Mystery Film

[donnie]

I found something interesting recently. I have an old framed print of an outdoor scene that my cousin gave to me many years ago. My aunt fussed at him about his having it on the wall of his room—she apparently thought it was an eyesore. I actually kind of like it (more on that later). I don't know where he got it—I think he had maybe just found it in the house they moved into and stuck it on the wall.

Anyway, an old tattered piece of paper had been used as a backing when it was put into the glass frame many years ago. When I removed it, this is what was on the other side! I haven't yet gotten around to researching what film this is or when it was made.

[Kitty]

Oh, my, how cool!! This is such a neat find.

This film is The Woman I Love (1929) with Norman Kerry and Margaret Morris. IMDB has no description info on this film. I'll research this more later when I'm at my computer.

[donnie]

Cool! Thanks! I thought it might be a silent because I saw this painting advertised in my 1927 Sears catalog reproduction. I wonder how this came to be used as backing for the picture. Maybe the owner was a theatre manager and was repurposing discarded lobby cards?

[Kitty]

Here's what I found on this so far. There's a photo, three reviews, and a program schedule for Olympia Theater (which, if I'm reading this right, is in Miami, which I did not know!) - our film on the bottom right.

Picture Play Mag Sept 1929.png (338.27 KiB) Viewed 3470 times

The Woman I Love Photoplay May 1929.png (139.81 KiB) Viewed 3470 times

Motion Picture News June 1929.png (256.67 KiB) Viewed 3470 times

Harrison's Reports May 4 1929.png (187.02 KiB) Viewed 3470 times

Exhibitor's Herald World August 10 1929.png (104.6 KiB) Viewed 3470 times

[donnie]

Most interesting, especially the reviews! It doesn't look to have been a masterpiece.

Wouldn't it have been wonderful to go to all those films at the Olympia? Looking at the names of the actors, I recognize almost all of them, and it stuck me that if this had been a list of 2019 movies, I'd have been clueless who most of them were.

I'm wondering if this one is extant. Judging from the lack of any reviews at imdb, I'm guessing not.

[Kitty]

I don't think it is, either, as I couldn't find any info when I googled.

[donnie]

I'm not sure what to do with this fragment—it's pretty useless as is, but I hate to throw it away, somehow. Any suggestions? There may actually be another piece(s); the picture is back behind a lot of other stuff in storage and I don't want to drag a lot of things out to get to it.

Here it is advertised in the 1927 Sears catalog, and a photo of a print being sold on Etsy.

[Kitty]

What exactly is it? A print? More like a painting? That is pretty cool!!!!
Why do you call it a fragment? Don't throw it away... It could be worth something on antiques roadshow!

[donnie]

I think I got my wording confused on that post. The Lone Wolf is a print based on an original painting—I’m going to hang on to the actual picture, though I’m not sure it’s worth what someone on Etsy thinks it is. What I was asking about disposing of is that half-of-a-movie-poster backing.

[Kitty]

Oooh. Definitely don't do that, either! I'd put it in a large book for someone to find later!