Product Details

• Actors: Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson, Louise Brooks, Gregory Kelly, Claire McDowell
• Directors: Malcolm St. Clair
• Format: Black & White, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kino Video
• VHS Release Date: June 27, 2000
• Run Time: 82 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304980760
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,204 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Video > Comedy > By Year > 1920-1929
  #2 in	Video > Classics > Silent Films > Comedy
  #74 in	Video > Comedy > Satire

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enter Louise Brooks, July 27, 2001

By	Diana Savage (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

It's hard not to give a movie with Louise Brooks 5 stars, but this just isn't her best vehicle. In fact she only has a supporting role. But anything with Louise's smile is worth watching. If you don't own Pandoria's Box get it first, this is masterpiece. Other Louise Brooks are hard to find but can be worth the effort. Beggar's of Life is a point in example. Nut if you have Pandor's Box get this, it's worth it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Sterling crashes a Ford, December 31, 2008

By	Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Director Malcolm St. Clair's adaptation of the George Kelly stageplay THE SHOW-OFF is actually a Ford Sterling vehicle, despite cover art depicting Louise Brooks, who here portrays the girlfriend of a secondary character.

Sterling is best known as Chief of Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops. In this story he's the bragadocious J. Aubrey Piper, a carnation-wearing railroad clerk claiming to be a wealthy company big shot. Aubrey proposes to Amy Fisher (Wilson), which displeases her parents who are little-impressed with him, as they've been told the truth about their future son-in-law's lowly position and net worth. The two marry anyway, and spendthrift Aubrey is unable to support his bride on a clerk's pay.

After he wins a car in a raffle, Aubrey (who doesn't know how to operate it) causes several accidents by driving on the wrong side of the road. In the process of crashing the auto, Aubrey pins a traffic cop against a wall. In court he's unable to pay a $1,000 fine, so his brother Joe (Kelly) helps out, which causes a whole new set of problems.


In 1946, Red Skelton starred in one of the many remakes of THE SHOW OFF (1946). (VHS only)

This silent Sterling/Brooks version is also available from IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT as a comedy double feature, along with THE PLASTIC AGE (1925), featuring "It" Girl Clara Bow in a minor role. (DVD only)


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(6.9) The Show Off (1926) - Ford Sterling/Lois Wilson/Louise Brooks/Gregory Kelly/Claire McDowell/Charles Goodrich/Joseph W. Smiley

5.0 out of 5 stars Louise Brooks makes the film, April 27, 2001

By	bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This is another good film to add to your LuLu collection. This is a screen adaptation of a play "The Show 0ff - A transcript of life in three acts" by George Kelly in 1923. The title tells it all. A show off Aubrey Piper, (Ford Sterling) through misleads, misdeeds a family into ruin.

Louise Brooks plays Clara, Joe's Girl.

This 82-minuet film is backed up with a violin and piano score, directed and compiled by Timothy Brock. Timothy Brock is a composer of concert hall and film music, and the conductor/music director of the Olympia Chamber Orchestra in Olympia, Washington, USA.