Her Night of Romance

I never saw a bad Ronald Colman movie until now. It starts with Constance Talmadge ( Dorothy Adams), who is not funny ( supposed to be a comedienne. NOT), nor was she attractive ( that nose sure stuck out). There is not a single thing I liked about it ( in particular, because it is basically a 90 year old chick flick, which means that Dorothy will end up with Paul Menford ( Colman), and at the end of the movie;); did I mention a stupid musical accompaniment that makes things even worse ( I turned off the sound). Unless you are a Colman completist or are curious to see what what a Talmadge a sister looked like. Avoid. A generous 2 stars for Colman.

This silent comedy stars Constance Talmadge (Dorothy Adams) and Ronald Colman (Paul Menford). It begins with a rich American and his daughter, Dorothy, arriving in Britain. The father is naturally wary of fortune hunters hitting on his daughter and one of them is Paul Menford. However, Menford is so smitten by Dorothy that he soon abandons any desire for her fortune--he wants her. Well, the guy's father (Jean Hersholt) has no such qualms and arranges to sell the family manor to the Americans. This way, he figures, they make money from the sale AND Paul will get it anyway once he marries Dorothy! What follows are some misunderstandings and a nice finale- -but what exactly happens is something you'll just have to see for yourself.

The reason I liked this film is that it's a nice combination of romance and humor. It's never a laugh out loud sort of picture-- more just enjoyable and sweet. Worth your time--and with a dandy finale.

Disguised to avoid fortune-hunting bachelors, beautiful American "scrub-brush" heiress Constance Talmadge (as Dorothy Adams) arrives in Southampton, England for a relaxing holiday. She is traveling with concerned father Albert Gran (as Samuel G. Adams), who is worth ten million dollars. Upon arrival, Ms. Talmadge meets handsome but penniless nobleman Ronald Colman (as Paul Menford). They are mutually attracted, but go separate ways...

No matter, the writers give them more than one way to get together. Most amusing is when Mr. Coleman is mistaken for "Dr. Paul Scott" and invited to examine Talmadge, who is no more than a nervous hypochondriac. Without a stethoscope, Coleman listens to Talmadge's heart with his ear. Visits from Coleman make Talmadge feel like a new woman...

The main storyline involves Colman secretly selling his last asset "Menford Manor" to Talmadge as part of a plot arranged by agent Jean Hersholt (as Joseph "Joe" Diamond). A cute scene involves an inebriated Coleman trying to hang his hat on a shadow and director Sidney Franklin makes a sexual point with the stars' footwear (watch Colman's shoe land between Talmadge's heels). The love and money deception plot follows a familiar path...

****** Her Night of Romance (10/27/24) Sidney Franklin ~ Constance Talmadge, Ronald Colman, Albert Gran, Jean Hersholt

Having recently reviewed the NORMA TALMADGE COLLECTION from Kino, It's time now to say a few words regarding sister Constance. THE CONSTANCE TALMADGE COLLECTION contains the double feature HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE (1924) and HER SISTER FROM PARIS (1925). Both feature Ronald Colman as her leading man already perfecting the look and stylish interplay of the Ronald Colman we all know and love (Colman was also the love interest in sister Norma's KIKI part of the earlier mentioned collection).

What we have are two well made, lightweight vehicles that show off both stars to good advantage. Of the two I prefer HER NIGHT OF ROMANCE where Connie is an heiress who makes herself homely in order to find a man interested in her and not her money. It seems clear to me that the "homely" scenes were definitely seen by Lucille Ball as some of the facial gestures and grimaces are just too similar to what Lucy would do later on. HER SISTER FROM PARIS is the old warhorse about twin sisters, one vivacious, one mousy, who swap places in order to win the latter's husband back.

We are lucky to have these movies at all as both Talmadge sisters had invested wisely and once sound arrived they retired (Norma made 2 talkies, Connie none). That, combined with their own indifference and the fact that their movies were made for First National a company swallowed up by Warner Brothers, resulted in virtually all of their films disappearing from public view and being forgotten in the Warner vaults until recently. As a result both of these films suffer from nitrate decomposition which is readily apparent but not enough to put off a silent film enthusiast.

Both films were directed by Sidney Franklin who would later become an award winning director with THE GOOD EARTH in 1937. The musical accompaniment by Bruce Loeb and Judith Rosenberg is pleasant without ever being intrusive. A decent introduction to one of the silent screen's most graceful comediennes even if the material is nothing new and the conditions of the prints less than stellar. You can also catch Connie in Douglas Fairbanks' THE MATRIMANIAC and as the Mountain Girl in D. W. Griffith's INTOLERANCE...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.