DADDIES
Starring Mae Marsh and Claude Gillingwater
MOTION PICTURE CLASSIC
May, 1924
"Daddies' (Warner Brothers) was called a delightful study of capricious humor on the stage as sponsored by David Belasco. It furnished much amusement in its reoantic urgings as projected by three hardened bachelors. On the screen it is a slice of surgary sentiment -- and not a very palatable slice at that. There is no question that it has moments of appeal -- and the sentimentalists will enjoy it - but it is too inconsequential as treated here. We would have liked to see what Lubitsch would make of it. Surely he would have injected more adroit, subtle humor.
We have before us a situation which never fails -- so true to its hokum foundation -- of a little group of wilful bachelors who band together to keep away from the encroachments of romance. They adopt some war orphans -- and true to the conventions -- become softened in their attitude, marry and forfeit five thousand dollars apiece without a murmur.
There are a few individual scenes which generate merriment -- and whenever Claude Gillingwater is before us -- it carries interest. His is the best performance, Mae Marsh being quite colorless in the leading feminine role. With all due credit to her, however, it isn't much of a role.