User reviews

OF COURSE most viewers will track this one down for the first screen appearance of stage comedienne nonpareil, Bea Lillie, and Lady Peel gives an absolutely beautiful performance (pretty enough to win an English Lord, as the actress did in real life, yet able to walk a perfect comedic tight rope between insouciant self-confidence and nagging insecurity), but there is even more to recommend this charming backstage comedy than the star performance.

Set (and beautifully observed) deep into the tour of one of those third tier "acting" companies (heavy on the melodramatic programming and light on competent management) that lived on "the road" and which helped bring about first the rise of powerful central booking agencies and ultimately the formation of Actors' Equity, the film seems to say these are a memory of the past even in 1926 . . . but what a lovingly recalled memory!

Bottom of the pecking order within the company is Voilet (Ms. Lillie), who plays maids and cares for the costumes and longs to play "vampire" leads (we're talking 20's vamps, not Anne Rice territory). She's even below the juvenile/character man (last billed featured player Franklin Pangborn, who's later lavender camp personality is still not locked in stone here, though his comic and dramatic talents are), but when she manages to get a handsome young drifter (little she knows!) hired on as the company juvenile, she shows her real acting talents saving him from himself without ever letting him suspect - or suspect that she longs to be more than a friend.

Mary Pickford's younger brother, second billed Jack Pickford, plays the young thespian, Jimmy, very nicely in a rare appearance. Though he lacked a certain "star" quality, his acting was fine and it's a pity his career seemed to wither in the face of his personal demons and more famous sibling. He didn't survive his 30's.

The print being shown these days on Turner Classic Movies has a nicely varied but occasionally too lush score by contest winner Linda Martinez, but it serves the quiet moments (and there are many) beautifully. Director Sam Taylor undercuts playwright Marc Connelly's story at a number of points (given scant hours to prepare Jimmy for his big tryout, does Violet grab a script to get him up on the lines he's never heard? No, they adjourn to a neighboring farm yard to rehearse "cute"), but otherwise the details of on- and back-stage life of the touring company are captured with something close to perfection, and the detail appreciating cinematography and acting from all concerned is a joy from start to finish.

Anyone who loves Lillie's later work (all the way to her Mrs. Meers in 1967's THOROUGHILY MODERN MILLIE - a mere 41 years later but there are some surprising moments of foreshadowing for that role here!) shouldn't miss this one. It captures their girl at the peak of her powers when she could do more with a raised eyebrow than pages of dialogue.

Anyone who loved the early scenes in any of the SHOWBOAT films that gave them their name or who howled at Michael Frayn's hilarious stage farce and fun film, NOISES OFF, will also feel right at home with this deft predecessor.

"Smile tho' your heart is breaking"--that's the motto of the theatre, where on-stage appearances and illusions are essential to creating the audience's experienced reality. Sam Taylor's "Exit Smiling" is an insightful commentary on the theatrical life, behind the make-up and costumes and between the grueling roadshow performances. It fittingly features Beatrice Lillie, renowned as a Broadway performer, in her first film role, alongside a supporting cast of colorful, but certainly less than marquee-status players. The very fact that MGM did not employ its bevy of famous names in this picture seems a testament to the overall sense of *ordinariness* that "Exit Smiling" conveys. For the world of this traveling theatrical troupe is not one of glamour and glitz with elaborate sets and costumes, but rather one of cramped dressing rooms and boxcars, lonely train depots, and rural barnyards.

In this midst of all this stands Lillie herself, who, as Violet, the drudge of the troupe, responsible for every menial task, spends her spare moments dreaming of the roles she could play if only given the chance. Lillie has a physical presence that is mesmerizing; her face is not traditionally beautiful, or even traditionally feminine (an aspect which is exploited in the story)--yet she is all the more striking as a result. Her reactions to the goings-on around her are quite subtle--you need to watch closely in order to pick up on her considerable abilities as a comedienne.

If, however, you come to this film (as I did) expecting a rip-roaring comedy (whether of the slapstick or the screwball variety), you may be disappointed. For me at least, this film rises above the ordinary not as a comedy, but as a reflection on the kinds of people in society it portrays through Lillie's character. For Violet toils away behind-the-scenes, both in her job and in her intervention on others' behalf, yet never receives the credit or rewards she deserves. Such is the nature of life, and Taylor seems to suggest that we might do well to transfer the empathy we feel by the end of the film for Violet to those other "Violets" in our own lives--to those who make things happen, who make the performances seem effortless.

