Women will laugh and men will writhe at Stage Struck and Gloria Swanson. It’s a fine piece of hoke. This Allan Dwan-directed comic is said to have been made in three weeks, whereby Dwan drew down a bonus. Famous Players should have paid Dwan more if it had not been made at all.
Watching the picture after the second of the six reels, you try to figure how this ever got past for over two reels. It’s one of the old-time Keystone models padded out.
One laugh is when Swanson tries to make up as an actress. And another after her prize fight when she jumps overboard to be saved from drowning by her pants catching on a nail on the side of the ‘Water Queen,’ a river boat.
At least the boat doesn’t try to be funny. Next to the boat Lawrence Gray gives rather a good performance in the juvenile role, and, barring her material, Swanson is not at all bad as a comedienne.
