''Two Flaming Youths'' is a lost 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

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

and written by John W. Conway, Donald Davis,

Percy Heath Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet througho ...

, and

Herman J. Mankiewicz Herman Jacob Mankiewicz ( ; November 7, 1897 – March 5, 1953) was an American screenwriter who, with Orson Welles, wrote the screenplay for ''Citizen Kane'' (1941). Both Mankiewicz and Welles went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Orig ...

. The film stars

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a ...

Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 – October 11, 1971) was an early American film comedian who started at Keystone Studios as one of Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops, often paired with Mack Swain. He appeared in a series of films with ...

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. ...

Jack Luden Jacob Benson Luden (February 8, 1902 – February 15, 1951) was an American film actor. Early life The son of Jacob and Anna Luden, he grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. His uncle was confectioner William H. Luden, who developed the menthol cough ...

, George Irving, and Cissy Fitzgerald. The film was released on December 17, 1927, by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

Plot

Sheriff Ben Holden is in love with hotel owner Madge Malarkey when down-and-out carnival man Gabby Gilfoil shows up, hoping to take her for some money. Gilfoil is mistaken for the wanted man Slippery Sawtelle. Neither suitor gets Malarkey but do manage to take her husband (wealthy Simeon Trott) for a bundle.

Cast

as Gabby Gilfoil *

as Sheriff Ben Holden *

as Mary Gilfoil *

as Tony Holden * George Irving as Simeon Trott * Cissy Fitzgerald as Madge Malarkey *James Quinn as Slippery Sawtelle (credited as Jimmy Quinn) *

Ben Bard Ben Bard (January 26, 1893 – May 17, 1974) was an American movie actor, stage actor, and acting teacher. With comedian Jack Pearl, Bard worked in a comedy duo in vaudeville. In 1926, Bard, Pearl, and Sascha Beaumont appeared in a short film ...

as Bard (as Pearl and Bard) *Jay Brennan as Brennan (as Savoy and Brennan) * Bobby Clark as Clark (as Clark & McCullough) * Max Dill as Dill (of Kolb and Dill) * Vivian Duncan as Vivian Duncan *

Lew Fields Lew Fields (born Moses Schoenfeld, January 1867 – July 20, 1941) was an American actor, comedian, vaudeville star, theatre manager, and producer. He was part of a comedy duo with Joe Weber. He also produced shows on his own and starred in com ...

as Fields (as Weber and Fields) *

Clarence Kolb Clarence William Kolb, sometimes given as C. William Kolb, (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect. Biography Kolb started out as one hal ...

as Kolb (as Kolb and Dill) (credited as C. William Kolb) * Charles Mack as Mack as part of Moran and Mack (

Two Black Crows The Two Black Crows (also called The Black Crows and Moran and Mack) was a blackface comedy act popular in the 1920s and 1930s. The duo appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio, comedy records, and in film features and shorts. History The ...

) *Chester Morton as The Human Pin Cushion *Lee W. Parker as The Tattooed Man *

Jack Pearl Jack Pearl (born Jack Perlman; October 29, 1894 – December 25, 1982) was an American vaudeville performer and a star of early radio. He was best known for his character Baron Munchausen. Vaudeville and early films Born in New York, Pearl deb ...

as Pearl (as Pearl and Bard) *Billy Platt as The Dwarf (as William Platt) *Stanley Rogers as Savoy (as Savoy & Brennan) *John Seresheff as The Strong Man * Joe Weber as Weber (as Weber and Fields) * John Aasen as The Giant (uncredited) *

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 ...

as Beery - of Beery and Hatton (uncredited) * Rosetta Duncan as Rosetta Duncam (uncredited) *

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 ...

as Hatton - of Beery and Hatton (uncredited) *Monty O'Grady as Minor Role (uncredited)

References

External links

*
Lobby poster
at silenthollywood.com 1927 films 1920s English-language films Silent American comedy films 1927 comedy films Paramount Pictures films Films directed by John Waters (director born 1893) American black-and-white films American silent feature films Lost American comedy films English-language comedy films 1927 lost films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub