My Lady's Lips (also known asMy Ladies' Lips) is a 1925 Americansilentdrama film written byJohn F. Goodrich and directed byJames P. Hogan forB.P. Schulberg and his companyPreferred Pictures. The film starsAlyce Mills, and represents an early role for actressClara Bow. It is the tenth ever film forWilliam Powell (better known for his later work intalking pictures),[2] and the first of only two films where Powell and Bow worked together.[3]
| My Lady's Lips | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | James P. Hogan |
| Screenplay by | John F. Goodrich |
| Story by | John F. Goodrich |
| Produced by | B.P. Schulberg |
| Starring | Alyce Mills William Powell Clara Bow Frank Keenan |
| Cinematography | Allen G. Siegler |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Al Lichtman Preferred Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 70 minutes 6609 feet (7reels) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (Englishintertitles) |
Plot
editNewspaper magnate Forbes Lombard (Frank Keenan) discovers that his daughter Lola (Clara Bow) is mixed up with a gang of gamblers. Reporter Scott Seddon (William Powell) pretends to be a felon and goes undercover to infiltrate the mob and get a news scoop. He falls in love with the gang's leader, female crook Dora Blake (Alyce Mills). The two are captured in a police raid and under extreme questioning are forced to sign confessions. When Scott is released from prison, he tracks down Dora and finds she has returned to her old ways. After he vows his love, the two marry and begin a new life.
Cast
edit- Alyce Mills as Dora Blake
- William Powell as Scott Seddon[4]
- Clara Bow as Lola Lombard
- Frank Keenan as Forbes Lombard
- Ford Sterling as Smike
- John St. Polis as Inspector
- Gertrude Short as Crook girl
- Matthew Betz as Eddie Gault
Reception
editHal Erickson ofAllRovi made note that Clara Bow's role as the daughter of a media leader in this film was well received albeit minor, and that film critics in 1926 did not like the casting of William Powell as the hero Scott Seddon, offering that "the actor would be wise to continue playing villains lest he lose his standing in Hollywood."[5]
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that the film had a difficult time passing thePennsylvania State Board of Censors, and that actress Alyce Mills "made the most of" her role as "crook girl" Dora Blake, and that William Powell was "excellent as the reporter".[6]
Preservation
editThe film was for years believed to be alost film, but a full16mmnitrate print survives and is preserved atUCLA Film and Television Archive.[2] Considered a "Silent Classic", the film was remastered by theNational Film Preservation Foundation.[7] The film screened inItaly in 2003 at thePordenone Silent Film Festival.[3]
References
edit- ^Sun Herald (Biloxi, MS) 21 Jul 1925, p 3.
- ^abBennett, Carl."My Lady's Lips". Silent Era Company. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2012.
- ^abBryant, Roger (2006).William Powell: the life and films. McFarland. pp. 27–28.ISBN 0-7864-2602-0.
- ^Photoplay 1925-10: Vol 28 Iss 5:124.
- ^Erickson, Hal."My Lady's Lips (1925)".AllRovi. Archived fromthe original on September 17, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2012.
- ^staff (December 20, 1927)."My Lady's Lips".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^Watson-Smyth, Kate (May 31, 1999)."Silent film classics to get Hollywood makeover for modern cinema- goers".The Independent.Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 25, 2012.
External links
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