''High Hat'' is a 1927 American silent

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

James Ashmore Creelman James Ashmore Creelman (September 21, 1894 – September 9, 1941) was an American screenwriter in Hollywood, known for co-writing ''King Kong'' in 1933. Biography He was born on September 21, 1894, in Marietta, Ohio. He was the second son of jou ...

and starring Sam Hardy and

Mary Brian Mary Brian (born Louise Byrdie Dantzler, February 17, 1906 – December 30, 2002) was an American actress who made the transition from silent films to sound films. Early life Brian was born in Corsicana, Texas, the daughter of Taurrence J. ...

Plot

High Hat is a movie extra at

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

, but sees himself as the studio pundit, dispensing advice to stars such as

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 a ...

and

Pola Negri Pola Negri (; born Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec ; 3 January 1897 – 1 August 1987) was a Polish stage and film actress and singer. She achieved worldwide fame during the silent and golden eras of Hollywood and European film for her tragedienn ...

. A studio seamstress named Millie gets him a lucrative "closeup" assignment in the German director Von Strogoff's epic about the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, but he gets fired after falling asleep on a prop bed. Millie loses valuable jewellery entrusted by her to the thief Tony, and High Hat comes to her rescue. His fight with Tony is recorded by Von Strogoff and used in the film.

Cast

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine W ...

as Jerry *

as Millie * Sam Hardy as Tony *

Osgood Perkins James Ridley Osgood Perkins (May 16, 1892 – September 21, 1937) was an American actor. Life and career Perkins was born in West Newton, Massachusetts, son of Henry Phelps Perkins Jr., and his wife, Helen Virginia (née Anthony). His maternal ...

as The Assistant Director * Jack Ackroyd as The Property Man * Iris Gray as Movie Star * Ione Holmes as Movie Star *

Franklin Pangborn Franklin Pangborn (January 23, 1889 – July 20, 1958) was an American comedic character actor famous for playing small but memorable roles with comic flair. He appeared in many Preston Sturges movies as well as the W. C. Fields films '' Inter ...

as Undetermined Role *

Lucien Prival Lucien Prival (July 14, 1901 – June 3, 1994) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1926 and 1953. Born in New York City, Prival was the son of a German mother and a Russian father. From 1912-1919 he lived w ...

as Undetermined Role

Preservation

With no prints of ''High Hat'' located in any film archives,Library of Congress / FIAF American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''High Hat''
/ref> the movie is considered lost.

References

External links

* 1927 films 1920s English-language films 1927 directorial debut films 1927 comedy films First National Pictures films American black-and-white films American silent feature films Silent American comedy films 1920s American films English-language comedy films {{1920s-comedy-film-stub