''Upstairs and Down'' is a 1919 American silent

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

Charles Giblyn Charles Giblyn (September 6, 1871 – March 14, 1934) was an American film director and actor of the silent era. He directed nearly 100 films between 1912 and 1927. He also appeared in 23 films between 1914 and 1934. He was one of the found ...

, and starring

Olive Thomas Olive Thomas (born Oliva R. Duffy; October 20, 1894 – September 10, 1920) was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model. Thomas began her career as an illustrator's model in 1914, and moved on to the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' th ...

Rosemary Theby Rosemary Theresa Theby (born Rose Masing, April 8, 1892 – November 10, 1973) was an American film actress. She appeared in some 250 films between 1911 and 1940. Early life and career The daughter of George and Katherine Masing, Theby ...

, David Butler, and Robert Ellis. It is based on the 1916 play of the same name by Frederick and Fanny Hatton. ''Upstairs and Down'' is now presumed

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 ...

Synopsis

Alice Chesterton (Thomas) and her fiancé Tom Carey (Butler) are members of a Long Island "millionaire smart set". Alice is considered to be a "baby

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" by her friends and soon grows bored of her practical and unromantic fiancé Tom Carey (Butler). To amuse herself, she begins flirting with men who she finds exciting. During a

house party A house party is a type of party where people gather at the residence of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, ...

at the Long Island home of the couple's friends The Ives, Alice meets Terence O'Keefe (Ellis), an Irish polo playing playboy who is visiting the United States to buy horses for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. The two soon began seeing each other. Mrs. Ives gets wind of the affair and encourages Alice's sister Betty (Theby) to talk some sense into Alice. In an effort to distract Terrance from Alice, Betty stages an automobile accident that Terrance is sure to stumble upon. Terrance discovers the wreck and finds an unconscious Betty whom he revives with a kiss. The two quickly fall in love and soon plan to marry. When Alice gets wind of Betty and Terrance's plan, she becomes jealous. To break the couple up, Alice tells Betty that Terrance has "ruined" her. After Betty confronts Terrance with Alice's claim, Alice admits that she was not being truthful. Meanwhile, Terrance has been advising Tom about how to win Alice back. Terrance encourages Tom to be more passionate and forceful with Alice which ultimately wins her back.

Cast

as Alice Chesterton *

as Betty Chesterton * David Butler as Tom Carey * Robert Ellis as Terrence O'Keefe *

Mary Charleson Mary Charleson (18 May 1890 – 3 December 1961) was an Irish silent film actress who starred in about 80 films in the U.S. between 1912 and 1920. Early life Born in Dungannon in Ireland to George Charleson, a hairdresser and Jane Steele. She ...

as Rosalie * Andrew Robson as Sprang

Production and reception

''Upstairs and Down'' was the first film Olive Thomas made for the newly formed Selznick Pictures Corporation. Thomas had been a popular star of the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

'' and parlayed that popularity into a successful film career with

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

. After her contract with Triangle expired, Thomas signed with

Myron Myron of Eleutherae ( grc, Μύρων, ''Myrōn'' ), working c. 480–440 BC, was an Athenian sculptor from the mid-5th century BC. He was born in Eleutherae on the borders of Boeotia and Attica. According to Pliny's '' Natural History'', Agela ...

and

David Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and '' Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture ...

's company for a reported $2,500 a week.Golden 2000 pp. 182–183 To promote their new star and her first picture for the company, the Selznicks spared no expense. Two electric signs promoting the film and Thomas were erected in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

and

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

s were also used to promote the film. A song written for the film (also titled "Upstairs and Down") was released and featured Thomas' photo on the cover of the sheet music.Vogel 2007 p. 63 The film was generally well received by critics who also noted it would likely be received better in large cities that had "moderately sophisticated" audiences because the film had "worldly wise attitude" character. ''Upstairs and Down'' eventually grossed $74,093.

References

External links

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Wayback Machine) {{DEFAULTSORT:Upstairs and Down 1919 films 1919 comedy films Silent American comedy films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American films based on plays Films directed by Charles Giblyn Lost American films Selznick Pictures films 1919 lost films Lost comedy films 1910s American films