Hello my friends and happy April Fools day. What better way to celebrate this day than with a movie called, April Fool.
This story began as a play in 1915 called An April Shower. Just like this film version that play also starred Alexander Carr (who also co-wrote the play). Carr had a very successful career on Broadway. One of his greatest stage successes was the 1913 play Potash and Perlmutter. This was a long running play that was one of the greatest stage successes of its era. The play was even popular enough to warrant many sequels. In it he played a Jewish character, just as he did in this month's silent film. When in 1923 that play received a film adaption, Carr would reprise his role for that movie. That film would be a hit and would inspire two sequels In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1924) and Partner's Again (1926). Carr would reprise the role again for those movies. An exhibitor's review in Exhibitors World Herald called In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter, " One of the funniest comedies I ever had the pleasure of looking at. My patrons screamed at it and many came back to see it twice." With this in mind it should come as no surprise that when a film version of An April Shower was made, Carr would reprise his role from the play. Carr would conutine with his screen career (though often in supporting roles) until 1940. His final screen appearnce would be in the Preston Sturges classic, Christmas in July (1940)
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| I don't want to spend much of this post with a lengthy review for the play for which this movie was based on (as this post is about the film) but if you are interested you can click on the page below and use your touch screen to zoom to read a 1915 review from Variety that appears on there. |
Also in this film is the late Diana Serra Cary, better known as Baby Peggy. As many of you know she passed away earlier this year. She was the last living star of the silent era and with her passed our last connection to this era of film we love so much. Yet she will live on in our hearts and her movies. In April Fool she is no longer playing the major roles she had played in previous films. Instead she has what is strictly a supporting role here. At the age of eight her screen stardom was already fading. Much of this had little to do with Baby Peggy herself, but rather her father. After her father and producer Sol Lesser had arguments over salary, Lesser terminated Baby Peggy's contract. This situation also left other studios not wanting to deal with Peggy's father and therefore not wanting to work with the young actress. This smaller role in April Fool was one of the few she was able to grab. It would become her final silent film and though she would appear in some talkies, those mostly gave her small uncredited roles. However she was able to get a decent size role in the movie, 8 Girls in a Boat (1934).
Snitz Edwards is most remembered today by silent comedy fans for his roles in such Buster Keaton films as Seven Chances and Battling Butler. These were very broadly comedic roles that featured him as especially eccentric and silly characters. His role here couldn’t be more different. While the film does feature some lighthearted comedy, Snirz doesn’t play a part in any of the comedic moments taking on the more serious role as the villain of the picture. Still he
manages to shine exceptionally well cast against type.
This film has a very simple but effective story line. Jacob Goodman (Alexander Carr) is a pants presser with a daughter (Baby Peggy (as a kid), Duane Thompson (as an adult)). When he is laid off he doesn't know what he should do. Thanks to a practical joke played on him (where this film gets its title from) he gets an idea of how to make a lot of money selling umbrellas. This works well and he soon becomes a rich man. Things get more complicated a few years later when his now grown up daughter is going to marry the son (Eddie Phillips) of a rich neighbor (Snitz Edwards) who doesn't have the highest opinion of Jacob.
So much of what makes this movie work is the character of Jacob Goodman. While this character certainly fits in with many typical Jewish stereotypes, his personality is not limited to just those stereotypes. There is a real likability to this character, especially with his never give up attitude and his love for his daughter. Alexander Carr's performance adds so much to this character, knowing perfectly how to play the character both broad and subtle at the same time. The story itself is rather typical, but Nat Ross' fast and breezy direction as well as the likability of the main character make it work quite well. A review in the Motion Picture News (by Paul Thompson) stated, "It is a trite story but well told photographically by the actors and the director."
A 1926 issue of The Film Daily gave advice on how exhibitors could advertise the movie, "The title and the umbrella business of Jacob Goodman readily suggests some appropriate stunts. Have a man go about in a trick outfit ... well labeled with the title of the picture and the date to show it and carrying an umbrella equally well decorated with announcements of 'April Fool.' ... shops displaying 'It Ain't Gonna Rain No More' and 'April Showers' might tie up with the picture also."
The following is a review of the film in Exhibitors Herald, "In 'April Fool,' a Chadwick Picture that knocked tradition cockeyed by breaking into the B & K Roosevelt last week, Alexander Carr makes it quite plain that none of the recent pairings in which he has figured were made because he needed help. He is without male companion of the Perlmutter completion in this and, better, alone, I think, than he has been cooperating with another lead. It is a very good picture and he has a large part in making it so.
"It is, in fact, one of the few pictures I have seen lately which might no have been given another title without loss. In other words the title means something. The tale is mainly a serious recietal of events in the life a a Jewish immigrant who laughs off his bad breaks when they occur, as all of them do, on the fourth month. There is heroism in his doing so and it is this heroism that gives the picture its kick.
"But Carr isn't the only important principal. There is my old favorite, Mary Alden, as the woman he almost doesn't marry. Nobody does this sort of part better than she. And there is Snitz Edwards as Carr's business enemy, Nat Carr as his bumbling assistant, Duane Thompson as his daughter, Raymond Keane and Edward Phillips as modern young men of both types, Pat Moore and Leon Holmes as the same when they were younger. A cast you say? Yes and I haven't even mentioned Baby Peggy, in this picture for a brief stretch at the beginning, who is a sight for screen-weary eyes after all this long time.
"As mentioned this picture 'broke into' the Roosevelt last week. Maybe you don't know how good a picture has to be to do that but this one is that good."
The following is a brief article from The Motion Picture News.
"Selling a star a day during the run of a picture featuring an all-star cast proved to be an effective experiment in exploitation when Manager Maxwell of Fox's Audubon Theatre in New York City, presented 'April Fool.' As the Audubon, located at 164th street and Broadway is in the vicinity of several other houses, the house billing is very important as a box office factor. With 'April Fool' booked for a three day run, Maxwell decided to get all the advantage possible from the names in the cast and at the same time add a new complexion to the marquee and house billing.
"The stunt of featuring a star a day offered the means of accomplishing this end. On Monday the initial day of the showing, his house blazed forth the announcement: Alexander Carr and Mary Alden in 'April Fool.' Youth and Romance had their day on Tuesday when Raymond Keane, Duane Thompson and Edward Phillips had the spotlight. Wednesday came the third change: Baby Peggy and Snitz Edwards in 'April Fool.'
"'This stunt worked so well,' writes Maxwell, 'that I am going to try it again at the first opportunity.'"
For anyone interested, this film is on YouTube. Unfortunately there is no music track, so just put some instrumental music as you watch. I personally listened to Miles Davis as I watched this.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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