Beatrice Lillie was totally captivating.

I have just finished watching this movie for the first time on TCM. I loved it. The realistic depiction of life in a traveling troupe of actors is great. The filming was light years beyond my expectations for a 1926 film. The cast is really great. But what makes the movie is the performance of the fabulous Beatrice Lillie, unknown to me before now.

The plot is thin, but provides enough tension through a couple of subplots to maintain interest at a high level. However, Ms. Lillie glows with such beauty, charm and charisma that she could easily maintain your interest through a much lesser film. Her acting style will knock you out. Perhaps due to her stage training, her acting is so nuanced and subtle you might think that she was an actress from the last half of the 20th century instead of the first half. I roared with laughter, and yet I felt her character's yearning - both for the love of her life and for the elusive acting opportunity. When life hands her the great opportunity that the stage has denied, she seizes it with abandon. Here the slapstick is hilarious and never clichéd. Yet this film is much more than slapstick. Other humor and irony abound.

But the film is not just a comedy, either. Several scenes are not comical, but serve to advance what is a dramatic plot underlying the comedy. And Ms. Lillie shows a wide range of emotions. While the ending may not fulfill some viewer's wishes, it is also far from the pat ending that might be expected in a pure comedy. Even though it strikes a different emotional chord from the comic character of most of the film, clear ground work has been laid for the ending; so it is not really unpredictable or a great plot twist. I suspect audiences in 1926 would have preferred a pat ending, but modern movie-goers are more likely to embrace this one.

The greatest of clowns, such as Chaplin, give us characters that are not merely funny, but also are filled with pathos. Beatrice Lillie has this gift. She shows us the soul of her comic character so that we see her longings and disappointments - her angst. That is why we root for her poor troupe flunky, are delighted by this wonderful gem of a movie, and find ourselves feeling very ambivalent about the ending. I feel blessed for having finally been introduced to this incredible actress, and I regret that she did not leave a legacy of many more films for us to enjoy today.

In her only silent film and only one of 7 or 8 films, Lillie is wonderful as the lousy actress in a travelling troupe playing "Flaming Women." She gets involved with a runaway bank employee (Jack Pickford) who joins the company as the leading man. Subtle little comedy about the theatre and young love, Lillie could have had a major career in films but never felt comfortable in from of a camera. A consummate stage actress, Lillie worked for decades with an occasional film appearance, and like pal Gertrude Lawrence, never quite got the hang of film acting. Exit Smiling is not a major film but it is interesting to see the young Lillie at her prime. Billed as the "funniest woman in the world," Lillie enchanted generations of theatre goers. Jack Pickford seems a little pale and shaky, Doris Lloyd is good as the vamp, and Franklin Pangborn is fun as the swishy actor. Lillie is best remembered for her 40s film, On Approval, and her 60s hit, Thoroughly Modern Millie (as Mrs. Meers). Exit Smiling is certainly worth seeing.

... in that this is authentic and fresh, and from what Buster Keaton has said about MGM in the 20s and 30s, they really never got comedy at all and often overstructured and poll tested their comedies. This one flopped in its original release, but has aged well and is charming today at least partly because MGM didn't seem to overthink it.

It's a backstage comedy with a big dose of pathos. Beatrice Lillie is Violet - or Vi - the drudge of a traveling vaudeville troupe that is currently featuring "Flaming Women", a play about a hissable villain and a Mary Pickford like heroine who disguises herself as a vamp to save her lover - a production whose plot would have seemed aged in the Civil War, and of course the corniness of it is intentional as far as the larger film goes. Vi plays bit parts, but is mainly the maid for the troupe. She dreams of playing the vamp role in Flaming Women, and gets close one night but then the actual lead actress shows up at the last minute, although with a hangover.

Vi befriends Jimmy (Jack Pickford) and coaches him on how to get a job with the troupe, and finds that she is falling in love with him. But then the troupe pulls into East Farnham and Jack cannot appear here because he is running from a charge of embezzlement. He was a teller at the town's bank when 5000 dollars disappeared. When he panicked and ran it was assumed he took the money. Complications and hilarity ensue.

