Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the lost 1920s silent film comedy, EXCESS BAGGAGE, released in 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by James Cruze.
 
The image features an exterior shot of the film's director, James Cruze, with a paper snipe on the verso which describes it. It is in fine+ condition.
 
MGM initially intended Singin' in the Rain (1952) to be a remake of this film.
 
*"Excess Baggage is a lost 1928 American silent comedy film directed by James Cruze and distributed by MGM. The film was based on the 1927 play of the same name by John McGowan. The film starred William Haines, Josephine Dunn and Kathleen Clifford."
*(source: Wikipedia)
 
*"According to a studio directory in the 26 May 1928 Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World, production began on 19 April 1928. Shooting took place at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp.’s (M-G-M) studio lot in Culver City, CA. An article in the 15 June 1928 Los Angeles Times reported that M-G-M was planning to use new sound-recording devices in added scenes which were to include one or two songs performed by Kathleen Clifford (“Mabel Ford”), and spoken dialogue from Neely Edwards (“Jimmy Dunn”) and possibly William Haines (“Eddie Kane”). Filmmakers also planned to incorporate sound effects.
 
Prior to general release on 8 September 1928, the picture was slated to open at the Loew’s State Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, on 17 August 1928, according to the 13 August 1928 Los Angeles Times. A pre-release review in the 1 July 1928 Los Angeles Times noted that the picture strayed from its source material, John Wesley McGowan’s 1927 play Excess Baggage, by “tracing the lives of the tight-rope walker [Eddie Kane] and his wife before they arrived in Los Angeles.” A number of reviews praised William Haines’s performance as a departure from his usual “smart aleck” comedic roles, and mentioned his character’s high-wire act as a highlight of the film. The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included the picture on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021."
*(source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films)
 
YM3RB