*He Who Gets Slapped (1924) Norma Shearer As and 50 similar items

Older 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy restrike photograph (not a vintage original photograph but one printed at a later time from the original negative) from the classic silent film drama, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, released in 1924 by the newly-formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by Victor Sjöström (billed as "Victor Seastrom"). A bitter clown (Lon Chaney) endeavors to rescue the young woman (Norma Shearer) he loves from the lecherous Count (Tully Marshall) who once betrayed him. The image features a beautiful interior long shot of circus performer Consuelo (Norma Shearer) as she stands between a pair of large draperies inside the big top. Printed on single-weight glossy stock from the original negative, most likely in the 1950's, this vintage restrike photograph is in very fine+ condition without any pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws. The image quality is razor-sharp with fine detail and beautiful rich contrast. This was the first production to start filming in the newly-formed Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. It was not their first release, though; it was held until the holiday season when attendance is higher for "important" films. It was also the first film to feature "Leo the Lion" roaring as MGM's company logo. Designed by Howard Dietz, the logo was first used for the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation film Polly of the Circus (1917) and passed to MGM when Goldwyn merged with two other companies to form MGM. Fittingly and somewhat ironically, a real lion plays a key plot point in the film's story. He Who Gets Slapped was originally a Russian book by Leonid Andreyev and was translated into English and adapted for the stage by Gregory Zillboorg. It opened on Jan. 9, 1922 at the Garrick Theatre in New York and ran for 182 performances. With the exception of Consuelo (Norma Shearer's character), most of the characters in the stage production did not have names. The Lon Chaney character in the play was simply "He" and the others "a Juggler," "an Acrobat", etc.