While I am not a huge fan of silent films, I do find one now and then that I love. This time it's The Patsy from 1928. Starring Marion Davies, with Orville Caldwell and veteran actress Marie Dressler, and director King Vidor at the helm.
Pat is the younger sister to Grace played by Jane Winton. Grace is beautiful and elegant, while Pat is young and innocent. One thing they do have in common is they both have the hots for Tony (Caldwell). Naturally he loves Grace. On top of this misfortune for Pat, her mother (Dressler) is a beast to her youngest daughter, and gives her grief for everything, including how she feels about her sister's beau. She is yelled at, forced to do chores, and even given the worst part of chicken at dinner. Her father, played by Dell Henderson, has compassion for Pat, and although he is too timid to stand up to his bossy wife, he supports her.
On the night of a fancy outing, Grace steals Pat's new coat, and once at dinner, she is stuck watching her sister and Tony together while her mother insists she leave them alone. Along comes playboy Billy (Lawrence Gray) and quickly Grace is smitten.
Pat has Tony all alone and tries to make small talk. She is ready to dance. Her cute antics remind me of Charlie Chaplin in Gold Rush when he plays with dinner rolls.
Tony is not amused, but dances with Pat so he can spy on Grace, who eventually leaves the party on Billy's boat. Pat will take any dance she can get with Tony, even if he isn't even paying attention to her.
With some quirky antics, she realizes her mother and sister are afraid of her, and they ease up. Billy comes over and he and Grace start canoodling, which makes Pat angry knowing what she is doing to Tony.
As soon as they take off to who knows where, Tony comes looking to show Grace his building plans. Pat covers for Grace, and convinces Tony to show her what he is working on instead. They end up spending some time together, and Tony starts to consider Pat as more than just a kid sister. They sneak a kiss, but mother sees and is mad. Only Grace should have what she wants!
Pat's mother forbids her to see Tony, and tells her she must never let him know that Grace is a two-timer. Grace overhears Pat and father talking about how she feels. Grace isn't interested in Tony anymore, but convinces Tony to give her a lift to the yacht club, where Pat finds out. Pat gets the bright idea to go over to Billy's house, but when she gets there, he is passed out. She tries to get his attention by impersonating some well known ladies, but to no avail. Tony gets word and tells Pat he would not want any girl who finds herself at Billy's house. Pat's plan has backfired.
At home, father has had enough and for once stands up for himself and his daughter. An argument ensues and Pat's mother has to beg for forgiveness. While Pat is happy her parents have reconciled, she is still sad about her love for Tony, when sure enough, he turns up asking if she wants him or Billy. The choice is clear, and Pat finally wins in the end.
This was the first of three pairings for Marion Davies and King Vidor. Vidor holds the record for the longest directorial career, spanning 67 years. His body of work includes The Crowd, Hallelujah, Comrade X, Northwest Passage, The Fountainhead, and War and Peace to name a few. He also was uncredited for directing the tornado and Somewhere Over the Rainbow scenes in The Wizard of Oz.
Marion, notorious for her decades-long affair with William Randolph Hearst, had a fruitful career of her own. Hearst would support her career emotionally and financially, but her talent was apparent nonetheless. She was known for being incredibly kind to work with, even to go as far as paying for crew members medical bills if they got sick. She would go on to marry Horace Brown after Hearst's death, and was a philanthropist until she died in 1961 at the age of 64. Marie Dressler was on the downward end of her career until signing up to act in The Patsy. The success of this film brought her career back, and she worked on 20 films following, including Anna Christie with Greta Garbo, and was part of the all-star cast of Dinner At Eight.
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