Souls for Sale (1923) User Reviews (31)

A fascinating look at Hollywood behind the scenes, in the silent era

[wmorrow59 · 7/10 · 12 November 2001]

Movie buffs and anyone interested in Hollywood history will find much to enjoy in the silent comedy/drama Souls for Sale, that is, if they can find it at all. Last time I checked, this film is not available on video or in any other format for home viewing, and may never be unless some serious restoration work takes place: the print I saw at the Museum of Modern Art last year was badly tattered in places, with a confusing turn in the plot at one point which suggested that a chunk of footage must be missing. But even allowing for its battered condition, this is an enjoyable, unusual and engaging movie which offers modern viewers a priceless time trip back to 1920s Hollywood. It was directed by the multi-talented Rupert Hughes, who adapted the scenario from his own novel. The story concerns a young woman named Remember Steddon (known as "Mem"), who runs away from an impulsive marriage, finds herself in the movie capital, and eventually becomes a star almost by accident. Leading lady Eleanor Boardman, perhaps best remembered for her later work in King Vidor's The Crowd, makes a charming and attractive -- if oddly named -- heroine, giving a performance that is nicely understated for the era. Her character's failed screen test is a highlight, and also demonstrates genuine skill on Boardman's part: it isn't easy to simulate "bad" acting so convincingly.

The tone is melodramatic one moment and comic the next, yet somehow the shifts in mood feel natural and never jarring; author Hughes' witty title cards help keep the transitions smooth. Viewers familiar with Colleen Moore's 1926 comedy Ella Cinders may notice some similarities between the two films, each of which is a rags-to-riches tale with lots of backstage atmosphere and inside jokes. However, Souls for Sale distinguishes itself with an amazing parade of star cameos featuring some of the era's top personalities. Charlie Chaplin, without his familiar make-up, can be briefly glimpsed staging a scene from his landmark feature A Woman of Paris, and Erich Von Stroheim, looking suitably grim, is seen on the set of the wedding feast from his legendary drama Greed. Meanwhile, the featured performers constitute a veritable Who's Who of prominent screen personalities of the time, including Richard Dix, Mae Busch, Barbara La Marr, and a very young William Haines, in an early role as an assistant director. Lew Cody is especially memorable as a sleazy con man who turns out to be even worse than he appears. Also noteworthy for history-minded viewers are the satirical digs at the contemporary craze for 'Sheik' movies (poor Rudolph Valentino was much parodied during his lifetime), and several oblique but unmistakable references to the sex scandals then rocking Hollywood. The story builds to an exciting finale on the set of a circus picture, but unfortunately the print I saw was especially choppy during this climactic sequence, and the action was difficult to follow at times.

P.S. January 2006: Good news for silent film fans! A beautifully restored, newly scored print of Souls for Sale has been broadcast on TCM, giving this undeservedly forgotten movie a new lease on life. The restoration gives us an opportunity to savor the exceptional cinematography of John J. Mescall, complete with period color tinting effects, while Marcus Sjöwall's score complements and supports the action admirably. Unfortunately, there is still a portion of lost footage at a key juncture in the story (we lack the moment when Mem learns about her husband's criminal past), but the wild and woolly circus finale has been properly reconstructed, and concludes the movie on a rousing note. The newly restored version of this film is a delight, and an absolute must for viewers interested in the silent era.

Hollywood Be Thy Name

[lugonian · 8/10 · 24 January 2006]

The title SOULS FOR SALE (Goldwyn Studios, 1923), directed by Rupert Hughes, might give some indication to anyone not familiar with this particular silent movie to be a horror tale about Satan worshipers at an auction block. It is, in fact, a Hollywood story. Not quite what is expected from the legendary "A Star is Born," yet something more to a "What Price Hollywood" theme centering upon actors who, figuratively speaking, selling their souls for the price of fame, and showing the frightening risk they make for the sake of their art. An interesting screenplay starring Eleanor Boardman (best known today for her performance in director King Vidor's contemporary drama, "The Crowd" (1928)), in her first leading role, director Hughes places the top-named celebrities of the day to cameo appearances, providing viewers an inside look of actual movies currently in production.

The story revolves around a small town girl named Remember (Eleanor Boardman), (a name not to forget), whose leaves her minister father (Forrest Robinson) and mother (Edith Yorke) to marry Owen Studder (Lew Cody), who, unknown to her, is a confidence man who marries, has his wife insured and murders them. While on a honeymoon train heading for Los Angeles to go on a boat to China, Remember suddenly finds herself fearing this man, and after the train makes a water stop, she climbs down from the observation platform, only to have the train take off, leaving her alone in the middle of nowhere. Fainting due to excessive desert heat, "Mem" awakens to find herself comforted by a sheik (no, it's not Rudolph Valentino), who happens to be Tom Holby (Frank Mayo), an actor from a motion picture company on location. After she regains her strength to go on, director Frank Claymore (Richard Dix) offers her extra work in the movies. After the company departs, "Mem," in need of work, comes to Hollywood where she makes her rounds to the casting offices at various studios, and in doing so, she gets to witness famous celebrities and directors at work. Meeting up with Claymore again, he offers her screen tests and bit parts until Robina Teele (Mae Busch), the leading lady in his upcoming circus movie, meets with an accident, having Claymore cast Mem in the lead instead. Claymore has fallen in love with Mem and wants to marry her, but can't because of her marriage to a man whose reputation might cause a scandal. More problems arise when Studder, now broke, who had seen Mem in a movie, decides to cash in on her success by wanting to come back into her life, much against her better judgment.

