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Bud's Recruit
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Wikipedia article
'Bud's Recruit' is a 1918 American short comedy film directed by King Vidor. A print survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.
Cast
* Wallace Brennan as Bud Gilbert
* Robert Gordon as Reggie Gilbert
* Ruth Hampton as Edith
* Mildred Davis as Edith's sister
Production
'Buds Recruit' is one of ten short films written and produced by Judge Willis Brown that were directed by King Vidor. These were filmed at Boy City Film Company in Culver City, California and released by General Film Company between January and May 1918.
Buds Recruit is unique in that it is the only film from the Judge Willis Brown series that survives. This film is the only one of the series in which Judge Willis Brown did not appear.Durgnat and Simmon 1988 p. 333: All Vidors films prior to 1920 are presumed lost, except for The Intrigue and reel 1 of Buds Recruit And p, 24: only film without Brown appearing.
Theme
Brown was a Salt Lake City juvenile court judge who specialized in rehabilitating juvenile offenders. He based the series on his experiences operating his Boys Cities (not to be confused with Boys Town). The movies depict inter-ethnic city youth facing and resolving social and moral challenges constructively.Baxter 1976 p. 8
Durgnat and Simmon 1988 p. 25, p. 335
Written and filmed shortly after the United States entered WWI in 1917, the 'Buds Recruit' alludes to the isolationist impulses that affected recruitment efforts. The movie is pro-intervention, though Vidor presents a tough-in-check portrayal of the under-age brother (Bud) pro-enlistment enthusiasm. His chastening ultimately served to overcome his mothers and older brothers resistance to supporting the war effort. His older brother (Reggie) is Buds Recruit.
Durgnat and Simmon 1988 p. 24: Bud subverts both his draft-age brother and society mothers peace advocacy [isolationism]. And p.65 and p. 69: The subject of anti-interventionist attitudes toward participating in the European conflict reflected a traditional American attitude.
Footnotes
References
*Baxter, John. 1976. 'King Vidor'. Simon & Schuster, Inc. Monarch Film Studies. LOC Card Number 75-23544.
*Durgnat, Raymond and Simmon, Scott. 1988. 'King Vidor, American.' University of California Press, Berkeley.
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Category:1918 films
Category:Films directed by King Vidor
Category:Silent American comedy films
Category:American silent short films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:1918 comedy films
Category:1918 short films
Category:Comedy short films
Category:1910s American films
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