Oh, Kay! (film)
Encyclopedia
Oh, Kay! is a 1928
silent film produced by John McCormick and distributed by First National Pictures. McCormick's wife Colleen Moore
starred with Mervyn LeRoy
directed.
This film is currently a lost
.
Colleen had been set to begin work on When Irish Eyes are Smiling in 1927 when she and her husband John McCormick, split from their studio , possibly over a dispute over McCormick's drinking. The planned director, comedy constructor and friend of Colleen's--Mervyn LeRoy
--walked in on a telephone call between John and the Studio as he was quitting, the first sign that the production was in trouble. Colleen followed her husband's departure from First National, and as a result When Irish Eyes are Smiling was shelved (it would be dusted off and made by Colleen as Smiling Irish Eyes
, one of her last films, a talkie). Plans for Mervyn LeRoy to direct Colleen were scuttled with her departure. Before her departure from the studio Colleen called Richard Rowland and asked that LeRoy be allowed to direct another film. Richard assured her he would. It was not until Oh Kay! came along that Colleen had the opportunity to be directed by her friend LeRoy. In her book Silent Star, Colleen wrote that while in the vicinity of Catalina Island for shooting scenes of Oh Kay!, she had gone to a movie on the island and seen a handsome actor she recommended to her husband to play the lead in Lilac Time. The actor was Gary Cooper. The play would later be revived.
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
silent film produced by John McCormick and distributed by First National Pictures. McCormick's wife Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
starred with Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
directed.
This film is currently a lost
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
Story
On the eve of her wedding Lady Kay Rutfield runs off aboard her sloop. A storm carries her out to sea and she is rescued by a passing rumrunner bound for the Long Island Sound. Once they arrive in the States, Kay makes her escape and hides in the deserted mansion of Jimmy Winter. Jimmy is due to marry the following day. He comes home to the mansion unexpectedly, and finds Kay, who persuades him to let her pose for a night as his wife. She has mistaken a detective named Jansen for a bootlegger. Shorty, a bootlegger, has hidden some hooch in the basement and, to protect it, passes himself off as the new butler. The following day Jimmy finds himself engaged to Kay and Shorty long gone with his illegal swill.Background
Based on a 1926 Broadway musical play (several of Colleen's most successful films were based on musical comedies), the story is about the rum running Duke of Durham, forced into his occupation by circumstances beyond his control, and his sister, Lady Kay. They and their assistants—Shorty and Larry—have stashed their load of bootlegged hooch in the basement of the home of Jimmy Winters, a local playboy. Originally part of the rum running operation, the part of Lady Kay was altered to better suit Colleen's screen persona.Colleen had been set to begin work on When Irish Eyes are Smiling in 1927 when she and her husband John McCormick, split from their studio , possibly over a dispute over McCormick's drinking. The planned director, comedy constructor and friend of Colleen's--Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
--walked in on a telephone call between John and the Studio as he was quitting, the first sign that the production was in trouble. Colleen followed her husband's departure from First National, and as a result When Irish Eyes are Smiling was shelved (it would be dusted off and made by Colleen as Smiling Irish Eyes
Smiling Irish Eyes
Smiling Irish Eyes , known as Hymyilevät silmät in Finland, is a sound American musical film with Technicolor sequences.The film is now considered a lost film, however the Vitaphone discs still exist.-Plot:...
, one of her last films, a talkie). Plans for Mervyn LeRoy to direct Colleen were scuttled with her departure. Before her departure from the studio Colleen called Richard Rowland and asked that LeRoy be allowed to direct another film. Richard assured her he would. It was not until Oh Kay! came along that Colleen had the opportunity to be directed by her friend LeRoy. In her book Silent Star, Colleen wrote that while in the vicinity of Catalina Island for shooting scenes of Oh Kay!, she had gone to a movie on the island and seen a handsome actor she recommended to her husband to play the lead in Lilac Time. The actor was Gary Cooper. The play would later be revived.
Cast
- Colleen MooreColleen MooreColleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
- Lady Kay - Lawrence GrayLawrence GrayLawrence Gray was an American actor of the 1920s and 1930s.During World War I he served in the U. S. Navy and gained a commission...
- Jimmy Winter - Ford SterlingFord SterlingFord Sterling was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.-Biography:...
- Shorty McGee - Claude GillingwaterClaude GillingwaterClaude Benton Gillingwater was an American stage and screen actor. He first appeared on the stage then in 92 films between 1918 and 1939....
- Judge Appleton - Julanne JohnstonJulanne JohnstonJulanne Johnston was an American silent film actress born in Indianapolis, Indiana.Johnston is known for being on William Randolph Hearst's yacht The Oneida during the weekend in November 1924 when film director and producer Thomas Ince later died of heart failure...
- Constance Appleton - Claude KingClaude KingClaude King is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his million selling 1962 hit, "Wolverton Mountain".-Biography:...
- The Earl of Rutfield - Edgar Norton - Lord Braggot
- Percy Williams - The butler
- Fred O'Beck - Captain Hornsby
Footnotes
- Jeff Codori (2012), Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland Publishing,(Print ISBN: 978-0-7864-4969-9, EBook ISBN: 978-0-7864-8899-5).