The supporting players consists of William Haines as Pinkey, the assistant director; Barbara LaMarr as Love LaMaire, "the screen's best hated vamp"; Dale Fuller, Aileen Pringle, Snitz Edwards, as well as 35 guest stars ranging from notable, forgotten and legendary performers of the day. Film enthusiasts will endure watching Erich Von Stroheim directing Jean Hersholt in "Greed"; Charlie Chaplin directing "A Woman of Paris"; along with the lesser known Fred Niblo directing "The Famous Mrs. Fair." Key scenes include the filming of a circus story realistically destroyed by a blaze of fire.

SOULS FOR SALE was one of many silent movies of the period to have become missing links over the years, with no known prints to survive. As luck would have it, a copy was discovered sometime in the 1970s in Czechoslovakia Eileen Bowser, film historian from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. While SOULS FOR SALE premiered on Turner Classic Movies on January 24, 2006, newly scored by Marcus Sjowall, its television broadcast history actually didn't begin there, but 27 years prior on a public television station in New York City, WNET, Channel 13, July 15, 1978, on a scarcely noticed series dedicated to the discovery of lost and found movies appropriately titled "Lost and Found" hosted by Richard Schickel, with Bowser as consultant, airing on eight consecutive Saturday evenings from June to August 1978. Following its 80 minute and music-scored presentation, an after film discussion took place with Schickel giving a profile on other movies with Hollywood related themes, including "Hollywood" (1923), "Merton of the Movies" (1924), both lost films; "The Extra Girl" (1923), "Show People" among many others, along with the discovery of SOULS FOR SALE. Aside from limited rebroadcasts and theatrical screenings at the Museum of Modern Art, SOULS FOR SALE remains a forgotten item from cinema history. Yet, some questions remain, "What becomes of movies, particularly silent ones, after it ends its run on television?" Some have been distributed to video cassette the way it was formerly shown, others with using different underscoring, some with no scores at all. "If these movies have already been scored, why go through the trouble of re-scoring them?" It's obvious that the staff of TCM had no indication that SOULS FOR SALE ever played on television before, since "Lost and Found" was not nationally syndicated nor did it ever go through the rerun process afterwards. As mentioned by TCM host Robert Osborne, TCM acquired a print but minus music score. "Couldn't a print be leased from the already scored copy from MOMA?" Quite possible, however, the 1978 TV presentation happened to be ten minutes shorter than the TCM showing, indicating missing footage now restored. One thing to be thankful for, that TCM appears to be the only cable channel to go through the bother of dedicating and bringing obscure silents such as this back from the dead, plus a chance to give young composers, such as Sjowall, a chance to display his God-given talent. His newly composed score fits every mood of the story to perfection.

A find blend of humor, drama and suspense, SOULS FOR SALE, for what it is, succeeds to be a watchable little item. One can only hope for further rebroadcasts (DVD distribution 2009 from TCM Archive) for SOULS FOR SALE to become better known today. (***)

Hollywood apologetics

[klg19 · 7/10 · 24 February 2006]

A truly enjoyable romp down Hollywood's memory lane comes to us courtesy, really, of Turner Classic Movies' "Young Film Composers Competition." The latest winner, Marcus Sjowall, was given the opportunity to provide a score to a silent film that had lost its own, and a very fine job Mr Sjowall did, too.

In 1923, Rupert Hughes directed this production of his eponymous novel. The scandals of the very early 1920s had evidently been on his mind, and Hughes wanted to counteract all that bad publicity. He acknowledges the scandals, then sets out to surmount them with title-card after title-card describing the long hours and hard work of Hollywood's employees, going so far at one point as to describe the work as "factory-hard," which must have been startling to young girls slaving away in sweatshops for pennies a day.

The story that conveys this message of virtuousness in Babylon concerns one Remember "Mem" Stodden, the daughter of a reverend who denounces Hollywood from his pulpit. Mem has married Owen Scudder in haste, but does not plan to repent at leisure--she hops from their train on the honeymoon trip. Stumbling through the desert, Mem collapses on the location set of a sheikh film (just as Eddie Cantor would do 14 years later, in "Ali Baba Goes to Town"), where she attracts the attention of the leading man. She shuns the film folk, though, and goes to work at a small hotel, but is laid off at the end of the season.

She decides to try her hand at the movies after all, and this begins perhaps the oddest part of the film. Successive scenes show movie people at work--directors, actors, cameramen, extras--and clearly this is Hughes at work, rehabilitating his coworkers. This is neither about the Glamour Factory nor an industry expose; it's more of a big infomercial for the movie business. It's fascinating to note which real-life stars are still recognizable today, and which prompt a confused, "Who??" Which isn't to say that Hughes doesn't get his digs in here and there. The vamp, the sheikh, the publicity shots that create a myth, the national screen sweetheart who's maybe just a little bit catty in real life--Hughes captures it all. My favorite set piece of this kind is Mem's screen test: she watches in the screening room in horror as she mugs and prances about on-screen, just as many silent actors of her era did: "Has anyone ever been so terrible on film"? Another nice one is Reverend Steddon's stunned reaction when he runs up to Mem on a circus picture set only to find a stunt man dressed in aerialist drag.