Lillie gives a Chaplinesque performance as she does plenty of physical comedy, and I think this silent has always been one of my favorites as Lillie's goofy facial expressions and pantomime remind me of my late mother when she was goofing around and trying to make us kids laugh.

The supporting cast includes Franklin Pangborn doing his trademark effeminate dandy act in his feature film debut and had a voice that translated nicely in sound films. Doris Lloyd plays the lead actress of the troupe and also has a long career as a character actress in sound film. Beatrice Lillie did not do that many films because she preferred stage roles, but her next feature role after this one was in Warner Brothers' Show of Shows. That was a sound film revue to show off the studio's talent in talking films and has Lillie doing a short recitation. Unlike many films from 1929, it's still around and, like this one, is readily available via the Warner Archive.

There are quite a few backstage silent comedies, and Exit Smiling ranks with the best.

Greatly enjoyed this great classic 1926 silent film comedy and was amazed at the great performance that Beatrice Lillie portrayed on the screen as Violet. Violet worked as a stage hand for a theatrical company that traveled by railroad all through the small towns of America. Violet would serve meals, clean up, mend clothing, iron and washed the actors and actresses clothes, besides, acting a small role in their play as a maid. Violet meets up with a young man named Jimmy Marsh (Jack Pickford) who needs a job and she manages to get him into this theatrical group and falls in love with him. However, Jimmy Marsh is suspected of stealing money in his home town and has some dark secrets he is hiding from everyone. There is plenty of comedy performed by Franklin Pangborn,(Cecil Lovelace) who plays a big sissy and has people laughing in stitches. Jack Picford is the brother to Mary Pickford who found a career in Hollywood, but had a very short life. Great Classic Silent film. Enjoy

Beatrice Lillie is eminently likeable as the plain actress in a traveling theater troupe who plays the maid and is a servant to the others off the stage, but dreams of being a star. Jack Pickford plays a bank clerk on the run after being framed for embezzlement, and naturally he falls in with the company, and Lillie falls for him. There is a real sweetness to this film, and Lillie's comic moments are a clear forerunner to those of Carol Burnett, especially in the wonderful final 15 minutes where she assumes the role of vamp (seriously, watch those and tell me you don't see Burnett). Pickford holds up his end despite the wild life he was leading off the screen, and it's interesting seeing him in his penultimate film, seven years before his early death. The ending is quite touching and very well done too.

Despite everything the film had going for it, the reason I didn't rate it higher was the first half of the film, where the humor was cute but rather dated, e.g. Whacking ketchup out of a bottle all over a guy, or leaving an iron on a shirt too long and burning it. Offsetting some of that was Franklin Pangborn in his feature film debut, in an effeminate character type he made a career out of, even if it is stereotypical. Anyway, if you're struggling to enjoy the film as much as you like Lillie, I suggest sticking with it, as it finishes strongly.

I loved the ended of this movie.

Beatrice Lilly had such a screen presence, her eyes seem to jump off the screen. It's easy to see why Rudolph Valentino had a romantic interest in her. It's a shame she only made 8 movies in her career. TCM said that it was because movie making lacked the audience interaction she so much loved. And didn't care to make movies with out knowing instantly how the audience was reacting.

Sure the ended may have shocked some audience goers and it wasn't what they wanted but, I kinda liked that. It was in the times with today to have twist and turns in the plot.

The updated musical score probably adds more to this movie than we'll ever know without hearing the original. It was simply suburb!!

I would imagine with a few edits and very little re-write this movie would have moderate success today.

The ending was just right and somewhat in the Chaplinesque vein. I was really amazed at the little sight gags that appeared here and there and can not fathom why we have not seen more of this movie, and why we didn't get more of Bea to enjoy! We hear a lot about Thelma Todd, Mabel Normand, and numerous other movie comediennes of note, but here is someone for whom comedy was natural and timeless, and it's a shame to see her as a relative unknown even to buffs. I did see it on TCM and although the theme was indeed on homophobia and the like in movies over the years, I hated seeing her glossed over in the commentary afterward. Even the little bit with the actor taking all the ham, and how Bea deals with him, was more than just a throwaway. I can't imagine actresses of today who can handle this sort of thing. It's a lost art...at least in most modern movies. Bea had touches not only of Chaplin, but of Lloyd; some broad, some subtle. She and the director crafted some wonderful moments. The "onstage" stand-in scene and the vamping were just classic. Period.

