The Great Gabbo (1929)

The problem for Erich von Stroheim in the title role here is that his character's abilities to eat, drink - sing La Bohème, even - whilst his dummy "Otto" chats away merrily to the audience does quite come off on film. An out-of-vision voice is nothing new with this medium, so much of the potency of the joke - that might have worked more effectively in a theatre - is lost. What's left is a mildly amusing, sometimes even slightly sinister story about the eponymous character who works with the rather clumsy "Mary" (Betty Compson) on whom he picks on relentlessly. After one outburst, she packs up and leaves him... Success comes his way and soon they are reunited on a bill where she has a slot as a dancer - and he wants her back! Had the story focussed more on that plot line, and on the slightly macabre "Otto", it might have worked better - but for the most part it is a collection of mediocre stage performances accompanied by some cheerful enough, but totally forgettable ditties and by the time we have a chance to sink our teeth into the main theme of the film, I'd sort of lost interest. It's a hybrid of things, this - and James Cruze lost his focus early and couldn't quite recover it. I did enjoy the ending, though... always did hate puppets!