“The co-ed’s
dormitory was christened
‘The Port of Missing Men’”
There are always people in life, whether
in school or the work force, that use their charm to get whatever they want. If
they are fortunate enough they can also use their looks. Some fall at those
people’s feet and become part of their coat tails crew. Some who work hard and
follow the rules hate the charmers who get by on little to no work or effort. Eventually,
there comes a time when the charmers are not so charming anymore and are
hated/disliked by everyone. That is what happens to the main character in the
1927 silent comedy The Fair Co-Ed.
Marion Bright (Marion Davies) is a
spoiled rich girl who has boys fawning all over her. Her father has enough and
tells her she is going to be enrolled in college. Marion fights her father
until she sees that, the cute boy Bob from the college come around to the house
trying to sell books.
At Bingham College, Marion is placed
in a co-ed dormitory. As soon as she gets on campus Marion is flirting with all
the boys. She gets even more attention when she joins the girls’ basketball
team. The only reason Marion joined the team is because Bob is the coach. Turns
out Marion is very good at basketball but she not very good at being nice to
her teammates. The girls on the team are
mad at her for not passing the ball and walking around like she owns the place.
The girls decide to kick her off the team.
The team has been losing their games
without Marion and their big game against their rivals is coming up. Marion has
been delighted that the team is losing without her. The team is not so delight
and they ask her to come back. Marion does not want to out of spite but she realizes
the school needs her and she agrees to come back for the game.
The
Fair Co-Ed was a pretty good comedy. There were several scenes where
everyone was just chasing each other and some other scenes that were just
silly. Marion Davies was excellent as a comedic actress and The Fair Co-Ed is worth watching for her
performance.
“To
hopeful hundreds there is a golden spot on the map called- HOLLYWOOD”
How
many of us have wished in our lives that we could be a famous singer or
actor/actress? Ever since I was little I have been obsessed with music and
movies and for as long as I can remember I always wished I could be a singer or
an actress. But have I ever done anything about becoming either? Not at all. At
twenty-six I would be already past my prime as a really bankable singer or
actress… although Kelly Clarkson and Cary Underwood are in their thirties and
keep making huge hits (at the time of this writing Kelly Clarkson has a number
single with her Christmas song “Underneath the Tree” and her Christmas album has gone platinum)… Nah, I cannot sing or act
anyway. I will stick to be an obsessive movie and music nut.
In
the 1928 silent film Show People a
young southern woman named Peggy Pepper (Marion Davies) dreams of becoming a
Hollywood movie star. Her father Colonel Pepper takes his little girl out to
Hollywood. Like so many other hopefuls they are not even looked at by studio
employees. As Peggy and her father are sitting down to lunch at the MGM
cafeteria (take a flying guess what studio made this film) a young man named
Billy (William Haines) just comes and sits down at their table with them. He
thinks they are actors and is very silly with them. Bill says he can help Peggy
she can come to the studio where he works.
Peggy
has aspirations of being a dramatic actress. Unfortunately the studio where
Billy works makes comedies. Peggy and her father arrive at the studio. She is
wearing more makeup than a clown and a nice fashionably modern dress. Trying to
find Billy and the shoot Peggy walks through several different sets disrupting
shooting. Billy manages to find her and takes the makeup off of her. Since she
did not know she was going to be in a comedy, Peggy gets very upset when she
gets water sprayed in her face when she walks in through a door. Peggy walks
away and Billy follows. He talks her into going back and that she has to work
very hard to become famous.
The
movie is a hit with preview audiences. Charlie Chaplin was even there and liked
the movie. He asks for her autograph and she did not even know who Charlie was
until Billy told her and she faints. A casting agent for High Arts Studio is
interested in Peggy. She goes for an audition at the studio. Billy comes with
her. She tells him she will not go if they do not take him. He tells her not to
be silly. The studio head only wants Peggy and he tells Bill to come back the
following year to audition. Peggy feels bad for leaving Billy. Later on Peggy
makes a screen test. She does not do well at first but the director eventually
gets what he wants out of her.
Peggy
is changed into to Patricia Pepoire a very successful dramatic actress. Billy
is still struggling. He calls Peggy up one night to see if they can have dinner
together. She tells him she is busy that night. As time goes on Peggy becomes
full of herself. While out on location for a serious film Billy is in the same
area to do a comedy. He sees her standing by a tree waiting to film and he goes
to talk to her. Peggy is not very happy to see Billy. He makes a joke with her
serious costar. She calls Billy cheap and vulgar.
The
studio begins to receive letters from several movie theaters across the nation
that they want to cancel Peggy’s films because the audiences find her boring.
The boss wants Peggy to connect to the audience.
Peggy
is set to marry another actor. Before the wedding someone comments of how it
must be great to be in love. Instead of thinking of her husband-to-be she
thinks of Billy. Billy manages to sneak into where the wedding will be taking
place. He finds Peggy and says that he is not interfering for himself he is
doing it for her. Billy takes a soda bottle and squirts her in the face with
it. Peggy is mad at him at first but after a while she realizes she is truly in
love with Billy and calls off the wedding.
The
scene at the wedding makes Peggy come back down to earth. For her next film she
has the director, which just so happens to be King Vidor, hire Billy but she
does not want Vidor to tell Billy it is one of her films he has been hired for
she wants to surprise him. Billy is supposed to walk up to a door and knock on
it. When he acts out the scene Peggy comes out. They kiss and the cast and crew
walk off the set to leave them alone.
I
cannot even begin to express how much I adored Marion Davies in this film. I
was dying with her she was so hysterical. There were three scenes that made me
really laugh. The first was when Peggy and her father go to MGM and are in the
main office. They go to the desk and her father tells her to go through some
emotions. Her faces were so twisted and silly I could not take it I was dying.
The second was when Peggy first goes onto the lot of “High Arts Studio” (which
is MGM’s back lot). She sees a woman get out of the car and she turns to the
actor she was with and asks who the woman from the car is. The actor tells
Peggy the woman is Marion Davies. To that Peggy gives a look of disgust. It was
nice to see that Davies could make fun of herself. The third scene was when
Peggy is sitting down for a magazine interview and the photographer is taking
photos of her. Her faces were again really silly. They are scenes I guess you
would have to see why I was laughing so hard. They were so enjoyable.
William
Haines was great. He looked like he could be an actor at a down and out comedy
studio who has to act like a little boy for laughs. He had great chemistry with
Davies you could tell Billy was really in love with Peggy.
Show People is a film I had waited a
long time to see. I had seen clips of the scene with Charlie Chaplin and where
Marion Davies makes those funny faces. I am very happy TCM aired it last week I
was excited to see it. I must say that Show
People is now one of my favorite silent films. It is cute and adorable and
so enjoyable. It makes me wish something like this could happen to me. And I am sure you would if you were to see this or maybe you have already and do have that wish.
