dell" Henderson (July 5, 1877 – December 2, 1956) was a Canadian-American actor, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific film career in the early days of silent film. Biography Born in the Southwestern Ontario cit ...

) drives her across the country from their home in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. After some initial disillusionment, she meets Billy Boone ( William Haines) in a studio commissary; he tells her to show up at his set if she wants work. Peggy goes, gets sprayed with seltzer water at her first entrance, and is at first shocked and dismayed to find she is doing

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...

comedy in low-budget "Comet" productions, but she decides to "take it on the chin" and, with Billy's loving support, becomes a success. Soon enough, Peggy is signed to a contract by the prestigious "High Art" studio and, as "Patricia Pepoire", becomes a real movie star. She has fulfilled her dream of playing serious, dramatic roles, but she cuts off contact with Billy and the old comedy troupe, and soon becomes so conceited that her boring performances begin to drive away her public. On the day of her marriage to her co-star, phony-

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

Andre Telfair (Paul Ralli), Billy bursts in and, by means of another spritz of seltzer in her face, as well as a custard pie in Andre's, brings her to her senses, rescuing her career and their mutual happiness.

Cast

as Peggy Pepper * William Haines as Billy Boone *

as General Marmaduke Oldfish Pepper * Paul Ralli as Andre Telfair *

Tenen Holtz Tenen Holtz (born Alex Elihu Tenenholtz; February 17, 1887 – July 1, 1971) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 60 films between 1926 and 1961. Biography Holtz was born in Imperial Russia, and came to the United States when he wa ...

as casting director *

Harry Gribbon Harry Peter Gribbon (June 9, 1885 – July 28, 1961) was an American film actor, comedian and director known for '' The Cameraman'' (1928), '' Show People'' (1928) and '' Art Trouble'' (1934). He appeared in more than 140 films between 191 ...

as Jim, comedy director * Kalla Pasha as comic chef (uncredited) *

Sidney Bracey Sidney Bracey (born Sidney Bracy; 18 December 1877 – 5 August 1942) was an Australian-born American actor. After a stage career in Australia, on Broadway and in Britain, he performed in more than 320 films between 1909 and 1942. Early li ...

as dramatic director *

Polly Moran Pauline Theresa Moran (June 28, 1883 – January 25, 1952) billed as Polly Moran, was an American actress of vaudeville, stage and screen and comedian. Career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Moran started in vaudeville, and widely toured North A ...

as Peggy's maid * Albert Conti as producer * Ray Cooke as director's assistant (uncredited) * Lillian Lawrence as comedy player at banquet (uncredited) *

Dorothy Vernon Dorothy Vernon (1544 – 24 June 1584), the younger daughter of Sir George Vernon and Margaret ''nee'' Talbois (or Tailboys), was the heiress of Haddon Hall, an English country house in Derbyshire with its origins in the 12th century. She marri ...

as comedy player at banquet (uncredited) * Pat Harmon as studio Gateman (uncredited) * Bert Roach as heavyset man in casting agency (uncredited) * John Lowell as Director (uncredited) * C. Aubrey Smith as Extra at Movie Preview (uncredited) *

Rolfe Sedan Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. Ea ...

as portrait photographer (uncredited) * Coy Watson as messenger boy (uncredited) *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerou ...

as undetermined bit role (uncredited) Uncredited cameos: * Renée Adorée – at banquet *

George K. Arthur Arthur George Brest (27 January 1899 – 30 May 1985), known professionally as George K. Arthur, was an English actor and producer, born in Aberdeen, Scotland,. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1919 and 1935, and is best known as t ...

– at banquet *

Eleanor Boardman Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Early life and career Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam ...

– clip from '' Bardelys the Magnificent'' *

– outside movie theater * Lew Cody – at High Art Studios * Karl Dane – at banquet *

– cameo as herself in addition to starring as Peggy *

– at banquet * John Gilbert – outside film studio, in clip from '' Bardelys the Magnificent'', at banquet *

– at High Art Studios * William S. Hart – at banquet * Leatrice Joy – at banquet *

Rod La Rocque Roderick Ross La Rocque (November 29, 1898 – October 15, 1969) was an American actor. Biography La Rocque was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edmund La Rocque and Ann (née Rice) La Rocque. His father was of French-Canadian descent and his mo ...

– at banquet * Robert Z. Leonard – at High Art Studios in the car scene/parking lot scene * Mae Murray – at banquet *

Louella Parsons Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...

– at banquet *

Aileen Pringle Aileen Pringle (born Aileen Bisbee; July 23, 1895 – December 16, 1989) was an American stage and film actress during the silent film era. Biography Early life Born into a prominent and wealthy San Francisco family and educated in Europe, ...

– at banquet * Dorothy Sebastian – at banquet * Norma Talmadge – at banquet * Estelle Taylor – at banquet *

as director of war film * Claire Windsor – at banquet

Production

''Show People'' offers a comic look at 1920s Hollywood and stardom. The main character of Peggy Pepper, who becomes the self-important dramatic star, Patricia Pepoire, was based on the careers of silent divas Gloria Swanson and Mae Murray. When asked, Davies supposedly told Murray the character was based on Swanson. Davies also told Swanson the character was based on Murray, but Swanson did not care since she had no inclination to see the film. As such, the film is a comic romp for Davies.

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

repeatedly cited Davies as a major comedic influence, and Ball's subsequent facial techniques and comic behaviors evident in '' I Love Lucy'' are quite apparent in Davies' performance in this film. The character of Andre Paul Ralli was seen at the time as being a satire of John Gilbert. The film has a remarkable number of cameo appearances from some of the top stars of the day, including

, William S. Hart, Norma Talmadge, Leatrice Joy, Lew Cody,

, and others. Many agreed to appear out of friendship with Davies, Hearst, and director Vidor, and the positive publicity value of cooperating with Hearst and MGM also played a factor. Both

and

also made cameo appearances as themselves. In one of the film's more famous sequences, the script originally called for Davies to get hit in the face with a pie after being tricked appearing in a slapstick comedy movie. William Randolph Hearst objected to this, fearing for Marion Davies' dignity, and as a compromise, the scene was changed (without Hearst's knowledge) to have Davies get hit in the face with spray from a seltzer bottle. Vidor had wanted James Murray for the role of Billy Boone, but he was unavailable. Davies jumped at the chance to cast close friend William Haines in the role and agreed to Haines' receiving billing above the title with her. This was the only silent film in which Davies shared star billing. Once again, the reviews raved about Davies' comedic touch, and the film was a huge hit at the box office. Lorusso, Edward (2017) ''The Silent Films of Marion Davies'', CreateSpace, pp. 159-162. The closing scene on the set of a war movie may be a nod to King Vidor's '' The Big Parade'', a smash hit made in 1925, but more closely resembles the Davies film ''

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed in ...

''.

References

External links

* * *
''Show People''
at the silentera database
''Show People''
at Virtual History {{Irving Thalberg 1928 films 1928 comedy films Silent American comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films about actors Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles Films directed by King Vidor Films produced by Irving Thalberg Films set in Los Angeles Films set in studio lots Films shot in Los Angeles United States National Film Registry films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Transitional sound comedy films Early sound films 1920s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links