Little Orphant Annie
"A Hoosier Romance" was released on August 24. Before long, Colleen was at work again for Selig, this time filming another Riley poem, “Little Orphant Annie.” However, all is not smooth sailing. The business manager at Selig was James McGee, who had been appointed to the position mid-year. Because the studio was on rocky footing, reliable information was hard to come by from the home offices back east. McGee must have had everyone in the studio clamoring at his office door with questions about the future of the company. Colleen, | Colleen as photographed by Nelson Evans of L.A. |
looking towards her career, no doubt approached McGee for information on the future plans of the studio; McGee had nothing solid to tell her, and so she appealed directly to Selig. She wrote a letter to him seeking clarification of her position, asking if her contract going to be picked up or not? In the letter she indicated she had been in negotiations with another studio but dropped them at his behest. McGee indicated to her that Selig plans to drop her. Because of this she wanted to know her status so that she could plan ahead. She also requested two weeks off for a trip back east.
The letter was followed up by a second to explain that whatever Selig had been told about her, it is not true; evidently she was concerned that Selig was being given the impression she did not want to work when in fact she was ready and eager and waiting. With an eye towards marketing, she suggested in the letter she could become the “Riley girl,” and pointed towards her familiarity and affinity with the material. She also requested two weeks off again so that she could speak to him herself and make sure her side is represented.
“Little Orphant Annie” was released in December, a popular film. In a Chicago Daily Tribune “Right off the Reel” column from January 12th Mae Tinee (“matinee”) reported “Colleen Moore will divide honors with Thomas Santschi in ‘Little Orphant Annie.’ She was a lovely and unspoiled child the last time I saw her. Let’s hope commendation hasn’t turned her head.” It seems Colleen had been well on her way to sewing up the “sweet and unspoiled” market. This worked well for her: she was an eighteen year old passing as fifteen, and the wholesome, heartbreaking roles she was being given helped project that image.
For all its popularity, "Little Orphant Annie" did not save the studio: Selig Polyscope went belly-up—the second studio she was working for to do so—and once again Colleen found herself unemployed. This time around her fortunes were improved; she had a following, several performances under her belt, her mother had joined her and her grandmother out west and they moved to a home at 543 S. Virgil Avenue. Her father and brother would son join them. Colleen’s work schedule was crowded: for six months she will have few breaks from the production schedule, though she would still find enough spare time after work to watch baseball games in Washington Park.
The Busher, The wilderness Trail, and others in 1919
| Below, still of Colleen in "Broken Chains" |
It was reported that Colleen would support Charles Ray in an upcoming boxing film. Charles Ray was a popular film comedian, often cast as the simple country boy. The audiences couldn’t get enough of him. Once again the simple country boy would be fighting for the heart of the wholesome Colleen. The film was the “Egg Crate Wallop.” The year 1919 would be a busy one for Colleen. She was in a raft of 
films released that year, including “The Busher,” released in May, “The Wilderness Trail” released on July 19, “The Man in the Moonlight,” released on July 28, “The Egg Crate Wallop” in September and “Common Property” in October.
| Right, poster for "The Man in the Moonlight." From the Margaret Herrick Library collection. |
Colleen worked with western star Tom Mix on the Fox film “The Wilderness Trail” in Flagstaff, Arizona, again, the damsel in distress. Mix had taken a liking to Colleen’s mother while Colleen had taken a liking to the star herself. Two months after “The Busher,” “The Wilderness Trail” was released and followed two weeks later by “The Man in the Moonlight” from Universal. FInally “The Egg Crate Wollop” with Charles Ray was released, another H. Ince Productions-Famous Players Lasky-American picture. 
Between “The Man in the Moonlight” and “The Egg Crate Wallop,” in August during her first break in nearly half a year, the August 17th Los Angeles Times reported in “Just Can’t Vacation” that “two long-term contracts have been submitted to her (Colleen), both attractive, and she will sign one in the next few days.” The two companies vying for her attention were not mentioned in the article, but possibly they were the Christie Film Company and Mack Sennett. Both companies produced comedies, and in “Silent Star” that she had decided to try and get some comedy experience.
| A still of Colleen from "The Busher." In the still to the right one can see the difference in eye colors: left eye blue, right eye brown. |
Sennett was the king of comedy in those days, cranking them out like a factory, slapstick stuff that appealed to the masses. His bathing beauties did not hurt the draw much either. If she wanted to work for Sennett, she owuld have to put in a stretch as a beathing beauty. Christy Comedies were more high-brow. She did not think of herself as eye-candy, and she wrote that when her grandmother found out she'd have to parade around on film in a bathing suit, she laid down the law. Of the two, Colleen settled for Christie Film Company. She in front of the camera before the end of the year.
Christy Comedies
It was while she was making Christie comedies that Colleen would begin to develop the comic timing that would later become her hallmark. While editing has always been important for the overall pacing of films, the timing of the actor is still vital. Even for most of her parts, wherein she seems to be the foil for the featured comedians (especially in "Her Bridal Nightmare"), a shot could
still be ruined by a reaction that did not come at the correct moment, or did not seem genuine.The studio was owned and run by brothers Charles and Al, both Canadians who had come south to make their fortunes in the fledgling film 
industry of California. Charles Christie was the business administrator of their film company while Al was the creative 
end, writing directing. Working at David Horsley's Centaur Film Company, Al Christie cut his chops turning out single-reeler Mutt and Jeff films, one a week. By 1916 they had done well enough to establish their own production company and with his brother specialized in short comedies and feature length films.Colleen had gone to Charles and explained that she needed comic training. Never one to turn away an obviously talented young actress, they reached a verbal agreement for a salary of $200 a week, plus the right to make films outside the company, keeping any salary she made over $200 a week for herself. When she worked for Al Christie, she got her first really big breaks.
The first two films for Christie to be released were "A Roman Scandal," and “Her Bridal Nightmare,” released at the end of January. The day after "Her Bridal Nightmare" was released the Chicago Daily Tribune reported: “Colleen Moore, "the cunning
| Two stills of Colleen fron "A Roman Scandal." |
youngster," will play opposite Sessue Hayakawa in his coming release ‘The Bleeder.’”The next film for Christie, "His Nibs," paired her with Charles “Chic” Sales. It was an Exceptional Pictures production released by the "His Nibs" Syndicate and in the film comedian Chic Sales played multiple roles: Theo. Bender, Wally "His Nibs" Craw, Mr. Percifer, Elmer Bender and several others.