Repertory company boot-shiner and bit-player Beatrice Lillie (as Violet) would like to become the leading actress in her troupe, but she can't act. While on the road with the show "Flaming Women", the company's train picks up forlorn cashier Jack Pickford (as Jimmy Marsh), who becomes an actor and romantic partner for Ms. Lillie. A banking mishap from Mr. Pickford's past brings jealous Harry Myers (as Jesse Watson) and some hometown connections into the picture. Lillie disguises herself as a man and goes to bat for Pickford, but may lose him in the end. Lillie and Pickford help make the last scene quite memorable...

Known and billed at the time as, "The funniest woman in the world," Lillie's debut film does only a little to prove that point. MGM presents its handsome star in a Norma Shearer mold; she was even better talking, but film appearances were few. "Exit Smiling" is a good film, but it lacks comic timing in direction and presentation. In one of his final appearances, Pickford does well; evidently, some editing helped the downwardly spiraling star, but his acting experience holds him in good stead. Surprisingly, the film was more important for debuting the perpetually "prissy" (translation: "gay") Franklin Pangborn (as Cecil Lovelace).

****** Exit Smiling (11/6/26) Sam Taylor ~ Beatrice Lillie, Jack Pickford, Harry Myers, Franklin Pangborn

There's nothing strikingly original about EXIT SMILING except for the fact that it doesn't have the usual happy Hollywood ending. It stars the incomparable BEATRICE LILLIE and FRANKLIN PANGBORN (yes, that's right) as a matinée idol by the name of Cecil Lovelace! He, of course, was a great character actor who could do double takes and slow burns better than anyone except Cary Grant.

It's a tale that in its essence reminds me of the Betty Hutton/John Lund starrer, THE PERILS OF PAULINE, which was also about a traveling repertory company with non-actress Betty struggling to fit in with the group of players and all of the outrageous gags that made up Hutton's comedy routines in that film. Here it's BEATRICE LILLIE mugging her way through some really funny gag situations, demonstrating why she was such a talented funny lady even as early as this silent film.

She struts her stuff with gay abandon, including the scenes where she's playing the man's role in a typically passion-filled saga meant to enthrall audiences with its tragic situations.

The talent does not extend to the rest of the cast, with the exception of FRANKLIN PANGBORN who is excellent as Cecil Lovelace. But JACK PICKFORD (Mary Pickford's younger brother) is an odd choice for leading man opposite Lillie. He has absolutely no charisma, lacks any sort of acting talent and gives a dull, lifeless performance as the small town fugitive suspected of robbery who is protected by the lovestruck Lillie and given a job in the acting troupe.

A very nice complementary score by Linda Martinez can be heard whenever the film is presented on TCM. It adds a much needed touch to the comic situations.

Definitely a silent film delight, well worth seeing, especially for fans of Lillie and the inimitable Franklin Pangborn.

This marvelous film stars one of the funniest women who ever lived, as a theatre slavey who plays both male and female roles in the play to help the love of her life-whom she does NOT ride off with to live Happily Ever After. Perhaps the 'no happy ending' of this particular Cinderella story doomed it to failure at the time of its original release, but it's a delight that should amuse today's comedy fans...please, could we just see it once more? Beatrice Lillie is lovely and extremely funny. I will never forget the sight of her tossing a long fur boa over her shoulder as she 'vamps' the villain...and getting it caught in an electric fan...

MGM used to be known as "retake valley" between the 20s' and the 30s' because the studio used to res-hot and/or reedit their films until they were good enough in order to turn out a profit.

"Exit Smiling" is a rare case. The film probably flopped in 1926 simply because they probably did not change it at all. The major flaw of this production is its finale which is quite frustrating and out of tone, especially after Beatrice Lillie probed to be a delightful personality and you cared about her.

Its impressive that Irving Thalberg did not perceive what was wrong with this picture and was unable to made the necessary corrections to make it a success.

As it is, the film is quite a charming despite its ending. Linda Martínez score, for its TCM presentation, is very good.

Despite the fact actors in silent movies could never be audibly heard, a great many of them came from vaudeville or live plays. Some stage performers made brief appearances in movies, only to return to their love-of-their-life, personal acting before adoring theatre-goers. One talented actress who excelled on the stage but inexplicably didn't take to cinema was Beatrice Lillie, a Tony Award winner who introduced the works of Noel Coward while Cole Porter wrote songs for her.

Lillie was in a handful of films, mostly in bit parts. The greatest display of her talents has been captured in her only large role in movies, November 1926's "Exit Smiling." In her film debut, Lillie plays a cleaning woman, Violet, for a traveling acting troupe whose ambition is to perform on stage. Her break becomes a reality when a bank clerk, Jimmy Marsh (Jack Pickford), is on the run for suspected embezzlement and comes upon the traveling company. He has a knack for the dramatics, displaying his chops in front of the group's director, and receives one of the lead roles in their play. He carries Violet along onto the stage. She returns the favor by discovering the person who really stole the money in Jimmy's bank and designs a scheme to catch the perpetrator.

"Exit Smiling" is the last extant movie role for Jack Pickford. The brother of Mary Pickford, his introduction to film began in 1909 as an extra, working his way up to the lead in 1917 "Tom Sawyer." Even though his final existing movie (he was in the now lost 1928 film 'Gang War') shows no physical wear and tear on his part, Jack battled drugs and alcohol addiction throughout his young life. He was reportedly abusive to several of his wives, though his on-camera roles were of the lovable type and that of an All-American boy. After 1928, Pickford tried his hand at screenwriting and directing, all leading nowhere. On seeing Jack in 1932 in one of their rare meetings, Mary recalls her brother looking thin and sick, with his clothes hanging on him as if he were a clothes hanger. He died on January 3, 1933, at the age of 36, attributed to alcohol abuse.

"Exit Smiling" was also the film debut of actor Franklin Pangborn. Seen as a character actor in several W. C. Fields films as well as many Preston Sturges and Our Gang movies, Pangborn played that prissy, polite, highly energetic and nervous person who is a desk clerk, headwaiter and other professions where he was easily flustered. Pangborn had a short stint as Jack Paar's announcer on 'The Tonight Show' in 1957, but was released for his lack of spontaneous enthusiasm. He was replaced by a young Hugh Downs.

After "Exit Smiling," Lillie returned to the stage and starred in many Broadway and London plays and musicals. Labeled as 'The Funniest Woman in the World,' Lillie was a constant performer for the troops overseas during World War Two. As she was going on stage before a massive crowd of soldiers in 1942, she learned her son was killed in action. Giving the chance to opt out, Lillie said, "I'll cry tomorrow," and proceeded to give an applaused-filled performance. She married into the wealthy Robert Peel peerage, the grandson. The 5th Baronet Robert Peel's family had lost most of its fortune by the time Lillie married the now used-car salesman. The Baronet turned out to be a compulsive gambler, losing all Beatrice's life savings when he died in 1934. Lillie never remarried and passed away in 1989 at 94 years of age.

Exit Smiling (1926)

*** (out of 4)

Strange but charming MGM silent about a traveling theatre group with a young woman named Violet (Beatrice Lillie) who dreams of becoming an actor playing vamps. However, she's at the bottom of the pole in the group and doesn't get to act but instead cook food and clean boots. When a wanted man (Jack Pickford) joins the group, he a Violet become friends but his past is about to catch up with him. This film is interesting in many ways and was recently show by TCM as part of their "Gay Images in Hollywood" series. What makes the film really interesting is that MGM didn't use any of their big stars in it. Instead they went with Lillie, in her film debut, and she certainly delivers the goods as the woman whose dreams are a lot bigger than reality. She's isn't a beautiful woman but she's got a quiet charm and looks that are perfect for her role. Pickford, Mary's younger brother, is also very good in his role and brings some great, quiet moments to the film. The "gay stereotype" in the film belongs to Franklin Pangborn who plays a character named Cecil Lovelace. He's very funny in the role even though it's a pretty big stereotype. The film is also interesting in seeing how these theatre groups traveled and what they did while not on stage.