Twinkletoes
Encyclopedia
Twinkletoes is a 1926
silent
film romantic drama directed by Charles Brabin
and starring Colleen Moore
. The film, as with most of Moore's vehicles at this time, was produced by her husband John McCormick with the couple distributing through Moore's resident studio First National
. This film is one of Moore's surviving films from the late silent era and is available on DVD.
She dances at the head of the "Quayside Kids," a local dance group in a music hall run by Roseleaf, who has designs on the young girls that dance for him. Chuck's wife Cissie realizes that her husband had feelings for Twinks and, learning that Twink's dad is a burglar, exposes him to the police. Twinks is distraught when she learns the news that her father—whom she admired above all other people—is a criminal. Roseleaf takes her to his apartment and attempts to have his way with her, but she manages to escape. Cissie is killed in an accident, and, in despair, Twink throws herself into the river. She is rescued by Chuck and in his arms finds something to live for.
. Like the book, the film's original story had a dramatic ending, with Twinks drowning in the river. Colleen's husband did not believe that the original ending would play was well as a happy ending, perhaps worried that the production might not be well received by audiences, as had been the case with the dramatic So Big
. Two endings were filmed and exhibitors were allowed to pick which version they wanted to show. The audiences generally preferred the sad ending.
Winifred Dunn did research in San Francisco's Chinatown for the atmosphere of the film Coleen danced several of the numbers in the movie herself.
1926 in film
-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
film romantic drama directed by Charles Brabin
Charles Brabin
Charles J. Brabin was an American film director and screenwriter. He was active during the silent era, then pursued a short-lived career in talkies....
and starring Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
. The film, as with most of Moore's vehicles at this time, was produced by her husband John McCormick with the couple distributing through Moore's resident studio First National
First National
First National was an association of independent theater owners in the United States that expanded from exhibiting movies to distributing them, and eventually to producing them as a movie studio, called First National Pictures, Inc. It later merged with Warner Bros.-Early history:The First National...
. This film is one of Moore's surviving films from the late silent era and is available on DVD.
Cast
- Colleen MooreColleen MooreColleen Moore was an American film actress, and one of the most fashionable stars of the silent film era.-Early life:...
- Twinkletoes - Kenneth HarlanKenneth HarlanKenneth Harlan was an American leading man of the silent film era, playing mostly romantic leads or adventurer types.-Career:...
- Chuck Lightfoot - Tully MarshallTully MarshallWilliam Phillips was an American character actor known as Tully Marshall, with nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience behind before he made his first film appearance in 1914.-Career:...
- Dad Minasi - Gladys BrockwellGladys BrockwellGladys Brockwell was an American actress whose career began during the silent film era.-Early life:Born Gladys Lindeman in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of a chorus girl who put her on stage at a very early age. By the time she reached her middle teens, she was already a veteran and...
- Cissie Lightfoot - Lucien LittlefieldLucien LittlefieldLucien Littlefield was an American actor in the silent film era...
- Hank - Warner OlandWarner OlandWarner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
- Roseleaf - John Kolb - Bill Carsides (aka John Philip Kolb)
- Julanne JohnstonJulanne JohnstonJulanne Johnston was an American silent film actress born in Indianapolis, Indiana.Johnston is known for being on William Randolph Hearst's yacht The Oneida during the weekend in November 1924 when film director and producer Thomas Ince later died of heart failure...
- Lilac - William McDonald - Police Inspector Territon
- Dorothy Vernon - ?
- Ned SparksNed SparksNed Sparks was a Canadian character actor. Sparks was well known for his deadpan expression and deep, gravelly voice.-Early life and career:...
- ? - Dick SutherlandDick SutherlandDick Sutherland was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1921 and 1932. His crude threatening looking features were a result of acromegaly...
- ? - Carl StockdaleCarl StockdaleCarl Stockdale also known as Carlton Stockdale was one of the longest-working Hollywood veteran actors, with a career dating from the early 1910s. He also made the difficult transition from silent films, to talkies....
- ? - Aggie HerringAggie HerringAggie Herring was an American actress. She appeared in 119 films between 1915 and 1939.She was born in San Francisco, California and died in Santa Monica, California.-Selected filmography:* Daredevil Jack...
- ? - Harold Lockwood, Jr. - ? (*son of the silent star who died in 1918)
Background
This was Colleen's first "serious" film since her portrayal of Salena Peake in So Big. It came between comedies, as it was the studio's strategy to stagger her comedies and dramatic roles, so that the public would not become tired of any single genre.Story
Monica "Twinkletoes" Minasi, a motherless child of the London Limehouse district, is a brilliant young dancer who lives in poverty. She saves a crowd from abuse by the police through an impromptu performance, during which she meets Chuck Lightfoot, a champion fighter and older married man whose wife, Cissie, was the cause of the ruckus. Twinks finds herself slowly falling in love with Chuck but resists, because he is married and much older (he is in his late twenties, she might be as young as 15), but when he saves her from an attack one night she realizes that it is useless to fight her feelings.She dances at the head of the "Quayside Kids," a local dance group in a music hall run by Roseleaf, who has designs on the young girls that dance for him. Chuck's wife Cissie realizes that her husband had feelings for Twinks and, learning that Twink's dad is a burglar, exposes him to the police. Twinks is distraught when she learns the news that her father—whom she admired above all other people—is a criminal. Roseleaf takes her to his apartment and attempts to have his way with her, but she manages to escape. Cissie is killed in an accident, and, in despair, Twink throws herself into the river. She is rescued by Chuck and in his arms finds something to live for.
Details
The movie was based on the book Twinkletoes: A Tale of the Limehouse, by Thomas BurkeThomas Burke
-Public officials:*Thomas Burke , Irish-born physician, lawyer and politician*Sir Thomas Burke, 3rd Baronet , Irish legislator...
. Like the book, the film's original story had a dramatic ending, with Twinks drowning in the river. Colleen's husband did not believe that the original ending would play was well as a happy ending, perhaps worried that the production might not be well received by audiences, as had been the case with the dramatic So Big
So Big
So Big may refer to:*So Big , a 1924 novel written by Edna Ferber*So Big , a 1924 film adaptation directed by Charles Brabin*So Big! , a 1932 film adaptation starring Barbara Stanwyck...
. Two endings were filmed and exhibitors were allowed to pick which version they wanted to show. The audiences generally preferred the sad ending.
Winifred Dunn did research in San Francisco's Chinatown for the atmosphere of the film Coleen danced several of the numbers in the movie herself.
Footnotes
- Jeff Codori (2012), Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland Publishing,(Print ISBN 978-0-7864-4969-9, EBook ISBN 978-0-7864-8899-5).