In the 1920s and early 30s, William Boyd was a busy actor...though not nearly as busy as he'd be starting in 1935 when he began making his Hopalong Cassidy films. In total he made 66 of them, though he made far more before this when instead of the hero, he played more a handsome leading man.
"Lady of the Pavements" was originally a silent movie with a few added bits of spoken dialog and some music. However, like so many of the movies where the sound was put on separate discs to be played on a record machine, most of the discs have been lost. You do, at least, get to hear the song near the end of the story. Overall, this isn't a big problem, as most sound on disc films ALSO had silent versions as well so they could release them in theaters which hadn't yet converted to sound. In one way, this is a good thing, as Boyd plays a German...and I have a hard time imagining him trying to effect a decent accent.
Regardless, perhaps one day the discs will be reunited with the film...as this HAS happened with many Vitaphone shorts. But as of 2024 this isn't the case and it's still a silent, though there IS a musical soundtrack which was probably added later...especially since it doesn't really seem to fit the movie much of the time.
The plot to this film is a bit difficult to believe. Karl is a German diplomat and he learns that his fiancee has been cheating on him. He confronts her and tells her he'd sooner marry a woman of the streets than her...and with that, she decides to exact her revenge for him saying this. She finds a street urchin (Lupe Valez) and dresses her up as a sophisticated lady and maneuvers to get Karl to meet and marry her. This does seem improbable and a big screwy...especially since the fiancee DID cheat on Karl. Despite this, does Karl stand a chance at having a happily ever after?
Artistically, "Lady of the Pavements" is a lovely film to watch. The cinematography is excellent and the film manages to make the most of the scenes between Boyd and Valez. As for the story, as I mentioned above, it's awfully farfetched...but is still enjoyable...though I must also admit that some of the love scenes are a bit sticky and occasionally Valez overacts a tad.
By the way, I have eaten at Au Chien Qui Fume ('The Smoking Dog Cafe') in Paris. It's a nice little restaurant and not at all a dump like it seems to be in the movie. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the names are the same, though both are set in Paris. The restaurant, if you go, has a lot of neat artwork with smoking dogs and the food is pretty good.
"Lady of the Pavements" was originally a silent movie with a few added bits of spoken dialog and some music. However, like so many of the movies where the sound was put on separate discs to be played on a record machine, most of the discs have been lost. You do, at least, get to hear the song near the end of the story. Overall, this isn't a big problem, as most sound on disc films ALSO had silent versions as well so they could release them in theaters which hadn't yet converted to sound. In one way, this is a good thing, as Boyd plays a German...and I have a hard time imagining him trying to effect a decent accent.
Regardless, perhaps one day the discs will be reunited with the film...as this HAS happened with many Vitaphone shorts. But as of 2024 this isn't the case and it's still a silent, though there IS a musical soundtrack which was probably added later...especially since it doesn't really seem to fit the movie much of the time.
The plot to this film is a bit difficult to believe. Karl is a German diplomat and he learns that his fiancee has been cheating on him. He confronts her and tells her he'd sooner marry a woman of the streets than her...and with that, she decides to exact her revenge for him saying this. She finds a street urchin (Lupe Valez) and dresses her up as a sophisticated lady and maneuvers to get Karl to meet and marry her. This does seem improbable and a big screwy...especially since the fiancee DID cheat on Karl. Despite this, does Karl stand a chance at having a happily ever after?
Artistically, "Lady of the Pavements" is a lovely film to watch. The cinematography is excellent and the film manages to make the most of the scenes between Boyd and Valez. As for the story, as I mentioned above, it's awfully farfetched...but is still enjoyable...though I must also admit that some of the love scenes are a bit sticky and occasionally Valez overacts a tad.
By the way, I have eaten at Au Chien Qui Fume ('The Smoking Dog Cafe') in Paris. It's a nice little restaurant and not at all a dump like it seems to be in the movie. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the names are the same, though both are set in Paris. The restaurant, if you go, has a lot of neat artwork with smoking dogs and the food is pretty good.