''The Grand Duchess and the Waiter'' is a 1926 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 directed by
Mal St. Clair and starring
Florence Vidor and
Adolphe Menjou. The film is based on a 1925 Broadway play of the same name starring stage actress
Elsie Ferguson
Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress.
Early life
Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...
, who had recently returned to Broadway after years in the film colony. A print of this film is preserved at the
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 ...
.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, a Paris millionaire becomes infatuated with a grand duchess. Ignored in his efforts to meet her, he becomes a floor-waiter in the suite which the royal guests occupy. He fails miserably in this job and the grand duchess, to punish him, makes him a member of her cortege, and assigns him to very menial labor. The duchess, however, finally falls in love with him but is forced to repulse him when others of the royal party find her in the waiter’s arms after she has swooned. Months later, while despondently searching for her, the waiter finds her the proprietor of a humble inn and they are reunited.
Cast
Home media
The film has been issued on VHS but has yet to see a DVD release.
Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Grand Duchess and the Waiter''
at silentera.com
See also
*'' The House That Shadows Built'' (1931 promotional film by Paramount with excerpt of this film)
References
External links
*
*
Lantern slide
(Wayback Machine)
at www.silentsaregolden.com
1926 films
1926 romantic comedy films
American silent feature films
Films directed by Malcolm St. Clair
American romantic comedy films
American black-and-white films
American films based on plays
Silent romantic comedy films
1920s American films
Silent American comedy films
1920s English-language films
English-language romantic comedy films
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