misspickford9 wrote:After seeing THE RED MILL, THE PATSY and SHOW PEOPLE, I like Davies just fine, but she's no Charlie plus Buster plus Harold, or even one third.
and
Well everyone is entitled to an opinion; Im not saying she was necessarily untalented just I dont think she was THAT great like a lot of people make her out to be. I wouldnt put her in any tops list :p. Thanks for the other names guys! Jeesh compared to the men women didnt fair very well in memory did they? This is the first Im hearing most of these names but even I knew who Charley Chase or Ben Turpin were when I barely knew anything bout silents!
Well, count me in the very firm Davies was talented and I suspect we may be miss-categorizing her.
She is best remembered today as a comedienne, for which I feel she is one of the "tops" and yet, like Connie Talmadge and or Dorothy Gish, she was very capable of performing (and being very touching) in more dramatic roles.
Davies was a very good all-round performer, she had presence and like many a star of the era, sometimes rose or sank by the material and/or director (as an example, Valentino comes to mind Four Horsemen v Blood and Sand). I also think she made the talkie transition very nicely. Some of the material may be less than stellar, but I've rarely found her to be anything less than pure pleasure at her best and less so when she's not.
My .02