''Almost an Actress'' was a 1913 American silent

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Allen Curtis Allen Curtis (1877 – November 24, 1961), was an American film director of the silent era. He directed 278 films between 1913 and 1922. He was born in New York, New York and died in Hollywood, California. Selected filmography * ''The Tra ...

and starring

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise broke ...

, Max Asher,

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

and Silvion de Jardins. A surviving still from the film shows Lon Chaney as the exasperated cameraman, grimacing in frustration as chaos envelops the film set. The film is now considered

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. It is unknown when the film was lost, but if it was in Universal's vaults it would have been deliberately destroyed along with the remaining copies of Universal's silent era films in 1948. Comedian Silvion de Jardins, who later changed his name to Bobby Vernon, also worked for the Kolb and Dill burlesque and stage company which had also once starred Lon Chaney in its productions.

Plot

Susie (

) turns down Lee's (Lee Morris) offer of love, planning instead to become a famous actress. The director of a film team engages Susie to star in an exciting serial after his leading lady's false teeth break, but chaos ensues. Susie's brother Benny sees her being menaced by a villain who is preparing to burn her alive, not realizing they are just making a movie. He gets the fire department involved, and they create a deluge on the set with their hoses. The director finally manages to chase the firemen away. Later, while filming a scene on a beach, Susie is almost drowned accidentally when the film crew leaves her tied up in a rising tide. Her boyfriend rescues her just in time, and Susie decides to marry him and give up acting forever. Realizing how dangerous filmmaking can be, she exclaims "Never again!" as she falls into her beau's arms.

Cast

as Susie * Max Asher as The Director * Edward Holland as The Villain * Lee Morris as Lee *

as a cameraman * Silvion de Jardins as Benny (Susie's brother) * Lee Moran

Reception

''Motion Picture World'' commented "A very laughable production of the low comedy type, full of chuckles and free from offense....The scenes are all of burlesque nature and furnish plenty of genuine amusement."Blake, Michael F. (1998). "The Films of Lon Chaney". Page 6. Vestal Press Inc. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Almost An Actress 1913 films 1913 comedy films 1913 short films 1913 lost films Silent American comedy films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films about actors Films directed by Allen Curtis Lost American films Universal Pictures short films American comedy short films Lost comedy films 1910s American films