The Nest (1927) Excellent Pictures. Presenter: Samuel Zierler. Director: William Nigh. Scenario: Charles E. Whittaker. Photography: Jack Brown, Harry Stradling. Cast: Holmes Herbert, Thomas Holding, Pauline Frederick, Ruth Dwyer, Reginald Scheffield, Rolland Flander, Jean Acker, Wilfred Lucas. 8 reels.
A copy of this film is held by the Visual and Sound Archives of the National Archives of Canada in Ottawa (35mm nitrate print of reels 1 to 6 and 8, and a complete 28mm print in 16 parts, both with English intertitles).
Excellent production, featuring Pauline Frederick and Holmes Herbert. Directed by William Nigh, from story by Paul Giraldy. Cast includes Jean Acker, Ruth Dwyer, Roland Flander, Reginald Sheffield. Photographed by Jack Brown and Harry Spradling. At Tivoli, New York. One day (Dec. 29) on double-feature bill. Running time, 78 min.
Inferior photography is a drawback for this picture. Otherwise it seems good enough for the neighborhood split-week vaude houses not too particular about their pictures. These houses might take a chance on it as is, but its natural destination is the daily change.
Pauline Frederick and Holmes Herbert with plenty of picture experience behind them, and William Nigh, who directed, furnish the film's value. They had a workable story by Paul Giraldy, and did nicely with it considering the probable budget and the rather faint talent among the support.
Those two cameramen, though--
Story is humanely handled, concerning a widow's tribulations with a wild son and daughter, who between them appear set of raising the particular dickens. The kid gets mixed up with a dame who frames him for the works and he gets as low as forgery before she's through with him.
Daughter marries before she's old enough to know, and starts having trouble with her husband.
Back of these two problems is the widow's fight to retain her attractiveness despite overwhelming worries and her pride in refusing to marry the executor of her estate, who loves the widow and wants to help her show the kids where to get off.
Miss Frederick plays understandingly and has good support in Holmes Herbert, who looks like a matured John Barrymore. None of the juvenile parts is more than fair, with Reginald Sheffield as the wayward son getting best results.
Jean Acker as the vamp looked flat.
Last revised, September 17, 2005