These scenes of Hollywood life are intercut with the travels of Owen Scudder, who is, it turns out, a wanted man, a Bluebeard who marries then kills. We see him court another victim, and later get very satisfactorily hoist with his own petard. Eventually, he reads about his wife's success, and comes to Hollywood to cash in.

This creates a kind of love rectangle, made up of Mem, her director, her leading man, and her no-good husband, all of which is satisfactorily settled in the dramatic closing scenes.

The film has had a lot of work done--many of its title cards seem to have gone missing, and the ones that are substituted often have modern-sounding phrasing, which led me to wonder if we were getting the same story as was originally told. The score is superb: evocative and subtle. The print is choppy; at one point a brief scene is inserted of one of Scudder's victims without context or explanation, and that can get a little disconcerting.

But it's an interesting film, funny and touching in many places, and a wonderful evocation of time and place.

What a treat!

[ecjones1951 · 7/10 · 24 January 2006]

Tonight "Souls for Sale" premiered on Turner Classic Movies with a wonderful new score by Marcus Sjowall, winner of the TCM 6th Annual Young Film Composers competition.

I cannot say if this is the best available print of this long-forgotten film, but it's (relatively) clean, and the hand-tinting ranges from obvious, (in the desert scenes), to moody and evocative, (in the train sequence that opens the film and the fire later on). Its director and screenwriter, Rupert Hughes, was the uncle of Howard Hughes. He based the screenplay on his own novel, and if any of the other six films he directed are as good as this, I'd like to see them.

Eleanor Boardman was a lovely actress, whose character in "Souls for Sale" is improbably named Remember Steddon, nicknamed "Mem." Boardman was adept at both comedy and drama, and tended to "emote" far less than was the style of the era. Compare her performance with that of Barbara LaMarr in this film, who was far better known at the time. (And LaMarr is a little more restrained than usual here.) Boardman has a dream role in "Souls for Sale": she literally tumbles off a train into the midst of a big budget Hollywood production being filmed in the desert, unexpectedly becoming an actress in the process.

This gentle lampooning of the Valentino sheik pictures sets in motion a series of send-ups of various Hollywood genres of the silent era: historical and costume dramas, burlesques and action films. Boardman's parts grow steadily larger while she gains more and more confidence in herself and her talents. It's a lovely transformation to watch as she grows from a sheltered, small-town minister's daughter to a queen of the silent screen.

Along the way, Mem rubs shoulders with countless Hollywood stars of the period and at least a half-dozen directors, including Charles Chaplin (filming "A Woman of Paris") and Erich Von Stroheim, who was filming "Greed." Since its earliest days, one of Hollywood's favorite subjects has been itself. Some movies about the Dream Factory come across as heavy-handed ("The Day of the Locust"), others as cynical and knowing ("The Player"), and still others as a pleasing blend of cynicism and comedy ("Singing in the Rain"). "Souls for Sale" seems to me to have all the best elements of a Hollywood on Hollywood movie. It's funny, warm, entertaining and engaging all the way, with a breathtaking climax.

More and more silent films are lost every year. Each time I discover one as good as "Souls for Sale," I know there are probably a half a dozen more films just as good that are gone forever. Thank heaven for the painstaking work of film preservationists. As a silent film enthusiast, I am so grateful for opportunities like the one TCM viewers got this evening.

Classic story told with little flair

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 6 April 2014]

For a modern audience, Souls for Sale (1923) is nothing we have not seen before. It's the small-town girl becomes big star overnight story, with healthy helpings of romantic melodrama thrown in. It's a story that can be done well, but here it's done with little to distinguish it from other movies of its kind.

Eleanor Boardman, a truly underrated talent, does well in the lead, with all the other actors giving solid performances. Silent film mavens will enjoy the topical humor and cameos of famous directors and stars of the early 1920s. (My favorite inter-title takes a jab at The Sheik (1921), a masterpiece of old time kitsch.) In the end, silent film geeks will get more out of this than casual viewers will.

The Hollywood Circus from Rupert Holmes

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 12 September 2009]

Beautiful Eleanor Boardman (as Remember "Mem" Steddon) has just married amorous Lew Cody (as Owen Scudder). But, contemplating her coming honeymoon nights makes Ms. Boardman recoil from Mr. Cody. Suddenly, Boardman jumps off the train carrying the unhappily married couple through the desert of early Los Angeles, California. Almost dead from struggling through the Hollywood sand, Boardman collapses on the location setting for a movie directed by Richard Dix (as Frank Claymore). Boardman reluctantly decides to bloom where she is planted; and, she becomes a movie star. Boardman is romanced by "director" Dix and matinée idol Frank Mayo (as Tom Holby). Meanwhile, estranged husband Cody plans his "comeback"…

The melodramatic "Souls for Sale" moves way too quickly, and is not structured for easy viewing. For example, details about the characters played by Boardman and Cody are revealed too late for full dramatic impact. The story is more interesting during a second viewing. Writer Rupert Holmes (uncle of eccentric Howard Hughes) didn't direct many movies, but he does exceptionally well, helming his own "Souls for Sale". The direction of the "circus" scenes is filled with exciting, memorable moments. And, the calmer scenes aren't bad either, like the scene wherein Cody holds framed photographs of his handsome rivals (Dix and Mayo) up to Boardman's mirror. Big names in 1923 filmdom appear in supporting and cameo roles.

