Show People (1928)

Director:

King Vidor

Writers:

Agnes Christine Johnston (treatment) and
Laurence Stallings (treatment) ...

Release Date:

20 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Colonel Pepper brings his daughter, Peggy, to Hollywood from Georgia to be an actress. There she meets...

Plot Keywords:

Studio | Georgia | Actress | Hollywood | Showbiz

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Marion Davies	...	Peggy Pepper
William Haines	...	Billy Boone
Dell Henderson	...	Colonel Pepper
Paul Ralli	...	Andre
Tenen Holtz	...	Casting Director
Harry Gribbon	...	Comedy Director
Sidney Bracey	...	Dramatic Director (as Sidney Bracy)
Polly Moran	...	The Maid
Albert Conti	...	Producer

Also Known As:

Es tut sich was beim Film (Austria) [de]
Es tut sich was in Hollywood (Germany) [de]
Espejismos (Spain) [es]
Ilveilijöitä (Finland) [fi]
Maschere di celluloide (Italy) [it]
Miragens (Portugal) [pt]
So ist Hollywood (Austria) [de]

Runtime:

83 min (copyright length) | USA:78 min (Turner Library Print)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Studio scenes taking place at the "Comet Studios" were taken at the derelict Mack Sennett "Keystone" studios, where such comedy greats as Charles Chaplin and Ben Turpin worked early in their careers. Sennett built and moved to a larger studio earlier in the year, so director King Vidor filmed his slapstick studio scenes at the older, vacated site.

Quotes:

Peggy's maid: Pardon my depravity, but that terrible comedian person is downstairs.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992)

Soundtrack:

(I Wish I Was in) Dixie's Land

delightful

This for me was a wonderful introduction to the talents and beauty of Marion Davies. She is not only gorgeous but hilarious in this film. (I believe that Lucille Ball may have modeled her later career on Davies' style, that could be termed "zany beauty".) Vidor's direction is light but sure-handed, the story is a chestnut of course but the acting is marvelously contemporary, and the star-watching element for fans of the silent era, with many cameos, adds to the overall fun. It combines the elements of slapstick with adult drama and good old timeless romance quite well. For all movie fans who have a knee-jerk reaction to watching silent films, sit through this one and it may change your attitude.