C'est une gamine charmante

... He directed this film and "Show People", IMHO her two best silent films, and they both are such because they show off her talent for mimicry. She and Vidor practically invent the screwball heroine here.

Patsy (Marion Davies) is the youngest of two sisters. The older sister Grace, is doted upon by her mother, Ma Harrington (Marie Dressler), who always blames Patsy for every argument the sisters have. Pa Harrington takes up for Patsy, mainly because of the unfairness of the situation when Grace and Ma team up against her, but also because he and Patsy have a special rapport.

The family seems to be nouveau riche, because their habits, particularly at mealtime are strictly working class. However, they are mentioned as going to the Yacht Club dance, which is mentioned as being rather exclusive.

I wouldn't say Grace is prettier than Patsy, but she is more glamorous in a roaring 20s kind of way, and knows how to apply her feminine wiles to get her way. Grace is dating a rather dull businessman, Tony Hunter, who always wants to show Grace the blueprints for his business plans. Grace seems interested, but the guy she actually finds exciting is rich playboy Billy Caldwell (Lawrence Gray). Grace says she intends to marry Tony, dull as dishwater or not, but you get the feeling that is because Tony is husband material and a good provider, and that she probably intends to cotinue to play the field after marriage with guys like Billy. And that's too bad because younger sister Patsy really loves Tony, but he doesn't seem to notice Patsy is alive when Grace is in the room. Complications ensue.

The story is really no great shakes as far as originality goes. The entertainment is almost exclusively in Marion Davies and her comedic pantomime and especially when she impersonates silent actresses Mae Murray of the "bee stung lips", Lillian Gish of "The Scarlet Letter", and finally Pola Negri. That last impersonation almost scares a very drunk Billy Caldwell to death.

Marie Dressler got a comeback of sorts here as the hypochondriac mother. However she would have to wait for sound to come in to fully catapult to fame.

I had never seen Marion Davies in a movie until now.What a treat.Such a pretty,talented,funny,expressive ability she had.Charisma with a capital "C",a doll for sure.No wonder Hearst loved her so.Marie Dressler I have seen before,and she usually is the dominant mother,head of the household.She is stern, but comes through as caring in the end.I love everything about silents,the quirky,shaky movements,the old phones,the hairdo's and clothes.This movie transported me back in time to the twenties.I also liked marion's sister jane in this movie.She had a sexuality and charm that was rather advanced.Very flirtatious and fickle.Loved the scene where marion show's off different hats and those faces,priceless.

A kooky younger daughter becomes THE PATSY of a social-climbing family when she falls in love with her older sister's beau.

The delightful Marion Davies gets to exhibit her considerable comedic skills in this very enjoyable silent film from MGM. Often dismissed as merely the pretty mistress of one of the nation's most powerful men, William Randolph Hearst, Davies was actually a very skilled actress. Better known for her stodgy costume dramas, director King Vidor invited her to star in THE PATSY after seeing her personality & talents unbridled whilst a guest at the fabulous home she shared with Hearst at San Simeon. Watching Marion moon over the man she secretly loves, acquire a very peculiar new personality, or attempt a riotous seduction of a notorious Lothario, is to see a very fine artist at her best.

Davies has her work cut out for her: playing her mother is the formidable Marie Dressler, who steals every scene with galumphing grace. With her large shapeless body and a face that probably scared dogs and small children, the marvelous Marie puts her genius for physical comedy into high gear as she grimaces, glares, pouts & flounces her way across the screen. This film is actually credited with saving her life: according to Hollywood legend the out-of-work Dressler was eating her last meal before committing suicide when she was spotted in the restaurant by Alan Dwan and offered the role of Davies' Ma. The rest is history--within a couple of years Dressler would be the movies' most popular star, a status she would hold until her untimely death in 1934.

Dell Henderson plays Davies' lovable, but thoroughly henpecked, father. Glamorous Jane Winton has the role of her spoiled older sister. Orville Caldwell is the earnest fellow Davies adores. Lawrence Gray is hilarious as the lively playboy who gets a late-night visit from Davies he'll never forget.

The three contemporaries which Davies mimics with such precision during the seduction scene are Mae Murray, Lillian Gish (amazing) and Gloria Swanson.

Vivek Maddala has contributed a perky score for the film's restoration.

This film shows Marion Davies to her best advantage - not merely the beautiful girlfriend of William Randolph Hearst who got into the movies due to his pull, as I'd always assumed before viewing this film. She is truly hilarious and touching in this, and shows a great talent for mimicry. My only complaint is the music - a man named Vivek Maddala did the music for the 2003 re-release and I find it completely inappropriate to the film. I know silent-film scores quite well and this one just doesn't cut it, as far as I'm concerned. It didn't fit the mood of the movie at all - I've seen this movie at a repertory theater and the score used then (by who, I don't know) was vastly superior and lent much to my enjoyment of the film. Overall, however, this movie is worth seeing.

A hillarious movie from director King Vidor, with Marion Davies AND Marie Dresler! As the perpetually feuding mother and daughter, Dresler and Davies are not only side-splittingly funny, they are actually quite touching. The rest of the film delivers on all these levels as well.

If anybody believes that Susan Alexander Kane was an actual representation of Marion Davies, they aught to watch this film. Marion is a delight to watch, always full of warmth and energy, always beautiful and charming, and constantly surprising. Take for instance a scene in which she spies on her sister and the sister's boyfriend. Marion, or Pat rather, walks back and forth through the doorway, changing hats and characters, stopping at one point to remark "When in Bagdad, do as the Bagdaddies do!" Or there's the scene where she barges into an intended conquest's house and finds him in a state of drunken delirium. In an (unsuccessful) attempt to rouse him (or at least his attention), she goes about the room impersonating a series of popular film stars. First she's Mae Murray, then Lillian Gish, then Pola Negri. Gloria Swanson's Chaplin imitation is no match for the brilliance of this scene.

Viewed with a modern audience, this film transcends the generations. Though so much has changed in the many years since it's conception, so much is still the same. The Patsy is one of the greatest silent comedies, and one of the best comedies to boot, and one of the best silents, that I think I have ever seen.