Show People (1928)

Directed by King Vidor. Starring Marion Davies, William Haines, Dell Henderson, Paul Ralli, Harry Gribbon, Sidney Bracey, Tenen Holtz, Polly Moran.

A synchronized-sound/score “silent” movie with a simple story: Davies dreams of being a movie star, starts out as a “lowly” slapstick comedienne, gets too big for her britches when she moves up to drama, eventually realizes the error of her ways. A frothy, sometimes-funny comedy, widely considered one of the best showcases for the would-be starlet. She has her moments as the spirited goofball whose ego needs a good seltzer squirt in the kisser, but she’s nearly overshadowed by a handful of cameos from the likes of Charlie Chaplin, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, and Marion Davies (not a typo—watch it, you’ll see). Would have benefited from tightening. The synchronized music makes for a poor fit for some of the action/feelings onscreen. See if you can spot C. Aubrey Smith as an uncredited extra.

67/100