Reviewer Denise Morrison is back with another silent movie on disc, or actually, two separate releases starring the huge silent star Gloria Swanson. One is hard to find and was mastered/restored from surviving 16mm prints; the other is beautifully preserved in original 35mm. Both were produced and directed by Allan Dwan. They’re actually older releases, but going forward Ms. Morrison will be reviewing newer product as well.

Silent Gloria Swanson Times Two
Manhandled and Stage Struck
Separate Blu-ray releases
KL Studio Classics
1923, 1925 / B&W (mainly) / 1:33 Silent Ap. / 63 + 84 min. / Street Date April 10, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Gloria Swanson
Produced and Directed by Allan Dwan

Silent screen goddess Gloria Swanson is well represented on DVD but less so on Blu-ray. To date, there are four, all released by Kino Lorber. The most recent of these is Queen Kelly (1929); earlier releases are Zaza (1923), Manhandled (1924) and Stage Struck (1925). These last three came out six to seven years ago and represent some of the best Swanson did in her silent career.

Released in 2018 on Blu-ray are Manhandled and Stage Struck and show the good and the great of silent film restoration efforts. Manhandled (so far) has no 35mm print or negative to build from so the film shown on Blu-ray is mastered in 2K from 16mm elements preserved by Lobster Films and Indiana University Libraries’ Moving Image Archive. It is the most complete version available (meaning it’s still missing some footage). For all that the print quality is really good. But then there is the 1925 Stage Struck, mastered from 35mm elements held at the George Eastman House including the original two-strip Technicolor beginning and end. It’s a beautiful looking film from start to finish; would that all our restored silent film heritage came from their original 35mm elements.

So, beyond the quality of the films, they have some things in common. First and foremost is Gloria; if you’ve only seen the films she made with De Mille or just her turn as Norma Desmond, then you are in for a huge revelation. Gloria was an actress with a lot of depth; whatever part she played, drama or comedy, you can’t take your eyes off her. These two roles show Gloria in her prime, as Tessie in Manhandled and Jenny in Stage Struck; these characters are working class girls who go all out to improve themselves for the love of a man.

The films benefit from the direction of Allan Dwan who had a long career in film. He didn’t have a particular stylistic bent but was known for how well he worked with his actors. He directed a wide variety of actors, from Douglas Fairbanks to Shirley Temple, to John Wayne. He and Swanson worked exceedingly well together, with Swanson calling him a genius in her autobiography Swanson on Swanson (1980). She recalled how Dwan knew how to bring out her best comedic timing and acting range and let her make bold acting choices.

How do I love Gloria Swanson? Let me count the ways: my first experience with Gloria was seeing the unfinished Queen Kelly many years ago. Yes, I had seen Sunset Boulevard with its clip from the above mentioned film, but now I could start to put it all together. Then I saw her in Teddy at the Throttle, a Mack Sennett film and what a difference. She was funny — and so young. I read her autobiography Swanson on Swanson which gave me insights into her incredible life! From her versatility as a performer to her fashion sense and sense of herself, I was so impressed with her. I’ve not seen all her films but have never been disappointed by anything she’s done. Manhandled is a favorite go-to if I need a Swanson fix.

Manhandled
1924 / Color / B&W / 1:33 Silent Ap. / 63 min. /
Starring: Gloria Swanson, Tom Moore, Lilyan Tashman, Ian Keith, Arthur Houseman, Paul McAllister, Frank Morgan, Ann Pennington.
Cinematography: Harold Rosson
Supervising Editor: William LeBaron
Film Editor and Titles: Julian Johnson
Screenplay by Frank W. Tuttle story by Sidney R. Kent, Arthur Stringer
Presented by Adolphe Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky
Produced and Directed by Allan Dwan

Manhandled is best remembered for a scene early in the film where her character Tessie leaves work and heads home on the subway. Dwan made Gloria ride the New York subway several times to get the feel for what her character would go through—Swanson had never ridden on one before. He also had her spend two days working at a New York department store. The film is based on a story published in a Saturday Evening Post and tells the tale of Tessie, a sales clerk who loves Jim (Tom Moore), an inventor who is on the cusp of a major automotive piece that will make him a millionaire.

So he’s all work and no time for Tessie at the moment. She gets noticed at work by a literary type (Paul McAllister), a man looking for female inspiration for his “heroine.” Tessie’s friend Pinkie (played by Lilyan Tashman) is invited by the store’s owner (Arthur Houseman) to an artist’s party and recommends bringing Tessie along. After a misunderstanding with Jim she goes to the party in her best dress, all eagerness and awkwardness. The artist (Ian Keith) wants her to be his model and offers her three times her salary at the store. She also meets a man who owns a high fashion dress shop (Frank Morgan) who wants her to work for him. Will Jim understand or think his girl is getting ahead by being manhandled?

The film was released July 22, 1924 and was a big hit for Gloria and her studio Famous Players-Lasky (Paramount). The film was shot at the company’s Astoria, New York studio which had the added benefit of including walk-on roles by Ziegfeld stars Ann Pennington and Brooke Johns. The film runs 63 minutes but was originally around 75 (according to IMDb) and there are a couple places in the film where missing footage is obvious.

