Review - The Reckless Age

August 28, 2021
 
The Reckless Age – U.S., 1924
 

On IMDB, Heinie Conklin is credited with appearing in more than 500 films over his forty-four year Hollywood career, a distinction that earned him a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Conklin was of German heritage, a fact that led him to adopt the moniker Charles Lynn early in his career. Later on, he reclaimed his family name, but continued to perform as “Charlie,” a result, it is said, of anti-German sentiments that existed in the United States at that time. I have seen a number of his films, and while I can’t recall any of his performances in them, I have a measure of respect for him. He survived the switch to sound, the rise of the studio system, and the insecurity that its fall brought to those unfortunate enough not to be a member of the Hollywood A-list. I say all this because I want it to be clear that what comes next is not personal. In truth, it’s not even professional. It is more a comment on the anonymity of the people above him and the matter-of-fact nature in which his role was likely cast.
 
See, in Harry A. Pollard’s The Reckless Age, Conklin plays an African-American taxi driver, and to say he doesn’t fit the role would be a colossal understatement. In fact, his appearance is so jarring that it takes you out of the moment. I found myself reflecting on the fact that just a few minutes earlier, we had seen a family of African-Americans at a train station, none of whom had been played by a Caucasian in blackface. There had also been an African-American worker on the train – also not played by a blackfaced actor. Any of them could have played the taxi driver. It was a reminder of the blight that blackface and yellowface left on Hollywood and how it has the potential to tarnish otherwise decent films.
 
The Reckless Age is a silent romantic comedy that no doubt influenced many films that followed, such as It Happened One Night, Charade, and Roman Holiday. It stars Reginald Denny as Richard Minot, an employee of an insurance provider whose job responsibilities are closer to Michael Clayton’s than any other character from silent films that I can think of. In the film’s opening scene, we learn that a certain Lord Allan Harrowby (William Austin) wants to insure his wedding, which is quite unusual to say the least. The deal is simple: If the marriage does not proceed, Harrowby will get $10,000; if he is the reason for its cancellation, he gets nothing; and if he does indeed walk down the aisle, he’ll have married into a wealthy family and all will be well. After all, he owes a bit of money, and as he puts it, he has to “take his creditors’ interest to heart.” Minor is the insurer’s insurance policy.
 
And with that, the film has put itself in a proverbial corner. See, Harrowby has to be a rather upstanding fellow; otherwise, he’d play around, the case would be closed, and the film would be over in fifteen minutes. Thus, when doubt is cast upon his identity, there’s a serious lack of suspense. Another misstep occurs early on in the film when a character’s identity is revealed in an intertitle. We then watch Minor and that character exchange glances, elicit smiles in the other person, and flirt in that cute way that two people do when they are absolutely thrilled to be in the other’s presence. Later, they finally get around to introducing themselves, and low and behold, it’s the person we already knew it was, and I couldn’t help wondering why Minor hadn’t known that beforehand. It certainly would have made his character more interesting. As such, he just comes across as unprepared for his big case.
 
A film like The Reckless Age can only end one way, and Denny is not the only star of the silent period to make films that had pre-ordained finales. All of the three greats comedians of the silent period – Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd – left their characters in predictable, crowd-pleasing positions – either married or satisfied that he had performed a good deed. Their gift was to make their characters’ final states feel both earned and eagerly anticipated. To his credit, Denny and his collaborators got this, so while their film has far too many characters and a couple plot points that stretch on longer than they should, whenever Minot and Harrowby’s fiancée, Cecilia Meyrick (Ruth Dwyer), grace us with their collective presence, it’s pure movie magic.
 
Part of this is due to how well they make us believe that their characters’ instant connection – surely Hollywood’s greatest contribution to romantic fantasy – is the kind that, were it to be unacted on, would create lifelong heartache and regret. And then there’s Meyrick’s 20^th century persona. This is a truly independent young woman, and were it not for the conventions of 1920s upper class society, she would probably be living a life of travel, discovery, and romance on her terms. In fact, several scenes in which she increases Minot’s determination by making him feel as if he’s failed brought a rather self-aware smile to my face. I truly hope the two of them made more films together.
 
Alas, despite its title, only a few scenes in The Reckless Age really give Denny a chance to display his comic chops. Fortunately, those rare moments are a delight. Minot’s taxi rides provide Denny ample opportunity to display his skills at physical comedy and a late tussle in which he is outnumbered is delightfully silly. Also impressive are a few scenes with Dwyer in which Denny is able to let him tough-guy demeanor down and play the love-struck young man who suddenly thinks he has a chance with the woman of his dreams and can’t contain his excitement. I now understand why Kevin Brownlow considered Denny to be one of the top five comedians of the silent era.
 
Is there too much going on in the film? Sure. I certainly could have done without the missing necklace, the imposter, and the best friend, yet I absolutely adored the way Harrowby’s answer to every predicament is to look at Minot and ask him what he is going to do about it. There’s also a clever bit in which we meet another member of British royalty, and darn it, he looks so much like Harrowby that you’d swear eugenics was at work in the palace. And then there’s Denny and  Dwyer, a comic pairing on par with Chaplin and Edna Purviance, Lloyd and Mildred Davis, and William Powell and Lyrna Loy. Really, they’re that good together. They make a likeable film a must-see, and that’s saying something. (on DVD and Blu-ray as part of Kino’s The Reginald Denny Collection)
 
*The Reckless Age is a remake of a lost 1919 film entitled Love Insurance.