Asides - Who's Who

The title and the cast of characters in a film today can show up anytime (and anywhere) during the first 10 or so minutes. In the past, we got the title followed by the cast of character list along with the director, producer, etc. In the silent days, the actor or actress often got their credit on the intertitle the first time they appeared on screen. For example, the intertitle might read, as we see someone entering a room, "Edmund Worthington, known to his friends as Eddie, his family as "the black sheep" and to women as Sweet Ed, has just returned from the race track. Neil Hamilton".

Here are two examples from the 1920 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

And this frame grab is included because Nita looks amazing and Barrymore is in perfect profile.

However, in the late twenties and early thirties, while a straight list of characters was common, several, if not all of the studios, would at times start the film with the actor/actress being shown, along with the name of the character they were portraying. Many serial producers/studios used this device and continued to use it until the end of the chapter play era in the early fifties. What follows are a few of these cast/character screen captures. I just decided to capture these recently, so there is no real rhyme or reason. Enjoy.

Click on the images for a larger view.

From the serials.