Show People presents Marion Davies as a comedienne par excellence, as Peggy Pepper, hungry for fame, who becomes the pouting Gloria Swanson clone, Patricia Pepoir. In changing her personality she proves herself to be an excellent mimic, with a great sense of humour - in one scene, Peggy encounters 'Marion Davies' and doesn't look impressed!Leading man and love interest in 'Show People' is William Haines, who fell out of favour in the talkies due to his open homosexuality - in later years he was a popular interior decorator to the stars of Hollywood. On the evidence of his performance here, he was a charming comic actor. Peggy initially prefers Haines but is later swept off her feet by a John Gilbert clone, a bogus count.Of great interest to movie buffs of the silent era is the table of stars, from Gilbert himself to Mae Murray, from Douglas Fairbanks jr to William S Hart. They may not speak, but their faces are immortal. And to the list of greats we should, on balance, and on the evidence of 'Show People', with its flashy cameos and in-jokes, add Marion Davies.

Back in the day if Marion Davies had had her druthers and didn't just listen to William Randolph Hearst, she'd have done more films like Show People and been a lot happier. In fact when you see her get her first big break in two reel comedy, she'd have loved to have done that in her career instead of such epics like When Knighthood Was In Flower and Janice Meredith. What you're seeing by all accounts in Show People is the real Davies, a gifted comedienne, a superb mimic and a generous good hearted person. She could really identify with the character of Peggy Pepper aka Patricia Prepoire, she put up with her share of pretense in her Hollywood stardom.If the plot of Show People was set in the legitimate stage you would call it a backstage story. I guess it being one of the first movies about the movies you could call it a behind the camera story. Marion is eager young hopeful who arrives in Hollywood like so many others, looking for that big break. She wants to drama, but her introduction to the movies is as the foil for the burlesque comics. She gets her share of pie and seltzer in the face, but learns her trade. And also wins the heart of young comic actor William Haines.She does get her first big break, but it doesn't come for Haines as well and Marion does get to do legitimate drama with actor Paul Ralli, playing Andre Telfair, a pretend no account Count of Avignon. Somebody here was taking a shot at actor Lou Tellegen, lover and husband of Sarah Bernhardt and Geraldine Farrar and others and to hear tell of it, one of the most despised people in cinema.Show People was one of the first films to have the unbilled cameo appearances of stars as themselves. You will get to see folks like Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, Mae Murray, John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman etc., just being themselves in and around the film colony. That in itself makes Show People a film worth saving.Show People also made good use of standard Tin Pan Alley songs like, Ain't We Got Fun, I'm Sitting On Top Of The World, You'd Be Surprised, California, Here I Come. As the film came out on the cusp of sound being introduced, a song called Crossroads was introduced in it. It's not a bad number, but no credit is given to the boy and girl singing it in the soundtrack. I guess since they're not seen, it was felt no billing was necessary. Still I'd like to know and I'm sure you would to if you are fortunate enough to see Show People.It's easy to see why Marion Davies liked this film so much and considered it a personal favorite. She looks so at home in this film and her real life lack of pretense shines through in her performance which makes it a real treat for the audience.

Show People (1928) *** (out of 4) Silent comedy has Marion Davies playing a girl from Georgia who travels to Hollywood to become a star. When she first arrives she gets in the door by a slapstick actor (Williams Haines) but soon Davis wishes to do more serious roles. This is a pretty good comedy that manages to get several laughs with its witty screenplay but there's also some nice cameos that makes this worth watching. Davies is very good in her role and manages to be quite funny and charming. Her early scenes with her father are all very good as is her more dramatic moments. Haines is also in fine form here and comes off very well with the slapstick stuff, which was certainly meant to be a throwback to the Keystone era comedy. The screenplay is full of talk about current Hollywood stars and this here adds a lot of charm. The film becomes rather predictable and that's really its only weakness. There are plenty of Hollywood stars on hand and that includes Vidor in a cameo at the end. John Gilbert, Lew Cody, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart and various others also make cameos. Charles Chaplin gets the best moment in the film when he shows up but Davies doesn't recognize him outside of his Tramp outfit.

I've seen hundreds of silent movies. Some will always be classics (such as Nosferatu, Metropolis, The General and Wings) but among them, my favorite is this film (it may not be the best--but a favorite, yes). In fact, when I looked it up on IMDb, I noticed I immediately laughed to myself because the movie was so gosh-darn cute and well-made. Marion Davies proved with this movie she really had great talent and was not JUST William Randolph Hearst's mistress.The story involves a hick from Georgia coming to Hollywood with every expectation that she would be an instant star! Her experiences and the interesting cameos of stars of the era make this a real treat for movie buffs and a must-see!