MissSimonetta Thank God that Marion Davies's talent has been given its due at last: rarer is the person who stands up and says she was the talent-less mistress of a powerful man. Show People (1928) might be her greatest vehicle and it is a good picture to show to silent cinema neophytes. Its blend of good humor and satire on the Hollywood machine make it still entertaining and relevant in regards to American celebrity culture.Marion Davies is sympathetic, sexy, and side-splitting, especially with her later parody of actress Mae Marsh, known for her bee-stung lips. William Haines is a good match for her as the love interest, a Mack Sennett style comedian. And silent film geeks will dig all the cameos from the stars of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, John Gilbert, and Douglas Fairbanks.A fun film. Check it out everyone.

Larry41OnEbay-2 SHOW PEOPLE, premiered November 11th of 1928, it was a Cosmopolitan Production, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. I saw the "Restored Long Version" at the Library of Congress and per Dick May at Warners: "We have found some shots in various elements that were not in the existing MGM negative or the original negative. These have now been put back where they belong. Nothing important but it gets closer to the original." SHOW PEOPLE was directed by King Vidor and written by Agnes Christine Johnston and Laurence Stallings with titles by Ralph Spence, and it's based on a story by Wanda Tuchock and the play POLLY PREFFERED by Guy Bolton.SHOW PEOPLE is a starring vehicle for actress Marion Davies and actor William Haines and includes notable cameo appearances by many of the great film stars of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, and John Gilbert. Director Vidor also appears in a cameo as himself. The film is a comedic satire of the early days of movie making in Hollywood loosely based on the career of Gloria Swanson, who began her career in comedy, switched to costume dramas and married a titled foreigner just before this film was written. Many consider it Davies' best role.Marion Davies was a Broadway dancer in the 1916 edition of Ziegfeld Follies, when William Randolph Hearst discovered her and became so enchanted that for eight weeks he never missed a performance, reserving two seats per show (one seat for his hat). Soon after, Davies appeared in only Hearst-produced movies, a professional association which spilled over into her private life; she became Hearst's mistress.On the IMDb they list over 25 of her 48 films averaging an 8 out of 10 stars or higher. Davies retired from the screen in 1937 and continued as the popular hostess of San Simeon, Hearst's gigantic estate on the California coast until Hearst died in 1951. Davies was much loved by her friends and by Hollywood in general; alas, most people today "know" Davies only through the character of "Susan Alexander" in Orson Welles' thinly disguised chronicle of William Randolph Hearst's life, CITIZEN KANE. In 1962 a year after she died, CITIZEN KANE was rediscovered and declared a masterpiece. It is also a work of fiction.Film buffs are heart-broken that poor Marion's reputation suffered from that movies portrayal of the "opera singer" without talent. In truth, Marion was very successful in films, especially comedies.Co-star William Haines was born January 1st of 1900 in Stanton, VA. Entering films in 1922, Haines rose to stardom at MGM as the star of several breezy comedy-dramas, in which he usually played a smart-aleck braggart who was forced to eat humble pie sometime before the fadeout. One of Haines' most popular films was TELL IT TO THE MARINES with Lon Chaney. His favorite leading ladies included Joan Crawford and Marion Davies. Haines' popularity diminished in the early 1930s, due to the emergence of younger cocksure types like James Cagney. He later became a famous interior decorator to the stars and books on him and his celebrity home décor designs are still popular & expensive! Director King Vidor made his reputation on pictures such as the antiwar drama THE BIG PARADE and later THE CROWD (my favorite silent drama) that displayed a remarkably sophisticated social conscience as well as an innovative directorial technique that placed it at the pinnacle of silent-era cinema. Of his talkies there is the boxing drama, THE CHAMP, starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper. Ironically, the most widely seen and known film today that Vidor worked on was the OVER THE RAINBOW song and early sepia-toned scenes in: THE WIZARD OF OZ. Later he directed the adventure film NORTHWEST PASSAGE starring Spencer Tracy.Vidor had a cute anecdote about pitching his SHOW PEOPLE story to Louis B. Mayer, MGM wonder-kid Irving Thalberg and Hearst when he started talking about the necessity for a pie-throwing scene (which Hearst was against anything that might embarrass or humiliate Davies) when Vidor noticed a newspaper sticking out of Hearst pocket, the headline read, "Hearst Wants Coolidge To Serve Second Term." Hearst would be on the set most days conducting his newspaper empire at a desk behind the camera with two secretaries manning the phones… and when they wanted to shoot a slap-stick scene they wanted to get rid of Hearst so Davies arranged to have an editor call him away so they could film the scene. She even asked Buster Keaton to show her how to back thru a door as if saying goodbye to friends as if it were funny… he told her DON'T ANTICIPATE! You'll know the scene I'm speaking about when you see it.Among the locations used in the film are MGM's back-lot and the old Mack Sennett "Keystone" studios, where such comedy greats as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton & Harold Lloyd all worked early in their careers.In the movie, after the premiere of her first film she will be approached outside the theater by a fan wanting an autograph. She does not recognize him and you may not either as Charlie Chaplin is not in costume or wearing his little black mustache. It's an inside joke as they were best friends and there were even rumors that they were lovers as explored in the 2001 film by Peter Bogdanovich, THE CAT'S MEOW starring Kirsten Dunst as Davies.A little later when she's invited to HIGH ART studio she sees a fancy car pull up and a movie star gets out… it's Marion Davies playing herself! The musicians who play "mood music" for Peggy Pepper during filming did the same thing in real life for actress Marion Davies.The well known faces back then appearing in the banquet scene include: Renée Adorée, Rod La Rocque, Mae Murray, John Gilbert, Norma Talmadge, Douglas Fairbanks, Marion Davies, and William S. Hart. All superstars 80 years ago!

tedg This is a Hollywoord film about a young woman who comes to Hollywood to become an actress. She sees Marion Davis and wants to become like her. She is, of course, played by Marion Davis. She is a genuine character who becomes a success on screen because of that genuine character. Then she begins to play an aristocrat in "real" life, at which point her genuine appeal is lost and she is nearly fired.Now, appreciate the layers: Marion Davis the actress plays someone who is not an actress who is successful be cause she is not playing, but then who plays a role in non-character life (and who we see sometimes as Marion Davis poking fun at herself) and becomes not an actress by acting.Along the way, many real actors are featured as themselves, and the director of this plays the director of the movie within.The amazing thing of course is that we readily understand these layers. Viewers nearly a hundred years ago did. Its called folded narrative.The title of course is a pun. Its about showing people in show business.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

MartinHafer I've seen hundreds of silent movies. Some will always be classics (such as Nosferatu, Metropolis, The General and Wings) but among them, my favorite is this film (it may not be the best--but a favorite, yes). In fact, when I looked it up on IMDb, I noticed I immediately laughed to myself because the movie was so gosh-darn cute and well-made. Marion Davies proved with this movie she really had great talent and was not JUST William Randolph Hearst's mistress.The story involves a hick from Georgia coming to Hollywood with every expectation that she would be an instant star! Her experiences and the interesting cameos of stars of the era make this a real treat for movie buffs and a must-see!