******* Souls for Sale (3/27/23) Rupert Holmes ~ Eleanor Boardman, Lew Cody, Richard Dix, Frank Mayo

A brilliant film from the heart

[jhoward-6 · 9/10 · 3 January 2010]

Here it is! Warner has opened up its archives and now you can request any of their classics and they will (hopefully) burn one for you. Souls For Sale is an obvious attempt by director Hughes to present Hollywood as a community of hardworking, hard working souls, after the disastrous Arbuckle scandal of 1921. Eleanor Boardman (looking incredible) is Remember Steddman,(SPOILERS COMING) who gets a break when Mae Busch suffers a broken leg. There is much to treasure in this film. Even Richard Dix gives his all as the love struck director. But I mustn't tell you too much. I find this to be a very moving film, particularly Ms Boardman's fine acting (esp. in her screen test). Numerous cameos by Zazu Pitts, Barbara Bedford et al. only enhance the authenticity. Lew Cody, in a well-drawn portrait of evil, is not totally bad, and he is in fact quite funny at times. Barbara La Marr and Aileen Pringle also lend their considerable talents. And I must mention the excellent crowd scenes, esp. in the fire near the end. All in all the characters are a realistic balance of plusses and minusses, giving fine ensemble performances, making this a film to be viewed and viewed again.

Bless TCM

[hcoursen · 24 January 2006]

I am discovering that lost Atlantis known as the "silent" film. They were never silent, of course. Turner commissioned Marcus Sjovall to write a score for its print of "Souls for Sale" and the music adds to the melodrama. Eleanor Boardman is appealing in an early role as a woman escaping her husband (who hasn't really married her). The escape is improbable as is her rescue by a film star on a camel. The film being made is a Valentino takeoff, of course. But Eleanor must conceal her "marriage" as she, again improbably, emerges from a disastrous screen test to become a star. The allusion, of course, is to the scandals that were destroying careers in 1920 Hollywood -- Fatty Arbuckle, for example. The joy of this film is in its depiction of 1920s Hollywood at work. We get brief takes of Stroheim, Chaplin, and Marshall Nielan directing and some "films within a film," a la Buster Keyton and Woody Allen. While the ending is a somewhat confusing montage, it shows Director Richard Dix finding himself making a film about a circus fire instead of just a circus. We assume that this one will top the 4 other circus films being made at other studios (the Sheik craze having apparently passed by). Amusingly, we are told that Boardman's mother is staying with her in Hollywood, but that information is provided only to tell us that she is not there the night Boardman's former "husband" (a wonderfully sleazy Lew Colby) sneaks into her bedroom. The mother never makes another appearance. The title card that got her out of the house was totally unnecessary since we didn't know she was there in the first place. "Souls for Sale" is an exciting melodrama and also valuable -- as so many of these silents are -- for its detailed backgrounds of places that no longer exist. TCM is doing a lot to restore our vivid past to us, and I'm sure we are all grateful.

Eleanor's Soul In The Hands Of A Heel

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 25 April 2010]

Souls For Sale casts Eleanor Boardman as a young preacher's kid with a thirst for life outside her stuffy small town. She gets a whirlwind courtship from Lew Cody and marries him. But something tells her that he's no good and she runs away, unfortunately out into the desert.

Where by the merest chance a Hollywood motion picture company is shooting a silent screen epic having to do with sheiks. A guy named Valentino made those most popular back in that day. So imagine Eleanor's surprise when star Frank Mayo comes riding up in full Lawrence of Arabia regalia. Would you blame her for thinking it's a mirage?

Mayo likes her, but Boardman's got eyes for Richard Dix the director. Still given her marriage in haste to Cody she can't commit to Dix and can't tell him the reason why.

While Boardman is climbing the ladder of success in Hollywood, it's revealed that Cody is as bad a villain that ever graced a Victorian melodrama. He's out to get Boardman now that she's a celebrity and woe betide anyone in his way.

I said that Cody was a character out of a Victorian melodrama and in point of fact even with the trappings of Hollywood in a then modern story, Souls For Sale does belong in the Victorian age. Still with its many cameo appearances of Hollywood personalities of the day appearing as themselves, the film is an interesting look at the movie capital during the silent era.

By Hollywood, about Hollywood, and for anyone who loves Hollywood movies

[Irie212 · 8/10 · 8 August 2009]

Auteur Rupert Hughes, an uncle of Howard Hughes, directed only six films, all silent, but he was famous enough to be one of only 19 Hollywood celebrities in a marvelous caricature in Vanity Fair in 1921 (shown at his Wikipedia entry).

As far as I can tell, "Souls for Sale" is the only of his movies available on DVD, and it's as lively and characteristic an intro to silent films as Keaton's "Our Hospitality" from the same year.

The subject is Hollywood itself, and a great deal is exposed about behind-the-scenes studio production. Highlights include: A revelatory look at the pressure of screen tests. A brief scene on the actual set of "Greed" with von Stroheim and Hersholt. An outdoor scene with Chaplin directing. A long scene (probably filmed at the Guadalupe Sand Dunes in Santa Barbara County, location of "The Sheik") which parodies Valentino's signature role, complete with camel close-ups. The dramatic ending of "Souls for Sale" is a conflagration on the set of a circus film (a popular genre in the 20s) that effectively uses color tinting for flames. But best of all, "Souls for Sale" has performances or cameos by about 80(!) celebrities of the era, from Aileen Pringle to ZaSu Pitts, and including the fabulous Snitz Edwards.

