An unusual role for Mary Pickford

Suds (1920)
Starring: Mary Pickford, Harold Goodwin, Albert Austin, and Rose Dione
Director: John Francis Dillon
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A London laundress (Pickford) spins a fantasy that she is a disherited noblewoman who is just waiting to be rescued by her banished lover (Austin). As she tries to make her fantasy a reality, she pushes away and disregards a man who truly loves her (Goodwin).

 

"Suds" is one of those rare films where there's no antagonist whatsoever; the main character is the source of every obstacle to her success and happiness. It's also a film where every cast-member has a degree of presence and likeability that makes the film extremely watchable. Between the talented cast and some excellent photography, the film moves easily from comedy to drama and back to comedy again. Similarly, the subplot involving an aging horse might not have seemed as impactful and relevant as it did. 

The leader of this excellent cast is, in every way, Mary Pickford. In the film's real world, her character is at times comedic, at times uncouth bordering on revolting, at times so pitiful it makes the viewer want to cry for her. On the other hand, in the world of her character's imagination, she is poised, elegant, devoted to her lover beyond concern for even her own life. Where the real character is scattered and clumsy, she imagines herself as focused and graceful. It is in this form that we get to see the Mary Pickford we can recognize from other films. 

Perhaps the most tragic thing about Pickford's character in "Suds" is that she is actually the noble character she imagines herself to be, at least in personality. The aforementioned subplot with the draft horse sees her go above and beyond to save it shows her kind and noble character very clearly. She doesn't have the self-esteem and social grace to apply it properly.

If you have enjoyed Mary Pickford in other films, I think you're going to enjoy her here, too. She gets to play a character very different from what you have seen her do before, but she also provides some examples of her "standard" performance styles.

Click below to watch "Suds" in its entirety. The version featured has a modern score that works in some places and doesn't in others. For all I know, it might be a random piece of instrumental music that is just repeated over and over... and any of the times when it matches perfectly with the action on the screen is purely luck.

Happy Birthday to Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis, one of the few who began acting as a child and managed to maintain a thriving career into adulthood, turns 40 years old today. We celebrate by bringing out photos of her through the years!

Musical Monday with Tom Jones

I heard on the top-of-the-news on Sunday that Tom Jones had died. Turns out, it was Tom Jones the lyricist/stage director not Tom Jones the singer.

THIS Tom Jones passed away at 95, from cancer.

This Tom Jones is still very much alive (and only in his 80s). I should have realized I was making a mistake when I thought "I had no idea he was that old")

And here's the LIVING Tom Jones and his mighty voice, in an unusual video of him from the 1960s, performing his most iconic song, "It's Not Unusual".

It's Shoot-'Em Sunday...

... but the lovely ladies are just lounging about with their guns.

Fanny Friday!

  

Wonder Woman Wednesday!

Wonder Woman is taking some time to relax this summer, so here are a few portraits of her lounging around.

 

Vincent Price is at the 'Crossroads'

Crossroads: God's Healing (1956)
Starring: Vincent Price, Marcia Henderson, Frieda Inescort, and Adam Kennedy

Director: Nathan Juran

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

While counseling an elderly woman with a failing heart (Inescort), the pastor of a healing ministry (Price) attempts to rebuild her broken family and restore her relationship with her daughter (Henderson).

"Crossroads" was a dramatic anthology show that began the ABC Network and moved onto syndication. Every week, it presented a tale of a clergyman overcoming challenges, righting lives, and saving souls while being a sterling example of what a truly good man should be, regardless of his religious affiliation.

The episode "God's Healing" is well written and populated by believable characters portrayed by good actors. The way the story unfolds and way the characters interact with each other actually manages to make what could have been boring and predictable into a story where the outcome remains in doubt almost until the very end.

It's also a nice reminder that Vincent Price could actually play likeable characters and didn't always go over the top in his performances. The gentle, compassionate demeanor he presents in this role shows that he had a far greater range as an actor than one gets from just watching his work from the mid-1960s onward where he was almost all-camp and comedic all the time.

Whether you're a Vincent Price fan, or interested in some light, uplifting entertainment, I think you'll find "God's Healing" to be worth half an hour of your time. Click below to check it out.

It's a Mohammed Monday!

 
THIS WEEK WITH JESUS & MO

Musical Monday with Brenda Lee

 

On this Monday, we present a song in honor of those being celebrated on August 10, International Prisoner Remembrance Day. Maybe if some of them found in jails and prisons here in the U.S. felt sentiments along the lines of those expressed by Brenda Lee in this week's offering, there would be fewer of them locked up and less repeat offenders.

Sunday Comics with Milton Knight

Here's a tale of manslaughter and mystery from the pen of an underappreciated artist and story-teller, Milton Knight. This was adapted from a short story by the equally great Arthur Conan Doyle, and we hope you find it as enjoyable and impressive as we did! (Click on the pages to see larger, more easily read versions.)

 

 If you enjoyed the story, we encourage you to support Milton and his work by becoming a subscriber to his Patreon Page by clicking here.