The Duchess of Buffalo

Starring Constance Talmadge, the least well-known of the trio of acting sisters in early film, The Duchess of Buffalo is a charming diversion about an American dancer on tour in Russia whose engagement to a handsome dragoon raises the ire of his lecherous commanding officer. Though already married, the Grand Duke (played with devilish panache by Edward Martindel) has seen the young dancer and wants her for himself. Many of the usual comic conventions (like mistaken identities and hiding in closets) are employed to great effect, as the Grand Duke's suspicious wife arrives hot on the heels of her philandering husband, hoping to catch him in the act. You can be sure that all is well that ends well once things are set to rights. The Duchess of Buffalo also greatly benefits from the touch of master art director William Cameron Menzies, who contributes some beautiful details -- like horse-drawn sleighs and nighttime snowfalls glimpsed through lavish floor to ceiling windows -- to evoke the romance of Russia.

I was giggling like crazy watching this movie! This was definitely a pre-code silent comedy classic, and one of the few surviving Constance Talmadge films to enjoy. One can tell immediately that Connie never took herself seriously as an actress, even though she was a darn good comedienne. She was perfectly cast here; other actresses wouldn't have known how to handle the part.

Connie plays an American dancer touring through Russia, who catches the eye of both a Russian Duke and his handsome son, during a performance on stage, where her costume is almost completely pulled off by another character in her play. Connie only has eyes for the son and wants to marry him, but the father Duke is jealous and refuses his son his permission to marry her. He wants her for himself instead! No family loyalty seems to stop this letch of a Duke from lusting after Connie.

The mix-ups that ensue will have you rolling with laughter, especially Connie's reactions to the Duke trying to trap her in her bedroom, while the nervous son looks on helplessly. That "bouncing on the knee" routine had to have been the most daring sexual comedy routine I have ever seen in a film. That would never have gotten past the censors during the production code years.

Don't miss this silent.

Constance Talmadge stars as a dancer in Russia in love with a lieutenant (Tullio Carminati). The trouble is the Grand Duke (Edward Martindel) loves her too so he won't let them marry. The fact that he is married (Rose Dione as the Grand Duchess) is a trifle. Fast paced and very funny once it gets going, The Duchess of Buffalo comes near the end of Talmadge's career. But she is delightful in this slight film and shows again why she was so popular during the teens and 20s.

Carminati would have a so-so career in Hollywood and is best remembered for the Grace Moore hit, One Night of Love. Talmadge, who would become a star in 1916's Intolerance, would reign through the silent period but retired when talkies came in. Constance Talmadge remained the only major silent star to never try the talkies. Her advice to sister Norma Talmadge was to retire, but Norma made a few unsuccessful attempts at the new medium.

And Chester Conklin has some good scenes as the hotel manager.

Marian Duncan (Talmadge) is an American dancer touring pre-revolutionary Russia (even though Duncan's dress and hair style are clearly 1920s) who falls in love with a Russian dragoon, Vladimer Orloff. They wish to marry but to do so Orloff must get permission from his commanding officer, the Grand Duke. Alas, the Grand Duke has his lecherous eye on Marian for himself and has Orloff detained. Orloff escapes and he and Marian run off to a grand hotel in Orel where the obsequious hotel manager (Chester Conklin) mistakes her for the Grand Duchess. The fun begins as Duncan and Orloff try to maintain the mistaken identity pretense and the situation becomes even more absurd as the Grand Duke and later, the Grand Duchess, show up at the hotel. Talmadge's comedic timing and gift are apparent in all of the scenes at the hotel and she and her co-star (Carminate) work very well together and wring out every laugh possible. The lap bouncing scene between Duncan and the Grand Duke must have had audiences in 1926 either laughing uproariously or blushing (or maybe both!). An absurd and silly quintessential farce that is still funny today. Great fun throughout.

This delightful farce has an Isadora Duncan-like dancer performing in Russia, protecting her dashing Russian lover while fending off a lecherous Grand Duke [and his jealous Grand Duchess]. At a provincial hotel, she and her lover are mistaken for the Grand Duke and Duchess and must keep up the royal charade. The real royalty, when they arrive, are of course treated as imposters, with many comic complications. Constance Talmadge and Tullio Carminati prove to be not only expert comedians but also share pleasing romantic chemistry. The direction is sophisticated and fast-paced, and only the Grand Duke is allowed to occasionally overplay his performance. The title is ironic, as Talmadge is definitely not the Grand Duchess. Oddly, while the setting seems contemporary to 1926, the presence of royalty suggests that the Russian Revolution never took place! Once again, Hollywood treats history elastically.