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Reviews
Little Annie Rooney (1925)
A Woman Playing A Girl As A Tomboy
Although the concept of a 32 year old woman portraying a 12 year old girl might be a stretch for today's
sophisticated audiences,in the 1920's this was what the fans of Mary Pickford desired and expected from their favorite star. The opening scene displays Annie's tomboyish character as the apparent leader of a multi-ethnic street gang in comic "battle" with a rival group. The sight of a young girl being socked in the jaw and kicked may be a bit crude, but the scene is played in such an "Our Gang" fashion that it would be hard to take any of this seriously. Anyway, Annie can dish it out as well as take it. Once Annie returns to her tenement home and replaces her street duds with more girlish attire, it becomes more difficult (especially in close-ups) to imagine this beautiful young woman as a street urchin. However, for those who can muster the required suspension of disbelief, the rest of the movie has it's rewards. Vacillating between comedy (Annie's gang puts on a show) to sentiment (Annie plans a birthday surprise for her Irish policeman father) to tragedy (her father is killed on his birthday), the film gives Mary ample opportunity to display a range of emotions that would please her fans of any era.
Of course the requisite "happy ending" is eventually achieved; the evildoers are apprehended with the help of Annie's friends and rivals and she is last seen in the company of her pals riding down a busy thoroughfare on a sunny day. Which is a good a way as any for a Mary Pickford movie to end.
It (1927)
Clara's Shining Moment
The youthful beauty, energy and unique charm of the "it" girl were never more evident than in this, her signature film. The plot may be simplistic and the dialog dated, but those are, after all, endearing qualities for most silent film buffs. The rest of the cast [including Gary Cooper in a brief scene] are serviceable and amusing, but everyone else is merely window dressing for Miss Bow's star turn.
If you're not already a fan of silent films, viewing the lighthearted "IT" may introduce you to a new form of enjoyment. For ardent fans of Clara Bow, "IT" is a classic