Show People

Released Nov 11, 1928

1h 22m

Comedy

List

92%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Starry-eyed country girl Peggy Pepper (Marion Davies) dreams of being a movie star. So that she can begin her career, she persuades her father (Dell Henderson) to take her to Hollywood. After a rough start, Pepper catches a break when she meets small-time studio liaison Billy Boone (William Haines), who lands her a job acting in a cheap slapstick comedy. Pepper quickly makes a name for herself and is signed for more high-profile projects, much to the dismay of Boone, who is falling for her.

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Richard Brody

New Yorker

[Vidor] offers droll and tangy glimpses behind the scenes, contrasting the threadbare sets of knockabout comedies with the richly appointed décor of melodramas.

Aug 1, 2022

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

It has laughs, studio atmosphere galore, intimate glimpses of various stars, considerable Hollywood geography, and just enough sense and plausibility to hold it together.

Oct 18, 2008

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

It is a hardy satire on Hollywood life, directed by King Vidor, the versatile producer of "The Big Parade." But he is not alone responsible for the gaiety in this picture, for Marion Davies shares honors with him through her unusually clever acting.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Davies was nonetheless a talented comedienne. It was a gift she too seldom got to exploit...one shining exception was 1928’s Show People...

Dec 2, 2022

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

As one who has said some pretty mean, nasty things about Marion Davies in the past, I am gratified in the extreme to be able to report that, in Show People, she is extraordinarily, uncannily good.

Oct 4, 2021

Full Review

Alexander Bakshy

The Nation

Show People is a fairly amusing comedy, though most of its laughs, one is sorry to say, come from the titles.

Apr 9, 2020

Full Review

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Joel K

Marion Davies' mugging for the camera is hilarious! An old story, but well done. Dialogue (on the title cards) is clever. Tender ending. The original orchestral score adds a lot.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Show People is a hilarious film that has a number of great slapstick moments (and even some funny lines on the intertitles.) I found myself laughing a lot at the movie, particularly in the first act and the climax. There is a section in the middle where the plot takes a more serious turn, as the career of the main character also makes a transition to more dramatic work, but there are still some things to chuckle at in this act as well. I have to applaud the astounding performance of Marion Davies in the film, because her expressions alone are comedy gold. She starts eliciting laughter from her first scene and never stops. It’s also impressive how well she plays the clueless ingenue despite the fact that she had more than a decade of experience in the industry. William Haines is also quite good as her mentor and friend guiding her along the way. There were a handful of cameos in the movie, and for a movie historian who knew all those actors it would probably be pretty cool to see them all show up here. (I only knew Charlie Chaplin.) The plot itself is a familiar one, in fact it has a number of similarities to the oft-remade A Star is Born. I don’t typically enjoy movies that are focused on the corrupting influence of fame, because I get annoyed with the main character and start to lose investment in their story. However, Show People keeps me engaged because it does most of this with comedy sprinkled throughout. It’s not as hard to accept a cocky main character, when she’s acting silly the whole time. This movie also has a wonderful resolution to the story that made it all work much better for me than it has in similarly plotted films that I’ve seen. There are some challenges that come with this being a silent film, though. For one thing, when the story gets dialogue-heavy I do struggle with the quantity of intertitles they have to mix in, because it can hurt the rhythm and pacing of the scene. However, I rarely noticed that in Show People. This movie was all-around fun, and worth watching multiple times in the future, which I don’t think I’ve ever said about a silent film before.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/18/19

Full Review

Audience Member

My favorite silent by far. A beautiful and classic tale that could not have been executed more wondrously.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

david l

Show People is a highly influential, underappreciated and still great comedy which is uneven in its tone, but incredibly charming throughout, very funny in some scenes and particularly effective at capturing the 1920s Hollywood scene thanks in large part to many awesome cameos from the biggest stars of the time. The movie is brisk and hugely entertaining while also benefitting from a charming presence from William Haines and a phenomenal performance from Marion Davies who's such an underrated, very talented comedic actress. The two share great chemistry and the romance is lovely. Consequently, it's one of the era's most purely entertaining, endearing comedies.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A delightful silent comedy with my personal weakness: the "behind the scenes" workings of early Hollywood

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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King Vidor

Director

Marion Davies

Peggy Pepper

William Haines

Billy Boone

Dell Henderson

General Marmaduke Oldfish Pepper

Paul Ralli

Andre Telefair

Tenen Holtz

Casting director

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Synopsis

Starry-eyed country girl Peggy Pepper (Marion Davies) dreams of being a movie star. So that she can begin her career, she persuades her father (Dell Henderson) to take her to Hollywood. After a rough start, Pepper catches a break when she meets small-time studio liaison Billy Boone (William Haines), who lands her a job acting in a cheap slapstick comedy. Pepper quickly makes a name for herself and is signed for more high-profile projects, much to the dismay of Boone, who is falling for her.

Director: King Vidor
Screenwriter: Agnes Christine Johnston, Laurence Stallings, Wanda Tuchock
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Cosmopolitan Pictures
Genre: Comedy
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1928, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Jun 14, 2012
Runtime: 1h 22m