Skinner's Dress Suit (Silent)

Mild-mannered bank teller William Manning Skinner is brow-beaten by his wife Honey into asking his greedy boss for a raise. Not only does he not get a raise, he's asked to take a pay cut. Unable to come clean to his sweetheart, Skinner tells Honey that he got the increase anyway. Elated, she immediately buys him a fancy dress suit so they can start attending swanky parties. While the couple, thought to be part of the nouveau riche, are an immediate hit, all the while their bank account is slowly emptying. When Skinner loses his job, he realizes he has to tell Honey the truth - unless he can use his fraudulent social status to con the authentically rich out of their (not-so-hard earned) money…

Called "a thoroughly refreshing comedy of manners" by no less an authority than Joe Franklin, Skinner's Dress Suit is widely considered the best film of dashing English actor Reginald Denny. He first garnered notice playing a serious role in the Universal serial The Leather Pushers (1922). This led to a multiple-picture deal at the studio, with Denny adding more and more comedy with each subsequent film. When sound was introduced, Denny's heavy British accent caused him some trouble, as audiences were used to him playing an American "everyman". He eventually found a niche playing supporting parts in films such as The Little Minister (1934), Anna Karenina (1935), and Rebecca (1940), but never again with such an emphasis on comedy. Leading lady Laura La Plante is best known for the "old dark house" thriller The Cat and the Canary (1927). Also featured is a young Arthur Lake before he became famous playing Dagwood Bumstead in Columbia's long-running Blondie series. Director William A. Seiter had already made well-regarded silents like Little Church Around the Corner (1923) and The Mad Whirl (1925), but is most recognized for getting a career best out of Laurel and Hardy in their classic Sons of the Desert (1934).