The Crowd - 1928 Film #3

Director: King Vidor

Screenplay: King Vidor, John V.A. Weaver, Joseph Farnham (Intertitles)

Starring: James Murray (John Sims), Eleanor Boardman (Mary), Bert Roach (Bert), Estelle Clark (Jane), Freddie Burke Frederick (Junior) Alice Mildred Puter (Daughter)

A landmark film, The Crowd is one of the few social conscious films of the late twenties, and you would think that because the major issue of the film is unemployment it may have been made in the midst of the depression, black thursday came 20 months after the films release. The theme of the average Joe wanting to have success that "the land of opportunity" is suppose to provide was a raw topic rarely seen on the big screen. In the 20s the story of an ambitious guy wanting to be a success was only ever seen if it was dominated by comedy specifically Harold Lloyd films. King Vidor came off large with his 1925 WW1 film The Big Parade, and so MGM were highly confident in his abilities as a film maker so when The Crowd came about they were favourable. Head of production at MGM Irving Tharlberg knew that The Crowd was great step from being anything like The Big Parade. But he could afford to take a leap into a new film topic, as an experiment. And it may seem weird now but back then The Crowd was an experimental film. No melodrama which means no villains and heroes just ordinary people with their own issues that don't effect anyone but themselves, and so  just by some how relating to its audience makes it a film of value. The Crowd virtually has no clear plot which i'm sure annoyed some.

The Crowd is as poignant as it is straight. It is the opposite of what one expects from a silent film in every way, an extremely modern story that has been recycled over and over. The brain storming stages of The Crowd had King Vidor thinking of environments that leave men having to confront dramatic circumstances. King Vidor pointed out to Irving Tharlberg “Well I suppose the average fellow walks through life and sees quite a lot of drama taking place around him. Objectively life’s a battle isn’t it? Irving Tharlberg was intrigued and that was that was the beginnings of The Crowd. King Vidor then listed out all the milestones in an average joes life: birth, school, job, girl, marriage, baby.  King Vidor was influenced heavily by German cinema and even though his goal was to make a realistic picture he used some expressionist techniques to emphasize the mood and point. There are a number of obvious reverent scenes that make a point of the main character John being just one of the crowd even though he wants to be an important part of the big city, but with millions wanting what he wants does he really stand a chance? John laughs at a guy juggling balls and wearing an advert sign on the street for what a pitiful job he has, years later John has a wake up call and is forced to take the first job available to him, he ends up begging for the job he previously snubbed.

The 4^{th  of} July 1900, America is celebrating the declaration of independence. In the opening scene we see a parade go by outside the sims household and the narration points out “but what’s a little thing like the declaration of independence compared to the great event happening in the Sim’s household? Well I’ll tell you what, John Sim’s has just been born, Johns dad proudly announces, referring to John “There’s a little the man the world is going to hear from alright, Doctor”.

When John is 21 he optimistically moves to New York hoping to get an opportunity, after all he is in the land of them. He becomes one of the 200 men working as desk jockeys. In his spare time he thinks up advertising slogans, this is the field where he really wants to make something of himself. He meets Mary the two get married and have a couple of babies. The film realistically demonstrates marital problems when John and Mary bickering turns into personal attacks on each other and of course the argument started from something as annoying as a busted up toilet. John attacks Mary's appearance then says "Forget it, Mary, I'll overlook you faults"- . And then of course it carries on until John says "Marriage isn't a word, it’s a sentence" and storms out. I won’t pretend I know about marriage but I do have parents.

When the family get hit by a tragedy this is the beginnings of John’s professional and emotional ruin. I won’t say anymore because that would just ruin it!!! It does end ambiguously which did not impress Louis B Mayor who pretty much stood for escapism and clean cut happy endings. There were 7 alternative endings made one of the endings that didn't make it was a look into Mary and John’s future as an elderly couple living in a mansion obviously an optimistic look into John and Mary's future... The Crowd's not exactly the escapism most classic films provide you with but it was the beginnings of a new type of film topic. It influenced Vittorio de Sica’s The Bicycle Thief, and probably my favourite film ever made: Billy Wilder’s The Apartment.

"This Realism, with a capital R" -

Said Eleanor Boardman (above with King Vidor), who didn't mean that in a good way either, she like many at MGM were pretty anti - crowd. She may not have liked the project but you would never know from her wonderful performance. 

Eleanor Boardman plays Mary, who was then King's wife and wasn’t that keen in being part of the film. She didn’t care to play an ordinary person; she was all about wanting to be made up glamorous. One tremendous scene is when John starts an argument that Mary’s hair looks like kelcy’s cat, her hairs all messed up (you get the picture), this was the kind of wardrobe that did not impress Miss Boardman. She may have not liked it but it’s extremely effective, you rarely see actresses from the classic era looking anything but glamorous even when there is no reason why they should be all down up to the 9s. When Eleanor was pregnant in real life they were shooting at oceans park (suppose to be Coney Island) which meant she had to get thrown about on some rides that probably don't exist now because of the danger, so understand why she complained. Boardman may have not enjoyed making the film but playing Mary is the performance she is most remembered for today. 

The casting of the films lead had great thought because to have a star would not fulfil the film maker’s aim of having it realistic and it achieves in some cases a kind of documentary look. King Vidor had been looking in drugstores and streetcars but saw no John, until one day on MGM’s studio lot a group of extra’s walked past King Vidor and his friend: one of the extra’s jumped in between King and his friend and did a little dance step, and he knew ”he was the fellow he had been looking for”. This fellow was James Murray, King chased him down and urged him come see him the following day. James failed to show and Vidor even forgot his name. Vidor researched and got in contact with him again, he had to bribe him with a whole day’s pay in order for Murray to even come to his office. Murray explained how he thought the whole thing was a gag.

James Murray was an ordinary guy who had even given up on the idea he could ever get an opportunity to act, before he did get his big break he had done a handful of labouring jobs and was even homeless. After his tremendous success he gained for his performance in The Crowd (which is one of the most natural ever shown on the silent screen) he was given other acting gigs all similar to each other. He was even offered the part William Haines played in Show People but failed to turn up. Alcohol had already become a big problem with Murray and he also struck by self doubt. His last screen work was in the 1936 film San Fransisco he plays an earthquake victim extra. A really sad downfall, a talented actor as you can see in The Crowd, whose natural and understated acting style could have really translated well into talkies. After The Crowd he was given credible roles, two opposite Lon Chaney in The Big City and Thunder, he appeared two William A.Wellman directed films Frisco Jenny (1932) and Heroes for Sale (1933), after Heroes where he plays a blind solider things just went bad, he played an extra in Baby Face and basically continued just filling the screen. Everything happened to quickly and he turned more to the drink for solace he eventually became unreliable and couldn’t hold down an acting gig. He soon became homeless again, that was demise of one of Hollywood’s silent actors that sliped through the cracks. Supposedly  while panhandling Murray came across King Vidor who offered him a part in his film Our Daily Bread (1934) but James wouldn’t accept. In 1936 at the age of 35 James Murray died by jumping, falling, or being pushed off a bridge, whatever the cause of him ending up in the water, he drowned. The rise and fall of James Murray stuck forever with King Vidor and he was inspired to write a script called The Actor (1979), but it was never made into a feature film, although he did hope it would.

James Murray chowing down and co star Eleanor Boardman and director King Vidor