"Souls for Sale" is a also good intro because the whole sprawling plot is held together with a typical silent-era story, a melodrama with runaway bride, evil husband, handsome suitor, strict parents—and happy, sentimental, redemptive ending.

Souls for Sale review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 30 June 2020]

The glimpses of the behind-the-scenes workings of the Hollywood studio system in this showbiz saga from writer-director Rupert Hughes are fascinating to see (Chaplin and von Stroheim - who brushes his hair before filming a scene - are some of many shown at work) but the director can find no way of integrating them into the plot of heroine Eleanor Boardman's near-accidental rise to movie stardom. In fact, that strand of the plot, which, in the wake of numerous real-life Hollywood scandals, seems to be going out of its way to convince us of just how hard these poor movie stars work, is of less interest than the exploits of Boardman's estranged husband (Lew Cody), a serial killer who marries women for their money. The finale, played out against a raging Big Top fire, has to be seen to be believed.

"The Usual Sheik Led the Usual Captive Across the Usual Dessert"

[boblipton · 8/10 · 24 January 2006]

So reads a title card in this not brilliant but enormously entertaining comedy-drama from 1923. Rupert Hughes did the screenplay and the direction from his own novel and he has a great main cast, including Eleanor Boardman, Richard Dix, Mae Busch, William Haines, Lew Cody.... well, the list goes on and on, because there are dozens of cameos here, including shots of Chaplin directing A WOMAN OF Paris and von Stroheim directing GREED, in this kindhearted look at Hollywood. It is a feast for lovers of old movies who love to play spot the stars, and everyone seems to be having a fine old time.

True, the print is a bit battered, but in compensation TCM has just had a new score commissioned for it, part of their Young Composers series. I must say it is the best score they have had done since they started this, and it does what a score should do: underline and intensify the mood of the movie and, in the sentiments of Charlie Chaplin, give the audience something nice to listen to if the movie is a stinker.

It's not a must see movie if you're looking for great film making, but if you're looking for a great popcorn movie, this is one from 1923. It's well worth the time of any film buff.

Eleanor Boardman, Easy to Care About

[theognis-80821 · 6/10 · 11 June 2023]

Remember Steddon (Eleanor Boardman), a very pretty, naive young woman, succumbs to a masher (Lew Cody) and elopes away from her father, a preacher who rails against the evils of Hollywood. On her wedding night, her cold feet lead her to jump from a train and wander in the desert without food or water, until she is rescued by a movie unit on location, which includes Tom Holby and Richard Dix, who are very taken with her. We get to see something of how movies are made, while being introduced to some prominent actors and directors of the period (e.g. Chaplin and von Stroheim). An attractive young woman (Eve Southern) offers herself to a casting director; hence, the title. This movie may have served as inspiration for youngsters thinking of independence from home in those days. Added music (2006) by Marcus Sjowall fits well.

Great behind the scenes view of Hollywood---but the rest of the film is just plain bad.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 26 April 2010]

This is a film that's great to see if you are a fan of silent films. However, don't be mistaken...this is a bad film otherwise. This is because the film has a lot of nice behind the scenes looks at Hollywood, but the plot of the film itself is pretty poor.

The film begins with Mem on her honeymoon. Oddly, however, she suddenly realizes that he gives her the creeps and she ditches the train and hikes away into the night. This is good for you, as ti turns out the guy is a Bluebeard who marries and then kills his wives for money. How she knew r to leave, though, is one of those bizarre things that only happens in movies. For next portion of the film, the husband runs around robbing women and evading the law. At the same time, she wanders into a film shoot and ingratiates herself to the director and one of the leading ladies. With this odd blundering start, she begins her rise from a bit player to a leading star.

After Mem has made it big, the serial killing husband returns. Now Mem DOES know what he really was and yet she keeps his secret! I know she might be worried about her career and how her marriage to an evil nutter could be impacted, but he IS a homicidal maniac. Letting him go and hiding the fact that he's so dangerous just makes no sense at all. Nor does it make any sense when Mem rejects the nice director's advances since she's already married--though the marriage was never consummated and he WAS a psycho! Nor does it make sense in the climactic scene where the serial killing husband tries to do what he does best--kill someone. However, when Mem steps into the path of a bladed killing machine manned by the loony murderer, he jumps of and dies saving Mem. Why, exactly, would a psycho murderer do this?! After all, he IS a psycho murderer!!!! None of this plot makes much sense and it play like the films "A Star is Born" merged into "Psycho"!! And, as a result, it's a pretty stupid mess--despite its ridiculously high overall score.

Now you might think that how much I hated the film and my almost average score of 4 don't jibe. However, I give it a 4 mostly because you get to see some behind the scenes peeks at some of the stars and directors of the day--though some of the clips are way too short and weren't integrated well into the film (such as that by Von Stroheim and Chaplin). The only problem with all this is that most of the stars from 1923 are practically unknown today. While I know a lot more than the average film viewer, I didn't recognize many of them and also noticed that a lot of big stars weren't in the film. I recognized a few like Fred Niblo (famous for directing Garbo), Richard Dix (playing the director), Chester Conklin and a few others--but for the most part, it looked like viewing someone's home movies and having no idea who many in the scenes were. Interesting but hardly a must-see--even for devoted fans of silents like myself. For a MUCH better film without the stupid plot, try watching the delightful "Show People" with Marion Davies. It, too, has a lot of great behind the scenes cameos--more and better ones in fact. Plus, the film is terrific apart from that.

