Movies With Michael : Silent Film of the Month: Ella Cinders (1926)

Monday, September 1, 2025

Silent Film of the Month: Ella Cinders (1926)

Run Time: 52 minutes. Studio: First National. Director: Alfred E. Green. Writers: Mervyn LeRoy, Frank Griffin. Titles: George Marion Jr. Based on a comic strip by William M. Conselman and Charles Plumb. Producer: John McCormick. Main Cast: Colleen Moore, Lloyd Hughes, Vera Lewis, Doris Baker, Emily Gerdes. Cinematographer: Arthur Martinelli. Editor: Robert Kern. Art Director: Edward Shulter.

Today many movies are based off of comic books or popular TV shows. In a similar fashion, movies of the golden age of Hollywood (which certainly includes the 1920's) often adapted popular radio shows and newspaper comic strips of the time. Bill Conselman and Charles Plumb's (Conselman would write the strips, and Plumb would illustrate them) comic strip Ella Cinders debuted on June 1, 1925. Ella Cinders would be a satiric take-off of on the story of Cinderella, placing the classic fairy tale in the 1920's jazz age. The strip proved popular very quickly and would end up being a very long-lasting newspaper comic strip. The very last strip would appear in newspapers on December 2, 1961. Attesting to the popularity of this comic strip it received a movie adaption in only the second year of its run.

The very first Ella Cinders strip, June 1, 1925

In this film adaption Ella (Colleen Moore) growing tired of being taking advantage of by her stepmother (Vera Lewis) and stepsisters (Doris Baker, Emily Gerdes), decides to enter a contest for a movie role in Hollywood. She wins the contest but upon arriving in Hollywood, she discovers that the contest was fraudulent. However not wanting to go back home a failure she decides to stay in Hollywood to become a star the hard way.

Colleen Moore (Ella Cinders herself) when interviewed by historians Kevin Brownlow and David Gill for their Hollywood TV series (a show about the history of silent film) would state that the type of fraudulent competitions to become a movie star that her character entered were very much real. Tragically many young small-town girls fell for these fraudulent competitions and wound up in Hollywood without the means to survive there or even return home. Because of this many became prostitutes simply to survive.

There is a lot to love about this movie. It is a quick paced and very fun little film. There is not a single moment here that doesn't provide fast paced entertainment. Because of this the movie feels like it is over before you know it. The gags are often quite enjoyable and there are even a few laugh-out-loud moments. The story itself is quite simple and straightforward, which only adds to its charm. However, the main thing that makes this movie work is Colleen Moore herself. She is absolutely delightful here. She brings a real effortless charm to the role that works perfectly with the lighthearted feel of the picture. Some of the funniest moments of the film come directly from her performance.

The highlight of this film however is the cameo by comedian Harry Langdon. During this scene Ella is running around a movie studio trying to hide from a studio guard. She comes across Harry Langdon filming a scene, where he is supposedly keeping someone from getting through a door. She thinks this is real and tries to help Harry keep the door closed. She tells Harry that "they" are after her too and he helps hide her. What is wonderful about this scene is that it assumes that Harry Langdon is the same character he plays in the movies. When he sees her come to help him, he doesn't do any big take but rather looks at her and keeps doing what he is doing. When she tells him that she is hiding to, he immediately believes and trusts her and his ways of helping her are very childlike. Not only is Harry as funny as ever here but the idea that he is the same as his screen character is laugh out loud funny. Some sources state that this scene was directed by Frank Capra. Before becoming the infamous director, he would later, he wrote on the Harry Langdon films and directed two Harry Langdon features The Strong Man (1926) and Long Pants (1927).

Colleen Moore and Harry Langdon

The only thing about this movie that doesn't work for me is the ending. Not only does it seem dated and a little sexist, but it also feels quite rushed and unsatisfying.

