The Busher

Apparently Charles Ray (who stars in this movie as Ben Harding) was quite a famous actor in the silent movie scene of the 1910's, playing essentially variations on the same character - the small town boy who gets dazzled by the bright lights of the big city. In this movie, the character gets set in the context of baseball. Harding is a pitcher for the local team in Brownsville. Brownsville is a small, rural place where people care about each other, and where Harding has a crush (I call it that because it seems so appropriate for the overall innocence of the town!) on Mazie (Colleen Moore.) But Harding's talent brings him to the attention of the big league "St. Paul Pink Sox" where, once introduced to big league life in the big city, Harding forgets his roots and becomes so full of himself that he ends up being let go by the Sox. His baseball career quickly over, Harding returns to Brownville and reconnects with those he had forgotten, finally leading the local team to a big win over rival Centerville.

The story's nothing special. The basic idea of the wayward, prodigal son returning home and re-connecting has been around, after all, at least since the days of Jesus! Still, this is a pleasant movie, and I liked Ray in the lead. Like the movie, he was simple and straightforward, an almost underplayed performance (especially by silent movie standards) that I really liked. The movie blends together drama and comedy and romance into a workable story, and some of the "onfield" action gave an interesting enough look at baseball of that era.

There's certainly nothing wrong with this; there's also nothing especially spectacular about it. It's just a nicely made film revolving around a familiar theme and starring a very likable lead. (6/10)

Sentimental and charming silent film starring Charles Ray as Ben, a bashful small town farm boy who loves baseball and is the pride of the town based on his great curve ball. He lives in the kind of pleasant country town of yesteryear where the doings include box socials, square dances, and old-timers gossiping in the general store sitting around the pickle barrel. When the St. Paul Pink Sox get stranded in town for a day, Ben asks these new fellows to choose sides and play some ball - not realizing they are professional ballplayers. He manages to strike out a top player and is soon invited to join the team. The other players think he's a rube and decide to "break him in", and soon our fellow has acquired city ways, city clothes, and a city vamp chasing after him - - and he forgets his small town friends.

This is a very enjoyable film - a real treat to see. Colleen Moore is very young and lovely here - but it is Charles Ray who plays the innocent country boy with so much charm, vulnerability, and emotion, he completely steals this film. There is a very entertaining scene showing a bid for lunches at the "box social" in which the men can only see the ladies via shadow play - Charles Ray elicits much emotion in this scene, as well as another scene where he receives a telegram and is worried that someone has died - everything he's thinking registering on his handsome, open face. By the way, watch for a very young and slim John Gilbert in this, as the banker's son, a rival for the affections of Colleen Moore. The Kino DVD of this features a nice-looking print and fast-paced, snappy ragtime piano score that suits the film to a tea.

How is it possible that there are still people who believe that full-length features were still rare as late as 1919? Thomas Ince alone produced fifteen of them in the year of which this is one.

Here's a brief list (only chosen from extant and available films) from around the world for 1919 (most are longer than The Busher which is quite a short feature) - Madam DuBarry (classic Lubitsch), Herr Arnes pengar (Stiller), Nerven, El Automibil gris, Die Pest in Florenz, Sangen om den eldroda blomman, Um Krone und Peitsche,His Majesty, the American (Fairbanks), The False Faces, Synnöve Solbakken (excellent Swedish film), Blind Husbands (Von Stroheim), The World and Its Woman, South (magnificent documentary), When the Clouds Roll By (Fairbanks), Eyes of Youth, El Golfo, The Greatest Question, Heart o' the Hills,A Romance of Happy Valley,Through the Toils, Wagon Tracks, Back to God's Country, The Twin Pawns, Bolshevism on Trial, La Belgique martyre, Le Bercail, The End of the Road, The Kinsman, Should a Woman Tell?, The Sentimental Bloke, The Man Beneath, A rosa do adro, Victory (Tourneur), Az aranyember, Die Austernprinzessin (Lubitsch), Ett farligt frieri, The Wicked Darling, Burglar by Proxy, Out Yonder, The Swindler, Young Romance,The Roaring Road, Broken Blossoms (Griffith), J'Accuse, Opium, Daddy Long-Legs (Pickford), The Hoodlum, Praesidenten (Dreyer), Male and Female (DeMille), Mod Lyset, Hara Kiri (Fritz Lang), Dunungen, Die Teufelskirche, For Better, For Worse, Don't Change Your Husband, The ABC of Love, Delicious Little Devil (Valentino), When Bearcat Went Dry (Chaney), True Heart Susie (Grfifith), Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, Yankee Doodle in Berlin, The Glorious Lady, Getting Mary Married, The Lads of the Village..........

