The Matinee Idol

Frank Capra directed March 1928's "The Matinee Idol," his third movie for Columbia Pictures. The director was in his comfort zone by handling this romantic-comedy, a genre he returned to time and again at the peak of his career. The storyline involved the fictitious tale of a female heart-throb Broadway actor, Don Wilson, a.k.a. Harry Mann (Johnnie Walker), who is on a leisurely drive when his car breaks down in a remote area near a traveling stock company's theater tent. The owner's daughter filling in as the manager, Ginger (Bessie Love), had just fired the main actor and is looking for a replacement. Up walks Wilson. The play is later seen by Wilson's Broadway producer. He wants to take the supposed drama to New York where he knows the sophisticated city audiences will find it hilariously campy. Surprises await when the play hits Broadway.

Capra shows an uncanny ability to wring the heartstrings of his viewers, unleashing tear ducts galore. He also displays a knack for handling crowd scenes, made up of both country folks and urban sophisticates, another Capra trademark. "The Matinee Idol" proved to be the pinnacle to Johnnie Walker's screen acting. He was one of so many Hollywood performers who never made the transition to talkies. He left film in 1932 after receiving only small roles that hardly paid him anything to survive. For Capra, however, the two movies in his first year at Columbia proved to be a welcome respite from comedian Langdon as well as a chance to prove his brand would soon resonate with the public like no other director before had.

Blackface star Johnny Walker inadvertently gets a job in cute Bessie Love's struggling stage troupe. Ok comedy which really comes alive during the scenes in which the hopeless Bolivar Troupe hilariously perform their Civil War drama on stage.

If this were not an early silent effort by master director Frank Capra, "The Matinée Idol" would likely have remained a lost film. However, this mildly amusing film has been found and restored, and it is well worth seeing to note how deft a director Capra was in his silent works. Led by an attractive pair of leads, Bessie Love and Johnny Walker, the familiar device of a bad stage play getting even worse during an inept performance is used to good effect here (actually used twice) and offers a few chuckles even to those who have seen this done to death in later films from "Auntie Mame" to "Noises Off." Unfortunately, as with many Capra films, there is a bitter aftertaste that lingers in the viewer's mind when the film is over. Using an honest effort by naive "country folks" as the object of amusement for "sophisticated" Broadway audiences is a cruel idea and forms the crux of the plot. Also, Capra has cast the lead actor as a black-face entertainer, which will make some viewers uncomfortable or even appalled, and Capra uses a gay "sissie" stereotype who is the object of other characters' derision, which is even more offensive to contemporary viewers. Although another use of black-face in a Capra film does not come to mind, he was not above using the "sissie" stereotype again, and it reappeared as the Edward Everett Horton character in "Lost Horizon." However, if one can overlook the dated plot and negative stereotyping, "The Matinée Idol" provides an hour of amusement and a peek at the formative years of a great film director.

Broadway "black-face" star Johnnie Walker (as Don Wilson) leaves the hustle-bustle of the "Great White Way" for a vacation in the country. On a lark, he decides to join a local acting troupe (calling himself "Harry Mann"), and have some fun with the players - especially beautiful Bessie Love (as Ginger Bolivar). Ms. Love is the repertory company's leading lady, and daughter of producer/director Colonel Lionel Belmore (as Jasper Bolivar). Love also handles human resources, and hires Walker to perform with the group.

Walker's first part is in a Civil War drama, which plays so badly the audience erupts in hoots of laughter. Although they looked to be fully capable of bombing on their own, Love blames Walker for the flop, and fires him. But, Walker's erstwhile producer, Ernest Hilliard (as Arnold Wingate), thought the play was a hilarious comedy, and wants to hire the players for a Broadway show - with Walker, of course. Love, still believing in her dramatic hit potential, hires Walker back. And so, the stage is set for romance and deception…

That this long lost Frank Capra-directed film was found, and restored, is a cause for celebration - but, don't expect anything remotely approaching "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). It's about as good as a television sitcom (and, many used this plot). The "black-face" routine (which would have helped this film remain unseen during the time it was lost) is of the inoffensive Al Jolson sort. Admittedly, this is an arguable point - but, you can see the difference in this film - it's caricature (compare Walker's with David Mir's portrayal).

Walker (fresh from Capra's "So This Is Love?") and Love (on her way to "The Broadway Melody") are a charming couple. Capra directs with a flair exceeding what was expected at the time. The restoration of "The Matinée Idol" was extraordinary, and the movie looks great. Reportedly, some of the film deterioration was so bad, the restorers used original production stills to digitally restore background detail. The results are amazing, and bode well for the future of film preservation. Hopefully, there will be many more discoveries.

***** The Matinée Idol (3/14/28) Frank Capra ~ Johnnie Walker, Bessie Love, Lionel Belmore, Ernest Hilliard

A lightweight but simply charming and absolutely delightful fairy tale, most ingratiatingly acted by all concerned, beautifully photographed, very cleverly scripted and most astutely directed. It's surprising that personable Johnnie Walker didn't go on to a big career in talkies. Bessie, of course, is simply captivating.

Some carping critics have complained that the hick actors in the story were cruelly treated. On the contrary, they were handled like royalty. All the actors I know (and I've known lots of actors in my time) would quickly have appropriated the plaudits of the crowd as a fitting reflection of their deliberate art. I remember Cecil Kellaway after a preview bemoaning to the manager that his performance was not supposed to be funny and that the audience had laughed in all the wrong places. But as moviegoers started to come out of the theater and people spied him talking to the manager, suddenly he was surrounded by a cheering crowd with everyone congratulating him on his superbly comic performance. Did Cecil try to reason with his fans and tell them they were all wrong? No fear! On the contrary, he swelled with pride and heartily thanked them for their perspicacity and their keen appreciation of his comic endeavors.