Slightly Used
| Slightly Used | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Archie Mayo |
| Screenplay by | C. Graham Baker Jack Jarmuth |
| Story by | Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Starring | May McAvoy Conrad Nagel Robert Agnew Audrey Ferris Anders Randolf Eugenie Besserer |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Sound (Synchronized) (English Intertitles) |
Slightly Used is a 1927 American synchronized sound comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and written by C. Graham Baker and Jack Jarmuth. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. The film stars May McAvoy, Conrad Nagel, Robert Agnew, Audrey Ferris, Anders Randolf and Eugenie Besserer. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 3, 1927.[1][2][3]
The film's plot is based on the 1911 play Green Stockings by A. E. W. Mason. The film was remade as an all-talkie in 1930 as The Flirting Widow at First National Pictures, by then a subsidiary of Warner Bros.
Plot
[edit]Cynthia Martin (May McAvoy), a spirited and independent 21-year-old, finds herself trapped in a peculiar family tradition. Her father (Anders Randolf) refuses to allow his younger daughters, Helen (Audrey Ferris) and Grace (Sally Eilers), to marry until Cynthia, the eldest, is wed first. He is determined not to let history repeat itself—Aunt Lydia (Eugenie Besserer), Cynthia’s maiden aunt, was left behind while her younger sisters married off.
But Cynthia has yet to meet a man who stirs her heart, and has no desire to marry for convention’s sake. Tired of the relentless pressure and determined to free her sisters for their own engagements, Cynthia devises a scandalous and clever solution—she invents a husband. Claiming she has just wed a gallant foreign officer, “Major John Smith of Nicaragua,” she staggers in late one night pretending to be tipsy and announces her marriage. Her story is dramatic and bold—her husband has already departed for military duty. The family believes every word.
Soon after, Cynthia meets the charming and financially ambitious Donald Woodward (Robert Agnew), and for the first time, love enters the picture. But her imaginary marriage now stands in the way. Hoping to clear the path, Cynthia submits a phony obituary to the New York press, announcing her fictional husband's untimely demise.
To her horror, there is a real Major John Smith (Conrad Nagel) in Nicaragua—and he has been receiving her affectionate, if fabricated, letters. Intrigued and amused by the situation, the real Major arrives at the Martin home, introducing himself as “Major Adams,” a friend of the deceased. Cynthia, panicked, tries to maintain her story. Mr. Martin takes an instant liking to the guest and insists he stay in the house, extending the charade to excruciating length for poor Cynthia. This is highly amusing to Smith, who has fallen in love with Cynthia at first sight.
While the Major seems friendly and courteous, Cynthia has no idea whether he knows the truth. One evening, the masquerade comes to a head when the Major boldly enters Cynthia’s room and demands his rights as a husband. He reveals his true identity with a glint of mischief. Flustered and cornered, Cynthia confesses everything, explaining that she invented the marriage to help her sisters marry and avoid becoming another Aunt Lydia.
The Major replies that he will accept no excuses ... with a twinkle in his eye he denounces her as a "murderess" and commands her to go through with the deception —and then delivers his line with mock authority: “Come here to me, woman!” Cynthia, cowed with terror, meekly obeys, only to be surprised by the Major’s smiling face and loving embrace. The Major declares: “Just for that you’ve got to marry me.” And Cynthia, already hopelessly in love with the man she thought she'd made up, gladly accepts.
The hoax has become a happy ending, and Cynthia's punishment is the best reward of all—a real marriage, born of make-believe, sealed with genuine affection.
Cast
[edit]- May McAvoy as Cynthia Martin
- Conrad Nagel as Major John Smith
- Robert Agnew as Donald Woodward
- Audrey Ferris as Helen Martin
- Anders Randolf as Mr. Martin
- Eugenie Besserer as Aunt Lydia
- Arthur Rankin as Gerald
- David Mir as Horace
- Sally Eilers as Grace Martin
- Jack Santoro as Harold
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Slightly Used (1927) - Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ Hal Erickson. "Slightly Used (1927) - Archie Mayo". AllMovie. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Slightly Used". Catalog.afi.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
External links
[edit]
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