LITTLE OLD NEW YORK (1923) -- Marion Davies

LITTLE OLD NEW YORK (1923)
Starring: Marion Davies, Harrison Ford, Sam Hardy, Andrew Dillon, Courtenay Foote, Mahlon Hamilton, Stephen Carr, J.M. Kerrigan, Louis Wolheim, Frank Coghlan Jr.
Directed by Sidney Olcott
Produced by William Randolph Hearst
William Thomas Sherman, [e-mail], www.angelfire.c...

[@Jamietheroadrunner]

I love Ms. Davies! Like the love of her life William Randolph Hearst said, she was "a darling and a minx"! Those of you who don't know the story about the robber baron Hearst and Ms. Davies, you can read about them online (or watch one of the documentaries about them). Hearst loved Davies dearly and she loved him, even though he inadvertently ruined her career with his relentless over-promotion in his newspapers of every little thing she did, which eventually turned the movie-going public against her. Hearst loved and was obsessed with Davies from the first moment he saw her on stage when she was just 19 years old (and he was 53) until he took his last breath some 40 years later. Hearst's obsession with Davies extended to the movie set; she only starred in movies after Hearst read the script and gave the go-ahead. Even her leading men - which twice included the legendary Clark Gable - were afraid of kissing Davies when Hearst was on set because they were terrified of what he would do to them (and their career). Depressed by Hearst's taste in scripts, Davies gave up her movie career in the late 1930's, realizing that he would never let her do the kinds of movies she and her studio (first MGM then Warner Bros.) wanted her to do, especially the screwball comedies which were suddenly taking the country by storm. Davies would have been the perfect ditzy heroine in a screwball farce. Or as a wisecracking sidekick. In one of her later films, directed by the legendary King Vidor, Vidor and Davies spent the better part of an afternoon trying to convince Hearst to let Davies take a pie in the face; Hearst adamantly refused. It simply wasn't dignified and Davies had to be dainty and dignified at all times! Even in a screwball farce! Still, despite Hearst's controlling ways and his role in the utter collapse of her decade-long career, Davies wasn't bitter or angry at him. She loved him and she happily stayed with him, grateful for all that Hearst had done for her and her family. She was so loyal to Hearst that when he faced bankruptcy in the 1950's, she gave him millions of dollars in cash, stocks & bonds and she even gave back the furs and jewelry he had given her over the few decades, saving Hearst from utter ruin.

[@hey_joe7069]

Robber Barons got nothing on Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt. Todays robber barons who over promote socialism for everyone else, and capitalism for themselves.

[@kmterpin]

Marion! Cute as always, talented in bundles. Love her movies & wish she had made more…

[@Northatlantic2012]

A very good movie. Marion Davies was amazing -- even as a "boy."

[@Riogi]

Saw this film for the first time today and loved it. Marion did an amazing job and so did the rest of the cast.

[@muddyduck64]

simply adore Davies. Her mannerisms as a young boy are adorable and just makes you want to hug her so. I just do not get how everyone is oblivious to the fact that she is not a boy.

[@robertstock8489]

An interesting story very well filmed & an excellent showcase for Davies' considerable talents. It might have been more of a challenge for her to pull this off in a talkie, but this is a very good film in all respects.

[@rjmcallister1888-l3p]

This being a 1923 release, it is now in the public domain. Hearst created Cosmopolitan as a vehicle for Davies' pictures; this was before the merger with Metro and later, Louis B Mayer Productions. She was a much better actor than given credit for, especially in comedies, but Hearst wanted her in more serious pictures. The relationship was real, though it served as the basis for Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane". There was a Harrison Ford, a popular actor back then. After he passed in 1957, Equity and SAG/AFTRA certified the current Harrison Ford to use the name; his career started in the mid-1960's.

[@jonkimberson3253]

When I saw Harrison ford I didn't think there was another guy named Harrison ford in the entertainment business

[@blakestaredwards]

100 years later

[@danielscissorhands]

Harrison Ford is a LOT older than he looks. ;)

[@தமிழ்selvan143]

100 years later now 😊😊😊😊God 🎁

[@JohnPJones-yv1sj]

How many movies have we seen in which a beautiful woman poses as a boy? & she always fools everyone in the movie & no-one in the audience. This is my 1st Davies movie & she's terrific. I'll try one of her comedies next.

[@classicmoviebridge]

This is available with a Orchestra score from Grapevine, in a better video transfer. However, the film is technically owned by Warner's. Part of the Goldwyn tiles that were acquired in the MGM deal. There are superb 35 millimeter prints at the Library Of Congress. This is probably from a 16 millimeter reduction copy.

[@carlospacheco.990]

Which Harrison Ford? Granpa?

[@paullatimer1639]

This is a great film but i don't believe for one second that any of the charachters in the film thought Marion Davies was a boy.