''Sally'' is a 1925 American silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film starring Colleen Moore. The film was directed by Alfred E. Green, produced by Moore's husband John McCormick, and based on the musical ''

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting na ...

'' written by Guy Bolton and Clifford Grey that was adapted to film by

June Mathis June Mathis (born June Beulah Hughes, January 30, 1887 – July 26, 1927) was an American screenwriter. Mathis was the first female executive for Metro/MGM and at only 35, she was the highest paid executive in Hollywood. In 1926 she was voted ...

. The play was a

Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

production written specifically for

Marilyn Miller Marilyn Miller (born Mary Ellen Reynolds; September 1, 1898 – April 7, 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, and the combination of these ...

that opened on December 21, 1920, at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. It ran for 570 performances.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Sally (Moore), from a foundling asylum, is a dishwasher at a cafe resort in Paris when a refugee, the Duke of Checkergovinia (Errol), is also employed in a like humble capacity, unknown to his fellow workers. Sally again meets Blair Farquar (Hughes), who had rescued her in an alley fight and who has had an affair with the Russian danseuse Noskerova, as had the Duke. Sally has a chance to dance at the cafe and is a success. Otis Hooper (Murray), an American theatrical agent, sees her dance and suggests that Sally pose as a Russian dancer at a fete. She consents and makes a big hit. The proprieter of the inn where she works follows and unmasks her, and she is greatly humiliated.

Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

had been present, however, and she is offered a contract for Broadway. A reconciliation follows between Sally and Blair.

Cast

Production

This was the second of five films, in three years, with Moore and Hughes starring. They also appeared together in '' The Huntress'' (1923), '' The Desert Flower'' (1925), ''

Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United Stat ...

'' (1926), and ''

Ella Cinders ''Ella Cinders'' is an American syndicated comic strip created by writer Bill Conselman and artist Charles Plumb. Distributed for most of its run by United Feature Syndicate, the daily version was launched June 1, 1925, and a Sunday page foll ...

'' (1926). During the production of this film, Moore met a young gag man who worked for Alfred Green who billed himself as a “comedy constructor,” named

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. In his youth he played juvenile roles in vaudeville and silent film comedies. During the 1930s, LeRoy was one of the two great practitioners of ...

. They would become good friends and LeRoy would eventually direct Moore in her 1928 film '' Oh, Kay!''

Preservation

As of a January 2017 update, the combined

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

and

International Federation of Film Archives The International Federation of Film Archives (french: Fédération internationale des archives du film, FIAF) was founded in Paris in 1938 by the Cinémathèque Française, the Reichsfilmarchiv in Berlin, the British Film Institute and the Museum ...

(FIAF) American Silent Feature Film Survival Database reports ''Sally'' as a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

, despite speculation in 2014 that a short sequence of color film, from the nine-reel movie, might have been discovered in "a previously unknown cache of over a dozen 45 - 75 second 35mm Technicolor nitrate spools with previously lost color scenes" from four early films.

References

Sources

* Jeff Codori (2012), ''Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star''
McFarland Publishing
(Print , EBook ).

External links

''Colleen Moore, Film Star, Says Good-by to "Sally"'' Reading Eagle - Feb 15, 1925, page 15
* *

at silentfilmstillarchive.com * * {{Alfred E. Green 1925 films 1925 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films based on musicals First National Pictures films Films directed by Alfred E. Green Lost American films 1925 lost films 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films