Onscreen: Douglas Fairbanks in When the Clouds Roll By (1919)

One of the best movies you've probably never seen, When the Clouds Roll By is little-known gem. In one of his last films in a contemporary setting, Douglas Fairbanks plays Daniel Boone Browne, whom the mad Dr. Metz (Herbert Grimwood) hilariously tries to drive to suicide through psychological manipulation.

A spoof on the "new" psycholanlysis craze, this film is loaded with off-the-wall and even bizarre comedy, including a wild dream sequence featuring Doug climbing the walls and walking across the ceiling, an effect borrowed thirty years later by Stanley Donen and Fred Astaire for their famous Dancing on the Ceiling number in Royal Wedding. This all leads up to a great storm scene, which many believe was a direct inspiration for the cyclone sequence in Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Don't miss this rare chance to see When the Clouds Roll By, with original, live music by Retroformat Silent Films Musical Director Cliff Retallick, at the historic Woman's Club of Hollywood!

All Retroformat screenings at the Woman's Club of Hollywood are from 16mm film.

Host or Publisher Retroformat Silent Films