Summary
The Patsy is a 1928 American silent comedy-drama film directed by King Vidor,[2] co-produced by and starring Marion Davies for Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was based on a play of the same name by Barry Conners, and served as Marie Dressler's comeback film after a long slump in her film career. Davies played the dowdy and downtrodden Patricia, the younger daughter in a household ruled by an imperious mother (Dressler) and selfish sister (Jane Winton).
| The Patsy | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card | |
| Directed by | King Vidor |
| Written by | Agnes Christine Johnston Ralph Spence |
| Based on | The Patsy 1925 play by Barry Conners |
| Produced by | Marion Davies William Randolph Hearst King Vidor |
| Starring | Marion Davies Marie Dressler |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | Hugh Wynn |
| Music by | Vivek Maddala |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Budget | $272,000[1] |
Cast edit
- Marion Davies as Patricia Harrington
- Orville Caldwell as Tony Anderson
- Marie Dressler as Ma Harrington
- Lawrence Gray as Billy Caldwell
- Dell Henderson as Pa Harrington
- Jane Winton as Grace Harrington
Production edit
The Patsy saw Marion Davies starring in her 27th film. This was Davies' first film of three with director King Vidor and the only time she appeared with Marie Dressler.
Release and legacy edit
The film received good reviews, and was a box office success.[3] Hearst and MGM subsequently assigned Vidor to begin working on another vehicle for Davies. The Patsy also served as a comeback vehicle for Dressler.[4]
In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.[5]
As of 2024, the film is public domain.
References edit
- ^ Slide, Anthony (2005). Silent topics : essays on undocumented areas of silent film. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780810850163. OCLC 469961637.
- ^ "Progressive Silent Film List: The Patsy". Silent Era. Retrieved March 29, 2008.
- ^ Gabrielle, Lara (2022). Captain of her soul: the life of Marion Davies. University of California Press. p. 96. ISBN 9780520384200.
- ^ Lorusso, Edward (2017). The Silent Films of Marion Davies. CreateSpace. pp. 149–150. ISBN 9781547247950. OCLC 1090066638.
- ^ "Berlinale 2020: Retrospective "King Vidor"". Berlinale. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
External links edit
- The Patsy at IMDb
- The Patsy is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Patsy at the TCM Movie Database
- The Patsy at AllMovie
- The Patsy at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Patsy in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Gladysz, Thomas. "The Patsy (2013 presentation)". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- Kiehn, David. "The Patsy (2008 presentation)". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
