''His Darker Self'' is a 1924 American silent blackface

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 John W. Noble and starring

Lloyd Hamilton Lloyd Vernon Hamilton (August 19, 1891 – January 19, 1935) was an American film comedian, best remembered for his work in the silent era. Career Having begun his career as an extra in theatre-productions, Hamilton first appeared on film in ...

, Tom Wilson, and

Sally Long Sally Long (December 5, 1901 – August 12, 1987) was an American dancer and actress. Early years Long was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Long. She graduated from Eden Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1921. Dancer Florenz Ziegfeld ...

. The plot involves a self-taught small town detective who, after a Black friend is killed, goes undercover in blackface.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Uncle Eph, the old black servant of the Sappington family, hauls liquor at night to Bill Jackson's dancehall. Jackson in a fit of temper knocks out Eph and fatally stabs another man. Eph is blamed for the crime. Claude Sappington, in love with the Governor's daughter, but frowned upon by her father, blackens his face and visits Darktown in an attempt to discover the real murderer. After many wild adventures, he succeeds in making Jackson confess, saves old Eph, and marries the woman he loves.

Cast

Production

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

was originally cast as the lead in ''His Darker Self'', but he dropped out to protect his stage career.Steinmetz p. 187, note 77 Lloyd Hamilton, a veteran of many comedy short films, replaced Jolson. Jolson would later use blackface while starring in the first talking picture, ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...

'' (1927).

References

Bibliography

* Munden, Kenneth White (1997). ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Part 1''. University of California Press. *

External links

* * 1924 films 1924 comedy films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films Silent American comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by John W. Noble Films distributed by W. W. Hodkinson Corporation 1920s American films {{1920s-US-film-stub