''So's Your Old Man'' is a 1926 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

Gregory La Cava Gregory La Cava (March 10, 1892 – March 1, 1952) was an American film director of Italian descent best known for his films of the 1930s, including ''My Man Godfrey'' and ''Stage Door'', which earned him nominations for Academy Award for Best ...

and starring

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathet ...

and

Alice Joyce Alice Joyce Brown ( Joyce; October 1, 1890 – October 9, 1955) was an American actress who appeared in more than 200 films during the 1910s and 1920s. She is known for her roles in the 1923 film '' The Green Goddess'' and its 1930 remake of ...

. It was written by J. Clarkson Miller based on the story "Mr. Bisbee's Princess" by Julian Leonard Street as adapted by Howard Emmett Rogers. It was filmed at Astoria Studios in

Queens, New York City Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. The film was remade as a

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

in 1934, with W. C. Fields again starring, under the title ''

You're Telling Me! ''You're Telling Me!'' is a 1934 pre-Code comedy film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring W.C. Fields. It is a remake of the silent film ''So's Your Old Man'' (1926), also starring Fields. Both films are adapted from the story ''Mr. Bisbee� ...

'' In 2008, ''So's Your Old Man'' was added to 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 ...

Plot

Sam Bisbee (

) is a small-town glazier who's always trying to get rich quick, and his schemes are driving his wife (

Marcia Harris Marcia Harris (born Lena Hill, February 14, 1868 – June 18, 1947) was an American actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1915 and 1932. She was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and as an amateur acted primarily in male lead roles w ...

) crazy. When he invents an unbreakable glass windshield, his attempt to demonstrate it at a convention of automobile manufacturers is ruined when his car gets switched with another, and instead of bouncing off, the brick he throws at it smashes the windshield to pieces. On the train ride home, Bisbee considers suicide, but instead rescues a pretty young woman (Alice Joyce) whom he believes is trying to kill herself. It turns out the woman is really Princess Lescaboura, and their friendship brings social success to the Bisbees.TC
Full synopsis
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Cast

as Samuel Bisbee *

as Princess Lescaboura *

Charles "Buddy" Rogers Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers (August 13, 1904 – April 21, 1999) was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend". Life and career Early ...

as Kenneth Murchison * Kittens Reichert as Alice Bisbee (credited as Catherine Reichert) *

as Mrs. Bisbee *Julia Ralph as Mrs. A. Brandewyne Murchison * Frank Montgomery as Jeff, a fellow scientist *Jerry Sinclair as Al * Frederick Burton as Senator (uncredited) * Charles Byer as Prince Lescaboura (uncredited) * Walter Walker as Mayor of Waukeagus (uncredited)

Notes

External links

''So's Your Old Man'' essay
by Steve Massa on

''So's Your Old Man'' essay
in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry'', A&C Black, 2010 , pages 121–122. * * * 1926 films Silent American comedy films American black-and-white films American silent feature films United States National Film Registry films Films directed by Gregory La Cava Films shot at Astoria Studios Surviving American silent films 1926 comedy films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub