Exit Smiling

... 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.

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.

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 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.

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.