Silent Film Star: Viola Dana.

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A Christmas Carol (1910, Edison)

“A Christmas Carol” (1910) is an early version of the classic Charles Dickens’ novel. Ten minutes in duration, this silent short was directed by J. Searle Dawley at the Edison Film Manufacturing Corporation. The story begins with an old miser Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Marc Mc Dermott, who is so harsh that on the day before Christmas he refuses to donate to the Charity Relief Committee. Scrooge also denies his worker Bob Cratchit, played by Charles Ogle, the permission to leave early. He even rejects his nephew’s invitation to spend Christmas at his house. That night, Scrooge sees the ghost of his former business partner Marley, who warns him of the punishment he will suffer in the next life if he does not change his ways. Late that night, Scrooge is visited by three spirits who show him more than he wants to see.

Even though it is ten minutes in duration, “A Christmas Carol” (1910) is faithful to the Charles Dickens’ novel, and it manages to condense the most important parts of the tale without losing the novel’s meaning. The highlights of the film are the visits by the four ghosts done with excellent special effects considering the film is one hundred years old. While it might seem primitive by today’s standards, “A Christmas Carol” (1910) has nicer sets and costumes compared to the average Edison shorts. The Edison Company contributed little to screen progress, but they did have some good actors like Viola Dana and Marc Mc Dermott, who gives a great performance as Scrooge. Hired by film pioneer Edwin S. Porter to make new and original films at the Edison Company, J. Searle Dawley adapted many popular novels to film. A Christmas Carol (1910) is a curiosity piece of the early years of American cinema when the first filmmakers were shaping the new art form.


Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 26, 1897, Viola Dana, who was born Virginia Flugrath, began dancing at the age of three at Coney Island eating places. Patrons would throw coins at her, and Viola would pick up the money for her mother. From Coney Island, she became a legitimate child actress, appearing with Dustin Farnum and William Faversham. Her first major stage role was as Gwendolyn in Eleanor Gates’ “The Poor Little Rich Girl” which opened at New York’s Hudson Theatre on January 21, 1913, and ran for 160 performances. It led to Viola being billed as “Broadway’s Youngest Star.” The play was filmed in 1917 as a starring vehicle for Mary Pickford. Long before “The Poor Little Rich Girl,” Viola and her mother had discovered the Edison Company, and the actress first worked there in 1910, making her debut in “A Christmas Carol.” She was to remain with the company through 1916, playing primarily in the short subjects that Edison emphasized over features long after the advent of the long format production. The final major films that Viola made at Edison were five-reel features, “Children of Eve” (1915) and “The Cossack Whip” (1916), both directed by John Collins, who became her husband in 1915. The emphasis of Edison was on drama, and Viola gained a reputation as a dramatic actress, with the ability to cry often. It was a reputation that led to a contract in 1916 with Metro, with whom the actress remained through 1924, starring in some 51 feature films. By the early 1920’s, Viola Dana was the highest paid female star at the studio where she played both drama and comedy. Her diminutive stature, 4’11”, and good looks made Viola easy to cast, but by the 1920’s, she was tired of serious drama. She was fond of remarking, and her saucy grin was ideally suited to comedy. Viola had a wicked sense of humor. She always claimed that Frank Capra had chosen her for his first Columbia feature, “That Certain Thing” (1928 ) because, when she walked, she had the “cutest little wiggle.” With her stage background, Viola could easily have continued in talkies but chose to retire comfortably. Viola died on July 3, 1987. She was 90 years old.

Viola Dana

Viola Dana, first silent film was made at a former Manhattan riding academy in 1910. The stalls had been made into dressing rooms. She fell in love with Edison director John Hancock Collins (1889 - 1918) and they married in 1915. Dana's performed in Collins's Edison films, Children of Eve (1915) and The Cossack Whip (1916). Soon after producer B. A. Rolfe, offered the couple contracts with his company, Rolfe Photoplays. Dana and Collins accepted Rolfe's offer in 1916 and filmed, The Girl Without A Soul and Blue Jeans (both 1917).

Soon after Viola Dana, moved out to California acting for Metro. In 1920, she became engaged to Ormer Locklear, an aviator and military veteran. Locklear was the prototype for the Robert Redford movie, The Great Waldo Pepper (1975), and Dana was an honored guest for the premiere of The Great Waldo Pepper.

