''Easy Pickings'' is a 1927 silent film mystery or 'old dark house' story directed by

George Archainbaud George Archainbaud (May 7, 1890 – February 20, 1959) was a French- American film and television director. Biography In the beginning of his career he worked on stage as an actor and manager. He came to the United States in January 1914, and ...

and starring

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from he ...

and

Kenneth Harlan Kenneth Daniel Harlan (July 26, 1895 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types. Early life Harlan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of George W. Harlan and ac ...

. It is based on a play written by Paul A. Cruger and William A. Burton. Zack Williams plays the stereotypical Negro servant who mugs his way through the film in an exaggeratedly nervous manner. Comedic actor Billy Bevan plays the detective in the film in a more-serious-than-usual manner, and later went on to appear in ''Dracula's Daughter'' (1936) and ''The Invisible Man Returns'' (1940). Lead actress Nilsson emigrated from Sweden to Hollywood to appear in a number of silent films, but her career could not survive the coming of sound films. Cameraman Van Enger had photographed the 1925 Lon Chaney classic ''The Phantom of the Opera'', and years later would handle the camerawork on ''

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ''Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'' is a 1948 American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton. The film features Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) who has become partners with Dr. Sandra Mornay ( Lenore Aubert), as Dracula requires a "sim ...

'' (1948). Director Archainbaud wound up directing TV shows in the 1950s such as ''The Gene Autry Show'' and ''Lassie''.

Plot

Mary Ryan and Peter Van Horne get stranded in a haunted house inhabited by some very odd characters. The house is supposed to be haunted by ghosts. A detective (Billy Bevan) shows up to investigate the strange goings-on.

Cast

- Mary Ryan *

- Peter Van Horne *

Philo McCullough Philo McCullough (June 16, 1893 – June 5, 1981) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1914 and 1969. He was born in San Bernardino, California, and died in Burbank, California. McCullough's film debut came in 1 ...

- Stewart *

Billy Bevan Billy Bevan (born William Bevan Harris, 29 September 1887 – 26 November 1957) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 American films between 1916 and 1950. Career Bevan was b ...

- The Detective *Jerry Miley - Tony *

Charles Sellon Charles A. Sellon (August 24, 1870 – June 26, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Sellon appeared in more than 100 films and stage acts between 1901 and 1935. He played the blind Mr. Muckle in W. C. Fields' comedy '' It's a Gift' ...

- Dr. Naylor * Zack Williams - Remus, the black servant *

Gertrude Howard Gertrude Howard (October 13, 1892 – September 30, 1934) was an American actress of the silent and early sound film eras. Biography Born in 1892, Howard performed in the chorus of ''The Wife Hunters'' (1911) on Broadway. She broke into films ...

- Mandy

Preservation

*A copy resides in Italy at

Cineteca Nazionale Cineteca Nazionale is a film archive located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1949. By law it manages the so-called legal deposit, with the task of collecting, preserving and disseminating the productions of Italian cinema. It is the only Italian ...

, Rome. At one time the film was considered lost.''Easy Pickings'' at Arne Anderson's Lost Film Files: ''lost First National films'' - 1927

References

External links

Easy Pickings at IMDb.com
* 1927 films American silent feature films Films directed by George Archainbaud First National Pictures films American black-and-white films American mystery films 1920s rediscovered films 1927 mystery films Rediscovered American films 1920s American films Silent mystery films {{mystery-film-stub