Nice Silent

[Michael_Elliott · 26 September 2009]

Souls for Sale (1923)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A young woman, Remember Steddon (Eleanor Boardman) is on a train, hours after her wedding to an evil man (Lew Cody) when she decides to jump overboard. She walks through the desert only to be rescued by a movie actor and his director (Richard Dix) who eventually falls for the woman and swears to make her a star. This Goldwyn Pictures release has become quite famous over the years due to several famous cameos that pop up throughout the running time. The most famous is a scene with Erich von Stroheim directing a scene from GREED and one of Chaplin directing A WOMAN IN Paris. We also gets scenes from THE ETERNAL THREE and THE FAMOUS MRS. FAIR, which is important as both of these films are now lost so seeing the footage here is the only thing we have left. We also get cameos from various other famous faces but in the end, all this sidetrack really takes away from the actual story trying to be told. That story itself really isn't all that interesting or entertaining as it's quite bland and straight-forward even for 1923 standards. The entire subplot with the husband being a serial killer really seems out of place and leads to some rather silly drama. What does work are the performances with Boardman coming off extremely good here. She's very believable in the "ordinary" role and the young Dix is also quite good as the leading man. Mae Busch, Barbara La Marr and Frank Mayo are also nice in their roles. Cody is good as the serial killer even though his character wasn't needed. Back in the 20's and 30's Hollywood was great at making movies about itself. This one here isn't one of the best but there are enough curious aspect for film buffs to give it a shot.

Rupert Hughes's fine take on a trending Hollywood drama, but I'd any day choose King Vidor's "Show People" (1928) over it.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

Souls For Sale (1923) : Movie Review -

Rupert Hughes's fine take on a trending Hollywood drama, but I'd any day choose King Vidor's "Show People" (1928) over it. Though Souls For Sale was made 5 years before King Vidor's classic, Show People, I couldn't resist myself from making this comparison because both films revolve around the same theme. There is a lot of drama in Rupert's flick, and it lacks comedy to be called a comedy. On the other hand, Vidor's film was all about drama, and it has that karma theme intellectually attached to it. Let's keep Souls For Sale away from comparisons for a while, but you can make comparisons after watching both films, not before that. It's just that I can't stop making comparisons when I see films made on a similar subject or theme, so I got carried away by my stubbornness. Souls For Sale is about a runaway bride who finds herself a big career in Hollywood. As expected, her past comes back to haunt her and spoil her present and future, but her present lovers are there to save her this time. Things are quite predictable here, but the dramatic presentation really keeps you engaged for one and a half hours. Those enchanting cameos of Hollywood stars and directors were like a treat to the eyes. A couple of them included unseen BTS footage from "A Woman of Paris" (1923) and "Greed" (1924), which were filmed around the same time. It was some kind of nostalgia for me because I have seen those two films. Well, the rest of the film goes with the tide, filling every column of a mainstream drama. Even though it is overdramatic on occasions, that extreme drama is also very cautious about the outcome. Eleanor Boardman, as "mem," is "remembered" to date. Richard Dix and Frank Mayo, as competitors, suited the job, while Lew Cody came for a shorter time but left a strong impact. Rupert Hughes' flick is what we call a typical drama, but it wasn't so typical 100 years ago, right? One must look at contemporary cinema to understand the merits of this movie, and kudos to whoever thought of such a title and those thoughtful intertitles about the movie business.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

"I'll make an actress of you if I have to break your heart and every bone in your body!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 13 November 2023]

I guess I'll consider myself fortunate for catching this on Turner Classic Movies the other day, seeing as how so many other reviewers commented on the silent film's deficiencies going back a number of years. For one thing, the restoration shown made the complete film watchable without noticeable flaws or disruptions to continuity, and containing the musical score added in 2006 by Marcus Sjowall. If I can reference another reviewer's comments here on IMDb who stated there was a missing scene when Remember 'Mem' Steddon (Eleanor Boardman) became aware that her husband was a murderer, the print I viewed showed her becoming visibly upset when she saw a Wanted Poster for Owen Scudder (Lew Cody). For the 1920's, a thousand dollar reward seemed kind of generous, but then again, he was marrying women for their money and killing them to collect on insurance policies. Pretty nasty stuff. Perhaps more credible was Mem's offer of a movie contact as a background extra for thirty five dollars a week, even after an awful screen test! I can't say the entire story here was very credible, but it did make for entertaining viewing, particularly with the abundant cameos of leading silent film actors of the day. Notable by their presence were Erich Von Stroheim and Charlie Chaplin directing films of their own, and a quick glimpse of Zasu Pitts. After Mem is given the opportunity to replace the leading lady in a circus film, Scudder shows up to confront her about their still legal status, and after threatening to stab herself, disaster strikes the movie set when lightning ignites the circus tents on fire! For 1923, it was quite a sensational sight to see the panic of the movie folks and customers swarm away from the scene. "Souls For Sale" might give the impression of making a bargain with the devil, but here it had more to do with the sacrifices one had to make in order to become successful negotiating the pressures involved in the moving picture business.

