The Patsy (1928 film)

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
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 22, 1928 (1928-04-22)
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)
Budget	$272,000[1]

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 Marie Dressler's "comeback" film after a long slump in her film career. 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.^[3]

Cast[]

• 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[]

Vidor and his cameramen set out in his Hacker-Craft speedboat to film water sequences for The Patsy.

The Patsy saw Marion Davies starring in her 27th film, a comedy that has been recognized as a classic. This was Davies' first film (of three) with director King Vidor and the only time she appeared with Marie Dressler. Once again, Davies bobbed her hair, this time to play the dowdy and downtrodden Patricia, the younger daughter in a household ruled by an imperious mother (Dressler) and selfish sister (Jane Winton). Vidor encouraged Davies to cut loose and use her comedic talents to their fullest, and the result was a joyous Davies who runs and somersaults and cavorts like a mad woman after she decides to "get some personality." The highlights of the film is the extended sequence where she tries to get the attention of the sleepy Billy Caldwell (Lawrence Gray). Davies resorts to impersonating Lillian Gish, Mae Murray, and Pola Negri in an effort to get Billy's attention. The transformations are truly remarkable. The reviews were rapturous and the film was a huge hit. Hearst and MGM were so impressed, they immediately assigned Vidor to begin working on another vehicle for Davies. The Patsy also served as a big comeback vehicle for Dressler.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• The Patsy at IMDb
• 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.