Vamps Aren't Just for Show

Comedy isn't my favorite genre of book or movie. 

But I do love the madcap silent films like the Keystone Cops, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton. Silly mix-ups, running into walls, tripping over rugs, slipping on banana peels; these are the things that make me laugh. 

I watched Madame Mystery because it is:

1. Theda's last film appearance  

2. one of only six complete surviving films out of the 40+ she was in

When you think Theda Bara, you don't think comedy. She was the first "sex symbol," the first "celebrity."

She played vamps, orphans and power-hungry women (she did have a couple comedic roles but American audiences shunned them).

In color by dontforgetfrank on Deviant Art

 In 1926 she starred as a secret agent in the comedy Madame Mystery. Some say it was an attempt to revive her film career that she left behind in 1919. I'd like to think she just wanted to have some fun mocking the vamp roles she had been so famous for. 

Theda's performance was basically panned by reviewers, but I thought she was great. She was the perfect straight (wo)man (hopefully I'm using that term correctly) to Tyler Brooke and James Finlayson. If you don't recognize Finlayson's name, you might at least know his face. He has the most lovably, comic face. 

Finlayson and Theda make the movie what it is (though Oliver Hardy makes an appearance as the bungling  steamship captain). Finlayson starts the movie out in a flouncy dress and every scene he is in just gets funnier from there.

For a detailed run-down of the film go to  The World's Funniest Dissertation

You can watch the film on YouTube here. Unfortunately, it is truly silent, meaning there is no accompanying music. When it was first shown in theaters there would have been a pianist, or even a small orchestra playing along to enhance the experience (a great future blog post topic!). Half the silent films I come across online have music that someone has kindly played over it, and half do not. 

Many local theaters will have a silent film series now and then and they often have live music accompanying. I highly recommend going at least once. If you live in the Columbus area, CAPA has a summer classic movie series and they include one silent film each year. This year they are showing The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney ("the man of a thousand faces") and Patsy Ruth Miller, accompanied by an organist on The Ohio Theater's original, antique organ "Mighty Morton." It's a fun experience--try it!

For a more recent comedy that made me laugh out loud, try Palm Springs with Adam Sandberg.