Spot the Celebs!

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 18 July 2016]

It's little like Busby Berkley's "42nd Street" if Ruby Keeler had been pursued by Jack the Ripper or Simon Legree. I was unable to catch the whole film so my comments have to be qualified.

Yes, Mem is a pretty young lady escaping her prudish past and she winds up first as a novice actress in Hollywood, then the star. It's fun to watch but unless your an aficionado of silent movies you're liable to miss the celebrities who appear as themselves. I mean, Charlie Chaplin and Eric von Stroheim, of course, but the ever popular Mae Busch?

The story, what I was able to catch of it, is engaging enough and there are entertaining moments sprinkled throughout. To tell the truth, making a silent movie looks a whole lot easier than making a movie with sound, although John Ford claimed it was the other way round. In one scene, the director tells Mem to really FEEL her tears because the audience can tell if you're merely acting. That's hard to believe.

It does seem watchable however, and a lot more than that if you're familiar with the period context.

I loved Souls for Sale 1923

[melancholytrolop · 9/10 · 24 January 2006]

I don't normally enjoy silent movies and watch only about halfway through BUT "Souls for Sale" 1923 was a delight! It was fun for me to actually see some of the famous names I'd only read about.You get the feeling that you are visiting Hollywood of yesteryear. As a matter of fact my niece commented "it looks like a commercial for Hollywood".If you are like me, you are fascinated by OLD Hollywood; I love the gossip, the scandals, the old cemeteries, etc. What's amusing is that they are "poking fun" at their own foibles and it was still such an innocent place!Keep your eyes on the "dastardly womanizer" who repeatedly turns women's hearts and heads because he is a HOOT!Modern women of 2006 would never fall for his silliness but I assume a lot of his "dramatics" are on purpose and over the top so we can hate him but still find pity for his character. I saw it on TMC the Turner classic movie channel. It wasn't in perfect shape but very good for it's age and the restoration is wonderful. The musical score was so fitting even to a scene where the orchestra was playing on a movie set and the score was playing the same instruments as the actors/musicians on the screen. It's an admirable job that is being undertaken to restore these real "time capsules" of Hollywood history. So pop yourself some corn, sit back, and watch with delight!

Now on DVD!

[jedbu · 10/10 · 25 March 2009]

Great news! Warner Home Video now has a division called Warner Archive (as of 3/24/09) and SOULS FOR SALE is one of the initial titles released. The price is $19.98 + shipping and handling. Check out their website for details and other great titles.

I remember seeing this film on TCM not too long ago and really being taken by not only the look of the film but the no-holds-barred look at Tinseltown that probably had only Cruze's long-lost Hollywood for comparison in the silent era.

It's also nice to see another film with Eleanor Boardman besides THE CROWD. While her performance in that film is astounding, I've always wondered what her earlier career was like and added to that she was just so gorgeous-you wish she was more well known to current film buffs, and maybe with this film now on video that might change a tad.

Eleanor Boardman was a Real Find!!

[kidboots · 9/10 · 13 September 2010]

"Souls For Sale" has the reputation for being the movie for which Eleanor Boardman and William Haines both won roles - as supposed winners of the Goldwyn New Faces Competition. This is not true, so says Dewitt Bodeen in his 1973 FIR Eleanor Boardman article. Haines went to Hollywood after being tested by a Goldwyn talent scout and besides the "New Faces" competition was open only to women. Eleanor Boardman was given the full grooming treatment at Goldwyn (rather like the heroine of "Souls For Sale") - they saw her potential. She then came to the attention of Rupert Hughes - the "one man power house" of Goldwyn studios, he was their resident writer, director and producer. He had a real eye for talent and instantly saw that she would be ideal for the role of Remember Steddon, the heroine of his latest best seller "Souls For Sale".

Remember Steddon, a minister's daughter, had run away from her sheltered background to marry charming villain, Owen Scudder (Lew Cody, of course) but even on their honeymoon train, she is overcome with a feeling of revulsion for him and when the train makes a stop she jumps off. She finds herself in the desert and is rescued by an Arab on a camel who tells her he is not a mirage but a movie actor - she has stumbled onto a company shooting on location. There are the "usual suspects" - the harried director, Frank Claymore (Richard Dix), the egocentric matinée idol (Frank Mayo), the screen's most wicked vamp (Barbara La Marr - she really is beautiful), the enthusiastic production assistant (William Haines), Komikal the Klown (Snitz Edwards) and the temperamental star, Robina (Mae Busch). Mem tries to find a job that her father would consider respectable but finds she is drawn to Hollywood and it's glamour. There are some amazingly revealing glimpses of Erich Von Stroheim directing Jean Hersholt in "Greed" and Charlie Chaplin directing as well. Mem is working as an extra, happens to see Frank and is determined to secure a role in his next film.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....the police have caught up with Owen, who is a real Bluebeard, having murdered several wives for their insurance policies. He stages a dramatic escape at a railway station. After a disastrous screen test, Frank still believes Mem has what it takes to be a star. While filming at a prison and after a speech about scandal being death to stardom, she sees Owen's wanted poster and almost collapses. Owen, meanwhile, is in Egypt, where he is romancing his latest victim but the tables are about to be turned. Lady Jane (Aileen Pringle) is a con woman and when Owen finally escapes, he is left with nothing and has to work his passage back to America as a stoker. When Robina's legs are broken in a freak accident Mem finally gets her big chance and nasty Owen catches up with her. He tries to blackmail her and shadows her every move. The film ends with a huge fire (the film is beautifully tinted) with everyone trapped under the big top (the film they are shooting has a circus theme).

