The Play Girl
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| The Play Girl | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Arthur Rosson |
| Written by | John Stone Reggie Morris Norman Z. McLeod |
| Produced by | William Fox |
| Starring | Madge Bellamy Johnny Mack Brown Walter McGrail |
| Cinematography | Rudolph J. Bergquist |
| Edited by | Ralph Dietrich |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
The Play Girl is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Madge Bellamy, Johnny Mack Brown, and Walter McGrail.[1][2]
When Madge, a clerk in a flower shop, is sent to a bachelor's apartment to deliver and arrange a bouquet, she discovers a guest, young and handsome Bradley Lane, taking a bath. She loses her job and becomes a playgirl until Bradley, her true love, asks her to marry him.[3]
Cast
- Madge Bellamy as Madge Norton
- Johnny Mack Brown as Bradley Lane
- Walter McGrail as David Courtney
- Lionel Belmore as The Greek Florist
- Anita Garvin as Millie
- Thelma Hill as The Salesgirl
- Harry Tenbrook as The Chauffeur
- Mae Madison as Flapper
- Bertram Marburgh as Socialite
Production
The film was marred by two deaths of crew members over a period of about two weeks. Studio electrician Thomas Rafferty was killed in a fall, and cinematographer Rudolph Bergquist died in an automobile accident on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles while driving a studio car.[4]
Reception
Motion Picture Herald critic T.O. Service bluntly wrote, "I think 'The Play Girl' is bad," finding it clichéd, and blaming the poor reception on having seen a better film beforehand (Soft Living) and due to "suffering...from an overdose of Bellamy."[5]
Laurence Reid of Motion Picture News called it "interesting and fairly amusing," despite the film having "no plot at all." However, Reid praised Madge Bellamy for "[doing] her bit in making it enjoyable."[6]
Preservation
With no prints of The Play Girl located in any film archives,[7] it is a lost film.
A manuscript listing each scene is preserved in the Library of Congress.[8]
