Rare reference to the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic in THE RED KIMONO (1925). While cholera, tuberculosis, the measles and the plague were all reasonably common in the movies, the flu was given a miss. - ThreadSky

moviessilently.bsky.social • 9 days ago

Rare reference to the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic in THE RED KIMONO (1925).

While cholera, tuberculosis, the measles and the plague were all reasonably common in the movies, the flu was given a miss.

Comments

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

A throwaway gag in DADDY LONG LEGS (1919) in which Mary Pickford has a non-flu sneeze and clears the train platform (note the masks in the background) is one of the few instances of the flu being acknowledged while the infection was underway.

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

HEART OF WETONA (1919) is bad-- like, really really bad-- but it may have saved the lives of its cast as they were buried in the woods for a location shoot when the worst of the disease hit the cities.

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

Harold Lockwood, popular heartthrob often voted the handsomest man in the movies, died from the flu in October of 1918.

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

Viola Dana's first husband was director John H. Collins, whose films were remarkable in their excitement and emotion. (The GIF is Dana in his CHILDREN OF EVE.) He was shaping up to be one of the greats of young Hollywood. He also died from the flu in October of 1918.

keykungfugrip.bsky.social•9 days ago

✨👁️🎥👁️✨

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

Donna Drew was an up-and-comer who was the leading lady of Ruth Ann Baldwin's western comedy '49-'17 (1917). She and her husband, actor Arthur Moon, died of influenza in October of 1918.

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

Motion Picture Magazine whistled through the graveyard in January of 1919.

paulthomas.bsky.social•9 days ago

I watched Daddy Long Legs for the first time in 21 and when that happened I laughed and then was like 'I don't know I would have got that two years ago'

moviessilently.bsky.social•9 days ago

My review was written in the late '00s and I had a little section to explain the context of that gag 🫠

paulthomas.bsky.social•9 days ago

I really enjoyed Daddy Long Legs, I still send people this title card without context from time to time