My own pick of the year - Top Ten: Synnöve Solbakken, Herr Arnes pengar , Praesidenten, Dunungen, Mod Lyset, The Sentimental Bloke, When the Clouds Roll By, Blind Husbands, Die Austernprinzessin and South.

Runners-up: Die Teufelskirche, Nerven, Hara Kiri, Back to God's Country, Daddy Long-Legs, Madam DuBarry, Ett farligt frieri, Broken Blossoms, Die Pest in Florenz and Male and Female

Also Ran: The Busher is a pleasant enough film but a little tough-going for anyone not from the US who has difficulty is appreciating the charms either of Charles Ray (the 1921 Ol' Swimmin' Hole is a rather better film) or of US small-town culture or of the game of baseball.

Ben Harding pitches for the local Brownsville baseball team. When a major league team (the Pink Sox) is forced to make a stop in Brownsville, they set up an exhibition with Ben's team. Ben impresses the Pink Sox' manager, and, in due time, Ben is signed to a contract to play for them. He says goodbye to his girl, Mazie. But his time in the limelight turns him into a smug person, and he shows an interest in another woman. Meanwhile, Mazie is being wooed by Jim Blair. Ben is eventually tossed off the Pink Sox. He returns home, disgraced. Can he salvage his reputation and win back his girl? Of course he can ... this is a Charles Ray film.

This is a pleasant film, runs around 55 minutes, and gives a nice glimpse of how baseball was played 100 years ago. It was interesting to see the umpire standing behind the pitcher. As someone who once umpired a little league game from that position, I can tell you that you can't see a damn thing and it's murder trying to call balls and strikes. Ray makes an appealing hero, and Colleen Moore is very cute as his girl. John Gilbert, billed as "Jack Gilbert," is so young as to appear unrecognizable.

Charles Ray (as Benjamin "Ben" Harding) is a country boy who loves baseball; he's the pride of small town Brownsville. His sweetheart, Colleen Moore (as Mazie Palmer), has a batting average of 1,000 in Mr. Ray's affection - however, he barely gets to first base! John "Jack" Gilbert (as Jim Blair) is a rival for Ms. Moore's affections; he is not only a heel, with a tendency to drink and gamble - Mr. Gilbert is also more well-heeled, being a banker's son. When St. Paul Pink Sox, a big league team, is stranded in Brownsville, Ray gets to strut his stuff; then, he is offered a major league spot. Will success spoil Ben Harding?

Ray is convincing as "The Busher", displaying the little mannerisms which made him so successful in this type of part. His face and body movements expertly portray the "innocent country boy" type. He says, "Gosh!". Entering a social, he pats his hair down with a licked hand. His performance at the "Box Social" is charming - at this occasion, the men "bid" on women they can only see as shadows behind a screen. Moore and Gilbert are fine in the supporting roles; both would become major 1920s stars.

The St. Paul Pink Sox? It might have been a combination of the Boston Red and White Sox. Ray's curve ball nicely strikes out into one of the title cards, and that "Box Social" sure looked fun. It's difficult to believe a major league baseball team considers you finished after one bad game, though; if that were true, there would be no baseball.

****** The Busher (5/18/19) Jerome Storm ~ Charles Ray, Colleen Moore, John Gilbert, Jay Morley