The Great Gabbo ~1929 -BW

QUICKIE: That's no dummy, that's my better half!

PLOT: Eric Von Stroheim plays The Great Gabbo, a ventriloquist whose slide into madness is complicated due to the transfer of his darker urges towards the personality of his dummy, Otto. Gabbo's lovely assistant Mary (Betty Compson) is in love with him, but she leaves him due to the abusive behavior that Gabbo exhibits towards her. Without Mary's calming influence, Gabbo is driven over the edge and takes out his anger upon Otto.

SUMMARY: As I was watching this film I kept thinking I had seen it before, and I kind of had when I saw The Great Flamarion . Both films feature Erich von Stroheim as an egomaniacal stage performer who loves his female assistant. The woman breaks up the act, leaves him, he goes mad, and they are later reunited only for her to reject him flat out. Each film presents the story in it's own unique and different way, although the story line is so similar.

In this film Erich's character Gabbo is much more of an ego maniac and more crazy evil as well. This film was more disturbing, perhaps because of the dummy? I half expected it to turn into a Chucky film where the dummy turns and talks to Mary. Maybe it's just that dummies, dolls, puppets and such freak me out, they're so unnatural, yet lifelike. The majority of the scenes with the dummy have Gabbo gorging himself on gourmet food and drink while Otto the dummy sings a silly song across the table. (He uses a hand air bulb & long cord to make Otto move his mouth.)

The dance sequences were very entertaining, if not just for the silly costumes and sets alone. After all, it's not every day we get to see a spider and fly portrayed in sequened gowns. I also liked how the couple carried on a conversation during their performance, like we were getting a secret side of the nightly performances. It's not really a musical type of film, this movie has more meat to it than most musicals do.

The story itself was good and it's an entertaining movie. I did keep feeling that something really bad was just about to happen, and yet it never did, so I felt a bit unsatisfied at the end. Even Gabbo's madness is portrayed in such a mild manner that I didn't quite get that he had totally flipped his lid. Perhaps that is a strong point of this film, and most classic films, is that they don't beat you over the head with their overly graphic, in your face bluntness.

Family Collection: Disc 42 - side A

Watch for free here:

http://www.archive.org/details/great_gabbo

The Great Flamarion ~ 1945 -BW

QUICKIE: If a woman can manipulate you into killing her husband, she's gonna try to kill you too.

PLOT: Flamarion, an expert marksman, is entertaining people in a show which features the beautiful Connie (Mary Beth Hughes), and her alcoholic husband Al. Their relationship sours and Connie manipulates Flamarion into believing she is in love with him and Al's drinking is out of control. Through lies and manipulation Connie gets Flamarion to accidentaly shoot her husband and then both of their lives change dramatically.

SUMMARY: PDMR rule: Some women are just plain bad! OK, common sense: if there's a stage show where a guy shoots guns at people for real, you just know it's a matter of time before there's "an accident". And there is. Connie Wallace manipulates "The Great Flamarion" into shooting her husband and then everything changes. When Connie insists they seperate for 3 months so as not to arouse suspicion, you can guess that Connie won't show up 3 months later as planned. She's bad!

The story is told in retrospect/flashback by the wounded and dying Flamarion, who has murdered Connie. During the confrontation she shot Flamarion and he escapes into the rafters only to fall after everyone but one guy has left. Fulfilling another PDMR rule: You always die in the same way you murder others.