Paint and Powder (Silent) (DVD)

Mary Nolan has the voice and talent of a star but seems doomed to a career singing in the sleazy backstreet clubs of the Bowery. Her boyfriend, Jimmy Everetts, steals money to buy her an outfit so that she can audition for a respectable job. Jimmy winds up in prison while Mary is discovered, and becomes a rising star on Broadway. Millionaire producers throw themselves at Mary's feet, but she still pines for Jimmy. A pardon is arranged and Jimmy races to Manhattan to be reunited with his long-lost sweetheart. But cruel fate will intervene to separate the lovers once again.

Elaine Hammerstein was a major Broadway star and had scores of film credits before starring in the 1925 production, Paint and Powder. This backstage saga of the rise of a poor Irish working girl to Broadway stardom, features a sexy sophisticated late night party with a hilarious bit between Elaine and a lecherous old millionaire. Director Hunt Stromberg went on to produce over 70 Hollywood films, most notably The Thin Man (1934).

• silent