Little Old New York

If you want to introduce someone to the joys of silent films this movie would be an excellent choice. I was sitting on the edge of my seat after the first ten minutes, with a big smile on my face. Few films, silent or talkie, can do that for me. It was great fun!

Pretty Marion Davies plays a fiesty Irish lass in 1806, who is forced by her father to pretend she is a boy, with the intent to claim a fortune from her dead uncle in America. Dashing Harrison Ford the First plays the step-son who is being cheated out of his inheritance, and who finds himself strangely attracted to the young "boy", for whom he is forced to become guardian in old New York.

Great comedic and romantic touches between the two leads add spark to a fast paced story. This film was very daring for its time too, especially in the scene where "Patrick" (alias Patricia) is tied to a public square and her shirt ripped off for a whipping before an angry mob.

If you get a chance to see this delightful film, please do so. You will not regret it in the least.

The plot: rich guy dies leaving estate to nephew; nephew dies suddenly; niece disguises herself as nephew to claim money.

These days that setup takes less than a minute. But in Little Old New York, it takes 15 minutes. That might have been OK in 1923. In 2023 it had my fidgeting. I mean, why would I care about Gloria Vanderbilt or Jerry Jeff Astor or Washington "Dr W" Irving.

But it gets worse, the nephew and niece are brawling, filthy Irishmen who are so poor their belongings are being auctioned off when the caravan of legal minds pulls up to tell them of their inheritance.

Davies, sporting a really bad wig, desperately flails her arms around in an attempt to be what I assume was ''funny" in 1923. I call it the ''Robin Williams School of Comedy."

Finally, a half-hour into this mess we finally get to see Davies dressed up as a boy, pulling faces. It's not funny. Then she's asked to emote over her dying father. She can't pull it off.

I'm sorry, but the more Marion Davies movies I see - and TCM devoted a month of Tuesdays to her - the more I am convinced she was, in fact, a talentless floozy promoted way beyond her abilities by King of Misinformation William Randolph Hearst.

Little Old New York, with Marion Davies, is a cute little period piece, nothing heavy, except it is one of her first performances as a comedienne and significant from that standpoint. In most of the movie she's disguised as a boy, although she neither looks nor really acts much like a boy. This isn't important to the story though, as it's equivalent to when an actor plays Abe Lincoln who doesn't look like the real Abe did, but everyone accepts that because it doesn't effect the story at all. You know who he's supposed to be! My favorite parts are the comedy bits when Marion makes her usual hysterical faces and when she dances an Irish jig. I thought they handled the historical aspects of the early part of the ninetieth century quite well. It takes place a the time of the invention and launch of the first steamboat, and several historical persons are portrayed. The sets and costumes are quite authentic looking and add to the ambiance.

Anyone who cares about silent movies and enjoys Marion Davies will like this one!

Actress Marion Davies was box office gold in the mid-1920's. Riding the wave of the number one hit the previous year in 1922's 'When Knighthood Was In Flower,' Davies saw her August 1923's "Little Old New York" break a record for ticket receipts for that period. In the first two weeks after its premier, the movie attracted over 200,000 paying customers, beating the previous record holder, Douglas Fairbanks' 1922 'Robin Hood.' Theater owners recognized Davies' appeal, naming her the number one female star in their annual poll in 1923.

"Little Old New York," focuses in on Steven Fulton's first steamboat launch in 1807. Davies plays an Irish girl disguised as a boy to claim the inheritance her brother was given to him before he died. She (he) gets caught up in the middle of Fulton's efforts to secure money to expand his steamboat operation.

The ambitious movie almost wasn't completed because of a tragedy occurring in the middle of filming. Financed by newspaper tycoon and boyfriend to Davies, William Randolph Hearst, the production was interrupted by a fire at his New York City movie studios on February 18, 1923, destroying the sets, costumes and buildings. Fortunately, the negatives of the prints, consisting of two-thirds of the shot movie, was saved. To complete the remainder of the film, Hearst had to pay for a few sets to be rebuilt and new costumes to be sown. But he made up for all the added expenditures, and more, when it attracted over 1.2 million viewers in a three-month period, including a 300-straight performance stint at New York City's Plymouth Theater. "Little Old New York" became one of Davies' highest draws for silent movies.

This was also the first of three movies where Davies appear with actor Harrison Ford. The Broadway stage performers first entered cinema in 1915 and enjoyed a very successful movie career right up to the transition to sound. Harrison, no relation to the later actor of 'Star Wars' fame, returned to the stage after one talkie, 1932's 'Love In High Gear.' While walking in Los Angeles, Harrison was struck by a car in 1951 with a teenage girl behind the wheel. He never fully recovered and remained in a convalescent home until his death in 1957.

In Ireland, golden-locked Marion Davies (as Patricia "Pat" O'Day) and her poverty-stricken family are about to be evicted from their home when news from "Little Old New York" reveals her young brother has inherited the estate of a wealthy relative. The family books passage to claim their fortune in the United States. Meanwhile, back in the USA, handsome Harrison Ford (as Larry Delavan) hopes the distant relatives do not arrive on time; if they're late, he gets the fortune. Just as Mr. Ford prepares to celebrate, Ms. Davies arrives to claim the estate, but disguised as her little brother, who died en route.

Ford is obviously unhappy. While left an allowance, he doesn't have the money to finance his much-hoped for investment, in a steam driven vessel developed by future famed inventor Robert Fulton (Courtenay Foote). And, Davies is frustrated and unhappy. She finds herself attracted to Ford, but stuck pretending she's her dead brother. Ford shows no sexual desire for effeminate young boys, but develops a fatherly affection for Davies. Ford accepts Davies as a young pal, and she helps finance Fulton's steam engine - but, Davies realizes she will only win Ford's love as a woman. And, she has fallen in love…

Davis isn't a very convincing boy, but she makes up for it with a charming performance. Ford, in pasty sideburns, convinces. Stage actor Charles Kennedy (as Reilly) and future "Superman" player Stephen Carr (as Patrick O'Day) help show the range of an illustrious cast and crew. Harry Watson and Louis Wolheim add excitement to the climax, as boxers "Bully Boy Brewster" and "The Hoboken Terror". Mr. Wolheim certainly whips up a frenzy. Veteran director Sidney Olcott gives pastoral beauty to the location scenes, like the one where Davies is bullied by three boys approaching from behind a fence.

"Little Old New York" benefits from the obvious financing of Davies sponsor William Randolph Hearst. And, unlike a couple of recent Hearts/Davies productions, it paid off handsomely at the box office. This picture helped restore Davies to the annual top ten "Box Office Stars" list compiled Quigley Publications - she was the #5 for 1923, rising to her all-time high of #2 the following year. The movie finished at #10 in the annual "Film Daily" poll, and surprised many by appearing at a well-respected #5 on the "New York Times" ten best list. The Times was not a Hearst paper, and its praise was genuine.

******* Little Old New York (8/1/23) Sidney Olcott ~ Marion Davies, Harrison Ford, Courtenay Foote, Stephen Carr