Mon 12 Jul 2010
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: EXIT SMILING (1926).
Posted by Steve under Films: Comedy/Musicals , Reviews , Silent films[5] Comments
EXIT SMILING. MGM, 1926. Beatrice Lillie, Jack Pickford, Doris Lloyd, DeWitt Jennings, Harry Myers, Franklin Pangborn. Story: Marc Connelly; scenario: Sam Taylor & Tim Whelan. Director: Sam Taylor. Shown at Cinecon 27, Hollywood CA, September 1993.
After the discovery of Jessie Matthews [in First a Girl, reviewed here ], Beatrice Lillie was the rediscovery of the convention for me.
Lillie is the maid for a touring theatrical company, and also plays small roles like “Nothing” in “Much Ado About Nothing” (as the intertitles put it), while pining to show the company that she can play leading roles.
The film is filled with inspired bits of tomfoolery that make you wonder why Lillie was not one of the great comic stars of the silent screen. In any event, a marvelous showcase for her talents, and for those of actors like Franklin Pangborn and Doris Lloyd.
There’s a tug at the heartstrings at the end, and I exited smiling and treading on air.
Editorial Comment: This movie is available on DVD from the Warner Archives website.
July 12th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
For once I’ve seen this one, and Beatrice Lillie is one of the all time greats. My father saw her performing for the troops in England during the War and remained a fan — I’ve still got some LPs of her stage performances. It’s a shame her film career is relatively limited, but we do always have her as the Oriental menace in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLie.
Scenarist Tim Whelan went on to be a major Brit film director including the classic Q PLANES (CLOUDS OVER EUROPE).
July 13th, 2010 at 12:49 am
This was Beatrice Lillie’s first movie, and you’re right, David, she didn’t make many others, and what a shame that is.
If anyone’s interested, you can find out much more about her on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Lillie
The photo at the top came from a blog devoted to cross-dressing. For what that’s worth.
Jack Pickford, also in the movie, was Mary Pickford’s younger brother. A gambler, alcoholic and a drug addict, he seems to have led a wasted life.
July 13th, 2010 at 6:15 am
Somehow, Walter, you can write a few lines on a movie I’ve never seen (like this one and FIRST A GIRL) and make it fascinating!
July 13th, 2010 at 9:44 am
I saw Beatrice Lillie once on the stage, in Boston in the pre-Broadway run of “High Spirits,” Noel Coward’s musical version of his classic comedy “Blithe Spirit.” I remember being enormously disappointed, both with the musical score and with Lillie’s performance as Madame Arcati, which didn’t seem to me to properly showcase the talents of this gifted comedienne. Of course, I was younger and probably even more judgmental than I am in my dotage. That’s one of the evenings in the theater that I would like to revisit. I’ll have to look into the possibility that a cast album was recorded.
July 13th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Forgot to mention Marc Connelly, who wrote the story, and is best remembered today for the classic GREEN PASTURES. Pretty good credits for this one.
Speaking of the picture coming from a site on cross-dressing, a recent special on the image of gays in films had quite a bit on Franklyn Pangborn, whose effeminate characters were among the most blatant on screen.