The Night Bird (1928) watch online HD

Reginald Denny first came to the attention of the movies in the 'Leather Pushers' series of shorts about a young boxer and his associates and this story of a young boxer who is comically corrupted by New York night life and a young woman down on her luck is handled in a very amusing and telling manner by director Fred Newmeyer. Newmeyer had been a director on the Roach lot, part of Harold Lloyd's crew and knew how to direct a silent comedy with a real story at its heart.

With the coming of sound, Denny would be revealed not as an American, but someone with a good English accent, and he would specialize for the rest of his career in upper-class twits, in roles like 'Algie' in the Bulldog Dummonds series. His career would extend into the 1960s, with a lovely turn in CAT BALLOU. But he is particularly good as the lead in this movie and you should not miss a chance to see it.

Available from Grapevine and of near-excellent quality (the tinted night scene is intact) is Fred C. Safety Last, etc. Newmeyer's The Night Bird (1928).

I had no great hopes for this one, but its comic touches are reasonably amusing and its drama is shattering.

Betsy Lee scores in her only movie! The climactic scene with Visaroff beating Lee within an inch of her life has to be one of the most fearful ever put on film. Full marks for both players.

Even Reg Denny is engaging!

On the other hand, (to change the subject and slip this warning in somewhere) the best thing to do with the Alpha version of Robert Wiene's "Crime and Punishment" (1923) is to satisfy your curiosity by watching it for a few minutes and then toss it into the rubbish bin. Alpha's wretched 1/10 DVD is truly unwatchable. Mind you, the expressionistic sets seem to be fascinating. Pity we can't see them!

Even though in sound films Reginald Denny patented the part of the pompous "silly ass" Englishman, in silents he came across as a second string Douglas Fairbanks - an all American boy!! He was Universal's top male star during the twenties and progressed through the series of "Leatherpusher" shorts into fully fledged stardom. Boxing certainly stood him in good stead in "The Night Bird" - the fight scenes are the best thing about this pretty mundane film. Denny looks as though he can really handle himself in a pair of boxing gloves.

He plays Jimmy "The Kid" Davis whose "woman hating" ways have not endured him to his fans, especially the ladies. Gate receipts are down and his manager (dependable Sam Hardy) has decided to take him out on the town to mingle with ordinary people and get rid of his "powder puff" image!! While walking through Central Park he meets Madelina who has fled from a beating by a drunken stepfather.

Maybe in the 1920s these ethnic titles may have been the height of hilarity but now titles like "Meesta Schumcks -youa noa send me backa" and "I lovesa da keed" are terrible and tedious. Most of the film seems to take place in the boy's apartment as they try to think how Madelina's presence can be explained. Betsy Lee was pretty but fortunately she caught the eye of Denny and they married in 1928 - her career would never have overcome the risible dialogue her character was forced to utter.

Far more interesting were two flappers only billed as "the red headed dame" and "the blonde dame". Jocelyn Lee was "red" - I don't know whether she was a good actress or not. She was hilarious as the other woman in "Broadway Babies". In that one she handled dialogue in a breathy Marilyn Monroe voice - she may have been the world's worst actress. I like to think she was shrewd and played her part that way on purpose. "Blonde" was Corliss Palmer - in real life she had captured the attentions of movie magazine publisher and producer Eugene V. Brewster who spent the rest of the twenties trying to make her a star - without success. All she had going for her, alas, was her beauty. At the very end scene you can see Dwight Frye (in his very first role) at the door as a wedding guest.