''Rookies'' (aka ''Red, White and Blue'') 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

Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as ''A Night at the Opera (film), A Night at the Opera'', ''A Day at the Races (fi ...

and released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. The film pairs the comedy teaming of

Karl Dane Karl Dane (born Rasmus Karl Therkelsen Gottlieb, 12 October 1886 – 14 April 1934) was a Danish-American comedian and actor known for his work in American films, mainly of the silent film era. He became a star after portraying “Slim” ...

and

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 ...

as the stars of ''Rookies''. Because of the popularity of this film, this would be the first of several collaborations between the two actors. The comedy team of "... gangly Karl Dane and diminutive George K. Arthur... ... Clearly conceived to cash in on the success of

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

Raymond Hatton Raymond William Hatton (July 7, 1887 – October 21, 1971) was an American film actor who appeared in almost 500 motion pictures. Biography Hatton was born in Red Oak, Iowa. His physician father steered him toward a career in medicine. Howe ...

service comedy ''

Behind the Front ''Behind the Front'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas released on June 30, 1998, through Interscope Records and will.i.am Music Group. Background Most of the tracks were demos for the '' Grass Roots'' album ...

'', this Dane-Arthur vehicle finds our mismatched heroes cast as a sergeant and private during WWI."Erickson, Hal
"Review: 'Rookies' (1927)."
''allmovie.com'', 2019. Retrieved: July 21, 2019.

Plot

While flirting with dancer Zella Fay (

Louise Lorraine Louise Lorraine (born Louise Escovar; October 1, 1904 – February 2, 1981) was an American actress. Life and career Louise Lorraine was born Louise Escovar in San Francisco, California. Lorraine began working in films as an extra and "a bat ...

) at a night club, Sergeant Diggs (

), has taken an immediate dislike to Greg Lee (

), a cabaret dancer and Zella's partner. He dismisses Lee as a simpering dandy. Lee arrogantly tries to get even with the sergeant, and as a result, he is arrested and sent to an Army training camp instead of jail. With

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

raging, now drafted as a private, Lee again finds himself pitted against tough Drill Sergeant Diggs. Private Lee does everything he can to annoy Sergeant Diggs, thinking it will get him thrown out of the Army. At camp, Private Lee's life is made miserable by the constant badgering of Diggs, but he reciprocates in kind. Both men have their sights set on the pretty Betty Wayne (

Marceline Day Marceline Day (born Marceline Newlin; April 24, 1908 – February 16, 2000) was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s. Early life Marceline Newlin was born in Colorado Springs, Color ...

), the judge's daughter. The rivalry between the tough sergeant and bumbling recruit goes through many mishaps and missteps until it finally gets resolved. The Army camp has reconnaissance balloons and, by accident, Diggs and Betty find themselves adrift in a runaway balloon. Lee sees a full complement of parachutes, and sets off in an aircraft to rescue Diggs and Betty. Lee manages to pull off an aircraft-to-balloon jump, making sure that the two stranded accidental aerialists make it safely to the ground. This heroic feat thus proves his heroism and fortitude to his rival and Betty.

Cast

as Sergeant Diggs *

as Greg Lee *

as Betty Wayne *

as Zella Fay *

Frank Currier Frank Currier (September 4, 1857 – April 22, 1928) was an American film and stage actor and director of the silent era. Career Similar to Theodore Roberts, Kate Lester, Ida Waterman, and William H. Crane, Currier had a long and succe ...

as The Judge *

E. H. Calvert Elisha Helm Calvert (born William Helm; June 27, 1863 – October 5, 1941) was an American film actor and director. He appeared in more than 170 films, as well as directing a further 60 titles. Biography He was born William Helm in Madison, Wi ...

as The Colonel * Tom O'Brien as Sgt. O'Brien * Charles Sullivan as Cpl. Sullivan *

Lincoln Stedman Lincoln Stedman (May 18, 1907 – March 22, 1948) was an American silent film actor. Biography Stedman was born in Denver, Colorado, the only child to Marshall Stedman and silent film beauty Myrtle Stedman. Stedman had a career in films dat ...

as Sleepy *

Gene Stone Gene Stone (born October 6, 1951) is an American writer and editor known for his books on animal rights and plant-based food. Early life and editorial career Gene Stone grew up in the Westchester County suburb of Pelham, New York, the son of law ...

as Smarty

Production

According to the January 2, 1927 in ''Film Daily'', director Sam Wood was starting production on Byron Morgan's story. Under the working title of ''Red, White and Blue'', principal photography on ''Rookies'' began on January 3, 1927. An impressive slate of crew members worked for the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

production. The crew included: set designers

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an American Art director#In film, art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons de ...

and David Townsend, Andre'-ani in costume design and

Herbert I. Leeds Herbert I. Leeds (September 13, 1900 – May 15, 1954) was an American film director. Biography Herbert Irving Levy was born on September 13, 1900, to Abraham T. Levy and had a sister, Marjorie Levy Rudman. He married Evelyn C. and had Lydia as t ...

(credited as Bert Levy) as title illustrator.

Reception

Despite the meagre budget in a

B film A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

, ''Rookies'' turned out to be a surprise box office hit. Film reviewer Hal Erickson, noted that ''Rookies'', had a new comedy teaming, "After several hilarious if disjointed slapstick misadventures, the boys are set adrift in a reconnaissance balloon. There was hardly an original moment in 'Rookies', but that's not to say it wasn't funny. The film was an enormous box-office hit, spawning a series of equally well-received feature films starring Dane and Arthur."

Preservation

A copy of ''Rookies'' is preserved by MGM and a trailer is held by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

(Government of the United States).''Catalog of Holdings: The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at the Library of Congress'', 1978. p. 155.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* ''Catalog of Holdings: The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at the Library of Congress''. Los Angeles: The American Film Institute, 1978. . * Eames, John Douglas. ''The MGM Story: The Complete History Of Fifty Roaring Years''. London: Octopus Books, 1975. . * Farmer, James H. ''Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation''. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. . * Wynne, H. Hugh. ''The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood's Classic Aviation Movies''. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1987. .

External links

*
Lobby poster
at silentfilmstillarchive.com {{Sam Wood 1927 films 1927 comedy films American aviation films Silent American comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Military comedy films American World War I films Films directed by Sam Wood 1920s American films 1920s English-language films English-language comedy films