The Kino Blu-ray comes with a sweet piano score by Makia Matsumura and audio commentary by film historian Gaylyn Studlar. The commentary is good but the audio quality is fair to poor. There is a small booklet with an essay by film historian Peter Labuza just inside the box.

Stage Struck
1925 / B&W / 1:33 Silent Ap. / 84 min. /
Starring: Gloria Swanson, Lawrence Gray, Gertrude Astor, Marguerite Evans, Ford Sterling, Carrie Scott, Emil Hoch.
Cinematography: George Webber
Production Designer: Van Nest Polglase
Costumes: René Hubert
Supervising Editor: William LeBaron
Screenplay by Forrest Halsey adaptation Sylvia La Varre story Frank R. Adams
Presented by Adolphe Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky
Produced and Directed by Allan Dwan

One year later came an even more ambitious film by Swanson and Dwan called Stage Struck. Gloria’s character Jenny Hagen is vulnerable and clumsy, lovestruck and often desperate for the attention of her crush Orme Wilson (Lawrence Gray) who works in the same restaurant as her. She daydreams about becoming a famous actress mainly because Orme is crazy about actresses—has pictures of them all over his room walls. There’s no way she can compete but Jenny tries hard anyway. Then one day a huge steamboat comes to town providing entertainment, and a new statuesque actress (Gertrude Astor) catches Orme’s eye. At a town picnic Jenny despairs to the steamboat’s owner (Ford Sterling) that she’d be a great actress if only given the chance, so he decides to give her that chance. Let’s just say that show is one for the books!

The film stands out in a couple ways; first, two 2-strip technicolor sequences bookend the story. The one at the beginning of the film is the more famous of the two, Gloria is showing off some impressive costuming, giving her multitude of fans something to gush over. These scenes were filmed in New York at the Famous Players-Lasky studio in Astoria. But the second standout in the film is the on-location shooting in New Martinsville, West Virginia right on the Ohio River. The beautiful scenes of the steamboat gliding towards town, the town picnic scenes add so much authenticity to the film.

Gloria is ably assisted by Lawrence Gray as Orme; Gray was a dependable leading man in the mid to late 1920s; this is the second of two films he made with Swanson. He retired from acting in 1936. In a small but memorable role is Ford Sterling; once he moved away from the slapstick comedy of Mack Sennett, Sterling was a really good character actor and appeared in some great films in the 1920s (such as Lon Chaney’s He Who Gets Slapped from 1924). And then there’s Gertrude Astor who plays the star of the steamboat entertainment; she never reached star status but lent her talents to so many films. For me, she’ll always be the gal who takes advantage of Harry Langdon in The Strong Man but she was also at Hal Roach and performed with Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase.

Like Manhandled, the disc has audio commentary and a small booklet as the only bonuses. The accompaniment is an original piano score by Andrew Simpson and it’s great. The audio commentary by Frederic Lombardi, author of a book on Allan Dwan, is a bit problematic for me. Lots of great information but so much of it centered on the careers of Swanson and Dwan that to get it all in I feel like he speed talked his way through it. Sometimes it was hard to keep up. And it’s not till over halfway through the film that he begins to talk about the film itself. The booklet is by film historian Farran Smith Nehme and is all good information.

Stage Struck was released November 16, 1925 and proved to be another hit for Swanson and Dwan. They would make a final film together several years later but not to the same acclaim. Swanson’s contract with Famous Players was finished and she was not interested in renewing it—she was ready to move to United Artists and independent filmmaking.

Note: some of the scans here come from the very good website  Movies Silently.

The KL Studio Classics Blu-ray of Silent Gloria Swanson Times Two are definitely not new releases; we’ve covered them here because of our interest in Ms. Swanson’s legendary status. They are also separate purchases, if and when you find them on Ebay.

Overall if you’re a fan of Gloria Swanson these are must-have discs, and even if you don’t know much about Gloria but love silent film these are great examples of what made silent films so appealing. They both definitely belong in a film fan’s movie library.

Reviewed by Denise Morrison

Silent Gloria Swanson Times Two
Separate Blu-ray Releases rate:
Movies: Excellent
Video: Manhandled Good, Stage Struck Excellent
Sound: Excellent piano scores, Makia Matsumura for Manhandled, Andrew Simpson for Stage Struck
Supplements:
Audio commentary for Manhandled by Gaylyn Studlar
Audio commentary for Stage Struck by Frederic Lombardi
10-page pamphlets for each disc
Manhandled text essay by Peter Labuza
Stage Struck text essay by Farran Smith Nehme.
Deaf and Hearing-impaired Friendly? YES as they are silents with inter-titles
Packaging: Single Blu-rays in keep cases
Reviewed: August 5, 2026
(7562morrglor)

Visit CineSavant’s Main Column Page
Glenn Erickson answers most reader mail: cinesavant@gmail.com

Text © Copyright 2026 Denise Morrison

CineSavantText © Copyright 2026 Glenn Erickson