Easy Pickings

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Easy Pickings
Easy Pickings.jpg
Directed by George Archainbaud
Written by Louis Stevens
Based onplay by Paul A. Cruger and William A. Burton
Produced by First National Pictures
Frank Griffin
Starring Anna Q. Nilsson
Kenneth Harlan
Cinematography Charles Van Enger
Distributed byFirst National Pictures
Release date
  • February 20, 1927 (1927-02-20)
Running time
6 reels

Easy Pickings is a 1927 silent film mystery or 'old dark house' story directed by George Archainbaud and starring Anna Q. Nilsson and Kenneth Harlan. It is based on a play written by Paul A. Cruger and William A. Burton. [1] Zack Williams plays the stereotypical Negro servant who mugs his way through the film in an exaggeratedly nervous manner. Comedic actor Billy Bevan plays the detective in the film in a more-serious-than-usual manner, and later went on to appear in Dracula's Daughter (1936) and The Invisible Man Returns (1940). [2]

Contents

Lead actress Nilsson emigrated from Sweden to Hollywood to appear in a number of silent films, but her career could not survive the coming of sound films. Cameraman Van Enger had photographed the 1925 Lon Chaney classic The Phantom of the Opera, and years later would handle the camerawork on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). Director Archainbaud wound up directing TV shows in the 1950s such as The Gene Autry Show and Lassie. [2]

Plot

Mary Ryan and Peter Van Horne get stranded in a haunted house inhabited by some very odd characters. The house is supposed to be haunted by ghosts. A detective (Billy Bevan) shows up to investigate the strange goings-on.

Cast

Preservation

Harlan and Bevan in a still from the film. Easy Pickings 1927 Production Still.jpg
Harlan and Bevan in a still from the film.

At one time the film was considered lost. [4]

Related Research Articles

The following is an overview of 1927 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Q. Nilsson</span> Swedish-American actress (1888–1974)

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<i>The Top of the World</i> (film) 1925 film

The Top of the World is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by George Melford and starring James Kirkwood, Sr., Anna Q. Nilsson, Joseph Kilgour, Mary Mersch, Raymond Hatton, Sheldon Lewis, and Charles A. Post. Based on a 1920 novel of the same title by Ethel M. Dell, the screenplay was written by Jack Cunningham. It was released on February 9, 1925, by Paramount Pictures.

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<i>Night Life</i> (1927 film) 1927 silent drama film

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References

  1. ↑ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Easy Pickings
  2. 1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Midnight Marquee Press. p. 312. ISBN   978-1936168-68-2.
  3. ↑ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog:Easy Pickings
  4. ↑ Easy Pickings at Arne Anderson's Lost Film Files: lost First National films - 1927 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine


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