After starting her career as a teenager at Brooklyn’s Vitagraph Studio, Constance Talmadge became one of the most popular comediennes of her day in starring features such as Dulcy (1923), Her Sister from Paris(1925), and this program’s deftly-played farce The Duchess of Buffalo(1926). Since many of her films have been lost or unavailable, her talents have been neglected, so this program is the perfect opportunity to highlight her many talents. Our extra added attraction is the equally overlooked Wanda Wiley in her two-reeler A Thrilling Romance(1926).

The Silent Clowns film series is New York’s longest-running regularly scheduled silent film showcase, featuring silent films paired with live piano accompaniment and discussion. The Silent Clowns’ programming reaches the serious film buff by including rarely-screened titles and rare prints, yet it also introduces kids and new audiences to the classics of the silent screen. Screenings feature piano by MoMA’s Ben Model, with an introduction and Q&A by film historians Model and Steve Massa.

Photo Caption: Constance Tamadge and Edward Martindel in The Duchess of Buffalo (1926). The Billy Rose Theatre Collection.