Set in early-19th century New York City, Little Old New York (1923) finds Marion Davies as Patricia O’Day, who arrives from Ireland to claim a family fortune . . . posing as her younger brother Patrick in order to do so. She meets Larry Delavan (Harrison Ford) who had planned on receiving that inheritance so he could back Fulton’s new steamship and is now stuck. All of this is complicated by Patricia’s falling in love with Delavan… who believes she is Patrick.
Marion Davies’ Little Old New York delivered the same top-notch entertainment to movie audiences as the blockbuster hit When Knighthood Was In Flower had the year before. Packed with humor, charm, thrills and crowd scenes, the film possesses a lavish production scale and strong ensemble cast, that includes Louis Wolheim and Harry Watson, Jr.
This DVD edition presents the film in a new 2K digital scan made from a 35mm nitrate print in the collection of the Library of Congress and features a new theatre organ score by Ben Model.
BONUS:
Excerpt from Hold Fast (1916) in which Harry Watson, Jr. and comedy partner George Bickel do their famous boxing routine – 6 mins.
Total running time 114 mins ● B&W ● Stereo ● 1.33:1 ● Not Rated ● NTSC ● Region 0 (all-regions)
Produced for DVD by Ben Model/Undercrank Productions, in association with Edward Lorusso ● An Undercrank Productions / Library of Congress release
Release date; November 19, 2019
Available at:
Reviews
“Like her contemporaries Clara Bow, Colleen Moore, and Pola Negri, Davies is an actor whose reputation has suffered through no reel fault of her own. Relative to her past fame – and despite the fact she was a gifted comedian who appeared in a string of popular films, Davies is too little regarded today.”
—Film International
“Davies is just so likable. [Little Old New York] features elaborate sets by Joseph Urban, the world-renowned Ziegfeld Follies designer who also put his architectural stamp on the New York headquarters of William Randolph Hearst.”
—Leonard Maltin
“Marion Davies is as charming as always . . . This release represents a noticeable and appreciated improvement over anything that was available before . . . The film is accompanied by an excellent organ score composed and performed by Ben Model.”
—Movies Silently
“As with many silent films I watch, this film has a very good cast and a very good script . . . If you are a fan of silent films in general and especially fans of Miss Davies, I can certainly recommend this title to you!”
—Selig Film News