Bobbed Hair

Marie Prevost and Kenneth Harlan star in this inspired comedy, which was ironically based on a novel written by twenty famous authors, each of whom contributed a chapter. The point of each chapter was to put the characters in such a tight predicament that the next writer would have to be exceptionally clever to get them out of it. As can be imagined, the film that resulted from the book was fast-paced and had almost constant action.

Connemara Moore (Marie Prevost) has two suitors, one who likes bobbed hair and the other who doesn't. Both have proposed and she promises to reveal which one she has accepted by either bobbing her hair or not bobbing. In reality, she can't decide between them, so she accepts a ride with a stranger, David Lacy (Kenneth Harlan, at the time Prevost's real-life husband). The ride leads her to all sorts of adventures involving bootleggers, a fight on a private yacht, an attack by hijackers, and other tense situations. Connemara is rescued by Lacy, who turns out to be a government agent, and when she shows up with only half her hair bobbed, it's an indication that she has chosen him as her husband-to-be.

With the exception of the Ernest Lubitsch classic, The Marriage Circle, Bobbed Hair may very well be Prevost's best silent vehicle. However, Prevost is just another pretty Hollywood starlet that deserves to be a cult goddess! Lubitsch once said "she was one of the few actresses in Hollywood who knew how to underplay comedy to achieve the maximum effect." Beyond the films romantic trappings, it's full of wonderful slapstick moments. Much credit should be given to director Alan Crosland, who delivers a funny, fast-paced, and offbeat story, enlivened by animated performances from the two leads, in what was a popular sophisticated comedy that has now become just another forgotten silent film.