Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the teens silent film comedy/romance, FAIR AND WARMER, released in 1919 by Metro Pictures Corporation and directed by Henry Otto.
 
The image depicts a close interior shot of Blanny Wheeler (May Allison) looking cautiously out of a bedroom window while Billy Bartlett (Eugene Pallette), disguised as a woman, tries to get her assistance. It is in fine+ condition as shown.
 
*"Fair and Warmer is a lost 1919 American silent film directed by Henry Otto starring May Allison and Eugene Pallette. The film was based upon the 1915 play Fair and Warmer by Avery Hopwood."
*(source: Wikipedia)
 
*"The scenario was based on the 1915 play, Fair and Warmer by Avery Hopwood. The upcoming screen version was announced in the 29 June 1919 Camera. Days later, the 5 July 1919 Motion Picture News reported that distributor Metro Pictures Corp. was embarking on a program of fewer releases at a higher quality standard.
 
To accomplish this goal, thirty-six successful stage plays were licensed and a “million dollar” studio complex was constructed in Hollywood, CA. The first of these productions was Fair and Warmer, supervised by Metro director general Maxwell Karger. The impending start of principal photography was reported in the 12 July 1919 Motion Picture News. Alfred Hollingsworth and Caroline Rankin were listed as cast members.
 
Co-star Eugene Pallette was identified in the 20 July 1919 Camera as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Reserve. The 9 August 1919 issue claimed that star May Allison drank real Champagne on camera and gave a convincing performance as an inebriate. That same day, Motion Picture News noted that the film was devoid of exterior shots. Other sources have claimed that the story unfolded in "real" time on the screen. The 7 September 1919 Los Angeles Times revealed that a chorus of five young women, loaned for a cabaret sequence by the Denishawn School of Dance and Related Arts, performed their routine bare-legged, purportedly necessitated by the high cost of hosiery. The spectacle was said to have made a strong impression on the crew.
 
Another sequence was described in the 16 November 1919 Washington Post as taking place in a Turkish harem, populated with young women of both light and dark complexions. The set was credited to technical director John K. Holden. The close of production was announced in the 6 September 1919 Motion Picture World. Two weeks later, the 20 September 1919 Exhibitors Herald stated that the film was expected to make its New York City debut at the Capitol Theatre as part of a long-term agreement with Metro.
 
Fair and Warmer was released on 27 October 1919. The 10 January 1920 Moving Picture World noted that the film was well received by inmates at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, NY. An item in the 8 November 1919 Motion Picture News reported that a railroad workers strike, referred to as an “express embargo,” made it necessary for Metro to transport prints of the film by air. The National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) included this film on its list of Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films as of February 2021.
 
Jack and Blanny Wheeler live in the apartment above Laura and Billy Bartlett. Jack likes to stay out late and play poker, but covers by telling his wife that he attends meetings of the Mystic Shrine society. Laura is carrying on a dalliance with Philip Evans. One night Jack goes to play poker and leaves Blanny with the Bartletts. Laura goes out with Philip. Blanny and Billy commiserate about their loneliness, and concoct a scheme to arouse their spouses' jealousies. They taste various liquors, become intoxicated, and fall asleep. Jack, Laura, and Philip return. Jack and Laura both threaten divorce until the explanations are made, and the couples are reunited."
*(source: AFI Catalog of Feature Films)
 
3RB