THE GREAT GABBO

(1929, James Cruze) VON STROHEIM SINGS! Well, at least his (dubbed) dummy Otto does, as ventriloquist Stroheim goes nuts when he’s co-billed with previously spurned assistant Betty Compson and new spouse, amid riotously cuckoo production numbers topped by the spidery “Web of Love.” Restored 35mm print courtesy Library of Congress.
1:00, 4:15, 7:40

"It is the marvelously absurd musical numbers that present the greatest entertainment value; especially when highly-charged emotional dialogue scenes are played out on a stage during the performances, and after a line pregnant with meaning, we have Don Douglas prancing and thumping noisily about eh stage for several minutes before he gallops close enough for his partner to stage-bellow 'What do you mean?' in reply. This sequence is probably one of the great unsung highlights of all movie history!"
– William K. Everson

"An oddball genre hybrid, made at the dawn of sound... There is something irresistible in the idea of a psychological thriller with music—this may have been the All That Jazz of its day."
– Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

THE GREAT FLAMARION

(1945, Anthony Mann) A strangled Mary Beth Hughes is carted away from a Mexico City vaudeville house, her husband is arrested, a bullet-riddled Erich von Stroheim drops from the rafters – and the flashbacks begin. Print courtesy UCLA Film & Television Archive.
2:50, 6:05

"Von Stroheim's role is not unlike the the lead he played in The Great Gabbo, but he brings more humanity and more of a sense of humor to it. He is extremely touching in some scenes, and clearly injects many little bits of business himself: the meticulous brushing of his almost non-existent hair, and the little waltz of joy as he awaits his paramour."
– William K. Everson