One of Viola Dana's last important roles was in Frank Capra's, That Certain Thing (1928). She retired from the screen in 1929. Her final performances were in, Two Sisters (1929), One Splendid Hour (1929), and (with her sister Shirley Mason, née Leonie Flugrath) The Show of Shows (1929). Viola performed in over 100 films. More than 50 years after her retirement she performed in the documentary Hollywood (1980), talking about her career as a silent film star during the 1920s. Footage from the interview sessions was used in the 1987 documentary Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow.


Cinderella Twin (1920)
Connie McGill, a scullery maid dreams of better things. One day, while serving, she sees her Prince Charming, Prentice Blue. Unfortunately, Blue has nothing but his social standing and Nathaniel Flint, wishes his daughter Helen to marry him in order to gain family status. Flint gives a big party for Helen, which attracts the attention of the Du Geen band of crooks. They help the unsuspecting Connie with proper clothes, and she ends up at the party dancing with Blue, who falls in love with her. As she leaves, she accidentally leaves her slipper with Blue. Unknown to her, the crooks put a key in her shoe to Flint's safe.

Frank Capra "That Certain Thing" (1928)

"That Certain Thing" (1928) is a silent romantic comedy starring Viola Dana, Ralph Graves, and Burr McIntosh. Directed by Frank Capra, this film is about a gold digger who is in search of a rich husband. Molly Kelly, played by Viola Dana, is a young woman from the tenements who works in a cigar stand to help support her widowed mother and two younger brothers. Even though she has the opportunity to marry a streetcar conductor, Molly wants to marry a millionaire. Molly's mother, Maggie Kelly, played by Aggie Herring, and the neighbors make fun of her fantasy. One day Molly literally bumps into Andy B. Charles, Jr., played by Ralph Graves, the son of the popular ABC restaurant chain. Totally smitten with Molly, Andy asks her out on a date that same night. Within a few hours, Molly and Andy get married. The following day, associates of Charles, Sr. arrive in the couple's honeymoon suite and confiscate all the wedding gifts Andy bought Molly on his father's credit account. Charles, Sr., played by Burr McIntosh, suspects that Molly married Andy for his money and promptly disinherits his son. At this point, Andy rolls up his sleeves and goes to work on a building site digging ditches to support himself and his wife. Molly, who is truly in love with Andy, packs her husband a box lunch daily and takes it to his worksite. When a minor problem on the job makes Andy lose his appetite, he offers his lunch to one of his co-workers, who is so impressed with Molly's box lunch that he swears he would be willing to pay good money for it. Pretty soon Molly starts making box lunches which Andy eagerly sells to his co-workers. When word gets out that Molly's box lunches are better than the ones from the Charles restaurant chain, Andy's millionaire father has to deal with some serious competition. What will happen when Charles, Sr. finds out his own son and daughter-in-law can drive him out of business?


Frank Capra's first Columbia feature, "That Certain Thing" is delightful and is worth watching just to see how clever a director he was in his silents. Even at this early stage of his career, this film has that Capra "feel good" touch. It showcases three of the four elements that later became customary in all Capra's films: comedy, romance, pathos, and drama. The pathos is missing, but this kind of film did not really need it. Columbia was a Poverty Row studio in 1928. Typical of Columbia films from this period, "That Certain Thing" suffers from the small budget, especially noticeable in the scenes shot in the office of millionaire Charles, Sr., which is rather cramped. However, the film has excellent lead performances from Ralph Graves and Viola Dana. Claiming that he was losing his hair and his sex appeal, Ralph Graves decided to become a director for Harry Cohn at Columbia in the late 1920's, although, in fact, he did continue acting until as late as 1949. At Columbia, Graves became associated with Frank Capra, whom the actor had become familiar with at the Mack Sennett studios. Aside from "That Certain Thing" (1928), Capra did star Graves in "Submarine" (1928), "Flight" (1929), "Ladies of Leisure" (1930), and "Dirigible" (1931). Viola Dana, who started her feature film work at seventeen with the Edison Company, worked in many silents for Edison, comedies with Mack Sennett, and starred in some fifty feature films for Metro where she was the highest paid female star. Viola Dana, who had a wicked sense of humor, always claimed that Frank Capra had chosen her for "That Certain Thing" (1928), because, when she walked, she had the "cutest little wiggle." Fast paced and filled with Capraesque humor, "That Certain Thing" is a forgotten gem of the silent screen that is worth discovering.