Servants' Entrance
Encyclopedia
Servants' Entrance is a comedy film
starring Janet Gaynor
. The movie was written by Samson Raphaelson
from the Sigrid Boo novel and directed by Frank Lloyd
, with a cartoon
sequence by Walt Disney
in which an understandably startled Gaynor sings a song while obstreperous animated singing silverware prance around on her bed, an early example of combining live action with animation
. Critics found this musical interlude especially charming.
This film was adapted from Sigrid Boo's 1930 Norwegian novel Vi som går kjøkkenveien ("We Who Enter Through the Kitchen") which has an almost identical plot to Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd
's popular 1917 novel How Could You, Jean? Brainerd's novel had already been adapted into the 1920 film How Could You Jean?
, starring Mary Pickford
. Servants' Entrance plot was strikingly identical plot to the earlier film; as the New York Times commented, "apparently, the old Pickford comedy was already forgotten, and no copyright infringement suit was filed."
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
. The movie was written by Samson Raphaelson
Samson Raphaelson
Samson Raphaelson was an American screenwriter and playwright.Born in New York City, Raphaelson worked on nine films with Ernst Lubitsch, including Trouble in Paradise , The Shop Around the Corner , Heaven Can Wait , and That Lady in Ermine...
from the Sigrid Boo novel and directed by Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd
Frank Lloyd was a film director, scriptwriter and producer...
, with a cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
sequence by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
in which an understandably startled Gaynor sings a song while obstreperous animated singing silverware prance around on her bed, an early example of combining live action with animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. Critics found this musical interlude especially charming.
This film was adapted from Sigrid Boo's 1930 Norwegian novel Vi som går kjøkkenveien ("We Who Enter Through the Kitchen") which has an almost identical plot to Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd
Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd
Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd was an American author of the early 20th century. She published at least 10 novels, mostly written for young women.- Childhood :...
's popular 1917 novel How Could You, Jean? Brainerd's novel had already been adapted into the 1920 film How Could You Jean?
How Could You Jean?
How Could You, Jean? was a silent comedy-drama film, starring Mary Pickford, directed by William Desmond Taylor, and based on a novel by Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd...
, starring Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. Servants' Entrance plot was strikingly identical plot to the earlier film; as the New York Times commented, "apparently, the old Pickford comedy was already forgotten, and no copyright infringement suit was filed."
Cast
- Janet GaynorJanet GaynorJanet Gaynor was an American actress and painter.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
as Hedda Nilsson/Helga Brand - Lew AyresLew AyresLew Ayres was an American actor, best known for starring as Paul in All Quiet on the Western Front and for playing Dr...
as Erik Langstrom - 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:...
as Hjalmar Gnu - Walter ConnollyWalter ConnollyWalter Connolly was an American character actor who appeared in almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939.Connolly was a successful stage actor who appeared in twenty-two Broadway productions between 1916 and 1935, notably revivals of Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author and Chekhov's...
as Viktor Nilsson - Louise DresserLouise DresserLouise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old...
as Mrs. Hanson - G. P. Huntley as Karl Berghoff
- Astrid AllwynAstrid AllwynAstrid Allwyn was an American stage and film actress.She studied dancing and dramatics in New York and later joined a stock company. Allwyn made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Elmer Rice's Street Scene. On the strength of her performance in Once in a Lifetime, she was given film work...
as Sigrid Hanson - Sig RumanSig RumanSig Ruman was a German-American actor known for his comic portrayals of pompous villains.-Life and career:...
as Hans Hansen - John QualenJohn QualenJohn Qualen was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles....
as Detective - Catherine DoucetCatherine DoucetCatherine Doucet was an American actress. She appeared in over 30 films between 1915 and 1954.-Selected filmography:* Playing with Fire * The Steel Trail * Little Man, What Now?...
as Anastasia Gnu