Even though the title "Souls For Sale" promises a lurid provocativeness (probably hoping to lure patrons into the cinema for a Hollywood expose) it is really a dazzling melodrama with a behind the scenes look at Metro stars of the early 20s, eg Zasu Pitts, Barbara Bedford and Kathlyn Williams. When "Souls For Sale" was released in 1923 it was given a big build up. It showed an authentic Hollywood film-making atmosphere and was a big hit with the movie going public.

Highly Recommended.

Souls for Sale Has Been Completely Restored

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 26 January 2006]

Just recently viewed this great film Classic, which the Turner Broadcasting had completely restored, furnishing a very wonderful musical sound track to make this 1920's a really great film to view. Found this film very interesting in seeing how films were produced in the 20's and the behind the scenes of Hollywood and many many great actors and producers, naming only a few, Charlie Chaplin, Eric Von Stromheim. The story starts out with a bride who is married only a few hours and hates her husband all of a sudden and becomes a Runaway Bride like we had in 2005. This poor bride goes across deserts and gets completely involved with Hollywood and becomes beloved by a large group of theatrical people, namely, Richard Dix. If you want to find out the fashions in the 1920's, and their acting abilities, this is the film for YOU.

this film will be on TCM this month

[mccrohan · 10/10 · 18 January 2006]

a two minute clip with new music can viewed on the Turner Classic Movies web site. It is an excellent restoration of a very interesting film. Many of the leading directors of the 1920,s appear in cameo ( Von Stroheim, Marshal Neilan etc). The TCM data base states that the movie is not available on video. Hovever, they invite voting for its debut as a video.. Based on my seeing that too short clip, I certainly would welcome the chance to obtain a DVD. It is amazing that films that seemed to be lost forever, have now been found. Gloria Swanson always lamented the loss of the feature film that she made with Valentino. It is such a pity that she cannot see the found film that is now on DVD. I hope there will be more treasure found.

Very entertaining

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 11 April 2020]

"O Hollywood! Hollywood! Thou movie-mammon that leadest our children astray, and teachest them wickedness! O Los Angeles, thy name should be Los Diaboles!"

What a crazy, improbable, entertaining hot mess this was. It all starts with a young woman named Remember "Mem" Steddon (Eleanor Boardman) on a train with a man (Lew Cody) she's just married but has a bad feeling about, and so jumps off when it's briefly stopped. She winds up wandering until she happens across a movie shooting in the desert, which leads to her seeking work as an actor. He continues on seeking out his next victim, you see, because he's a serial killer, who marries and then kills his wives for their insurance. The film follows the two stories lines as they diverge; despite a rough start she eventually becomes a star, while he ends up in Egypt, where he runs into a surprise of his own. Somehow we know their paths are going to cross again, and while what happens isn't the most satisfying of plot resolutions, the ending sequence is a wild spectacle.

This was Boardman's first big role, and she's wonderful. Look for her character's wonderfully awful screen tests as she tries to break in the business. Even better is the host of Hollywood actors and directors we see on various film sets, in what are meaty cameos, e.g. Charlie Chaplin making 'A Woman of Paris,' Erich von Stroheim making 'Greed,' and Fred Niblo making 'The Famous Mrs. Fair,' There are many other shots behind the scenes, things like a stuntman dressed as a woman to double for Boardman, elaborate sets, and a giant propeller used to create wind.

We also see a casting director besieged by young women all looking to be a star, with one willing to "pay the price" as she puts it as she comes on to him, a clear reference for sex being the price a woman had to pay to get into the business, even by 1923. The film portrays the casting director as being virtuous and turning her away with the line "Say, are you trying to vamp me?" when of course the reality was probably almost always the opposite. In general the film is a little too rah-rah on Hollywood, putting it in the most positive light of people who worked extremely hard and put their heart and soul into their work, not knowing if censors or the public would approve of the end product, when a more honest portrayal would have been better. On the other hand, as the industry was often under attack for its morals and the lifestyles of its stars in this timeframe, and this was when a scandal really meant box office death, so I can forgive it for that.

The plot is wacky but I liked it for its creativity and was willing to suspend disbelief to go along for the ride. It has great pace, there are nice visuals, and production value is pretty high for the period; even its overly verbose intertitles seem to add to its appeal. This is a silent film that grabs you from the start, and is easy to enjoy.

The New Soundtrack is REALLY good

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 24 January 2006]

I am rather impressed... The new music Marcus Sjöwall has added actually makes this moovie viewable- I have always had trouble watching silent films even if they had some kind of soundtrack. Not so, for this. The music just adds so much to the story and helps you follow it.

God Bless Marcus Sjöwall for taking the effort to compose such a wonderful soundtrack and may he break a leg in future projects!

The print of course is horrid... But as it was made in 1923 I think we can forgive it... I think a restoration of the actual film ought to be attempted, if such a thing can be done. Some of the scenes are difficult to watch.

However, this film is a fairly important "Document" of how the early Hollywood silent films actually were made.