Stage Struck

Gloria Swanson in glorious red and green
Allan Dwan's Stage Struck is a successful star vehicle for Gloria Swanson from 1925. The film opens in splendorous two strip Technicolor with a dream sequence lampooning the more glamorous cinematic vehicles of Ms. Swanson. As we leave the sequence for black and white 'reality', we learn she is portraying a humble hash house waitress day dreaming of stardom. 

The film has a relaxed charm and benefits from its New Martinsville, West Virginia location shooting. This marked the sixth and final collaboration between Dwan and Swanson. Their rapport is evident as Dwan builds the film around Swanson's skills as a physical comic; evident as late as her Chaplin riff in Sunset Boulevard. Stage Struck's male lead, the forgotten Lawrence Gray, is more than adequate. The show boat Captain is played by Ford Sterling, another graduate, along with former bathing beauty Swanson, of the Mack Sennett school of cinema.

The print of this silent is as sparkling as any I've seen. Kudos to the George Eastman House for the restoration and to Farran Smith Nehme for her fun and informative essay on this Kino disc. Not a profound statement on humanity, Stage Struck is exquisite light entertainment and a good slice of American regionalism. Where else can you find a character named Orme?

We'll make an exception for you, Gloria!


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