Colleen Moore was born Katleen Morrison in Port Hurton Michigan. However, she spent much of her childhood in Tampa, Florida. When she made a screen test at Essanay, it was due to a request from no less then D.W. Griffith. Griffith owed a favor to Colleen's uncle, Walter Howey, who was the managing editor of the Chicago American. Despite false publicity stating that she made her film debut as an extra in D.W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916), her actual film debut was the Fine-Arts Triangle film, Bad Boy (1917). Making note of her comedic gifts she moved to a studio that specialized in comedy. Due to her grandmother's objection to the wild nature of the Mack Sennett shorts, she instead went to the Al Christie studio, where she made a series of two-reel comedy shorts and eventually moved into features. While there she was also loaned out to appear in various feature films including King Vidor's The Sky Pilot (1921) and The Lotus Eater (1921), which she co-starred with John Barrymore. However, her career really took off when she signed to First National in 1923, especially after her second film there, Flaming Youth (1923). This led to a string of successes. In the talkie era, she would appear in only a handful of movies, with her last film being a leading role in The Scarlet Letter (1934). She lived long enough to see revivals of her classic silent films, to talk to film historians and to writer her own memoir, 1968's Silent Star. She passed away on January 25, 1988, in Paso Robles, California.

Motion Picture Magazine, 1929

Moore's love interest was played by Lloyd Hughes, who is probably best remembered for being Mary Pickford's leading lady in Tess of the Storm Country (1922). Ella Cinders marked the last time he played leading man to Colleen Moore. He had previous been her leading man in The Huntress (1923), Sally (1925), The Desert Flower (1925) and Irene (1926).

Ma Cinders was played by Vera Lewis. Though not well-known today Lewis had appeared in a wide variety of films ranging from the 1910's to the 1940's, sometimes in small and even uncredited roles. Her filmography includes Intolerance (1916), Jack and the Beanstalk (1917), Stella Dallas (1925), Ramona (1928), Night Nurse (1931), Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939), The Roaring Twenties (1939) and It's a Joke, Son! (1947).

Director Alfred E. Green was a filmmaker with a long and varied career. He began directing with some short two-reel comedies in the 1910's and by the 1920's he was directing features. During the 1920's he would direct movies with such major stars as Mary Pickford, Janet Gaynor, George Arliss (whom he would go on to direct in his Oscar winning roles in Disraeli (1929) and The Green Goddess (1930)), Thomas Meghan and of course Colleen Moore. His career continued quite well through the talkie era. Some of his talkie films include Smart Money (1931), Baby Face (1933), Dangerous (1935, for which Bette Davis would win an Oscar), Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937), The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), The Jolson Story (1946, for which Larry Parks and William Demerest would win Oscars), Sierra (1950), The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), The Eddie Cantor Story (1953) and Top Banana (1954). He also directed episodes of such TV shows as General Eletric Theater, The Lone Wolf and The Millionaire. In February of 1960 he would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He passed away on September 4, 1960.

Green has a small acting bit in Ella Cinders, appropriately as a director.

Mervyn LeRoy, one of the writers for this film would later go on to be a very successful director. His directorial debut, No Place to Go (1927), would be released the year after this movie. LeRoy's directorial efforts include such classics as Little Ceaser (1931), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Three on a Match (1932), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Johnny Eager (1941), Random Harvest (1942), Little Women (1949) and The Bad Seed (1956).

The film's other writer Frank Griffin had worked mostly in silent comedy shorts. He was a director and writer at the Mack Sennett Keystone studio, where he made comedy shorts featuring the likes of Louise Fazenda, Ford Sterling, Charley Chase and Fritz Schade.

Cinematographer Arthur Martinelli also had a long and varied career, working on such films as Polly With a Past (1920), Alias Ladyfingers (1921), White Zombie (1932), Supernatural (1933), County Fair (1937), The Mad Empress (1939), Devil Bat (1940) and Cinderella Swings It (1943).

The following is an article from a 1926 issue of Motion Picture News.

"A funny-face contest, conducted in connection with 'Ella Cinders,' put that picture over with a bang the Liberty Theatre, Seattle. The stunt was conducted by Manager Leroy V. Johnson with the aid of the Seattle Times and a number of local merchants.

"Johnson induced the Times to name a committee, to select three of the funniest faces in Seattle, the winners of which would receive cash prizes of $25, $15 or $10. Ticket prizes were given to the next twelve.

"Four big 2-column stories were given to the contest. The contestants were photographed free of charge by a local photographer. The judges selected 15 of the funniest pictures at the end of the run of 'Ella Cinders' and these were incorporated in a special film featured with explanatory titles. This film was shown to patrons of the Liberty who were asked to register their choice of the three winners by ballot. An usherette checked the ballots cast at each performance.

"The contest proved unusually popular with the patronage of the Liberty as well as with readers of the Times. In all less than $50 was spent by Manager Johnson on this funny-face contest."