THE SOILERS (1923)

Glenn Tryon swoons over Stan Laurel in the 1923 silent comedy THE SOILERS.

THE SOILERS is a spoof of the 1914 Western film THE SPOILERS; this comedy short stars Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy fame) attempting to get rich during the Gold Rush. Unfortunately for Stan a local Sheriff is after his riches, which leads to a very VERY long, drawn-out, fight.

While these two men are brawling, a wonderfully flamboyant “sissy” character, played by Glenn Tryon, wanders in and out of the scene numerous times. He can be seen batting his eyelashes at the men, fussing over his clothing, buffing his fingernails, and even blowing a kiss to Laurel at the end! 

Historian Richard Barrios mentions in his book “Screened Out” that the image of the sissy was given life during the trials of Oscar Wilde when the public began to equate his foppish, and effeminate, tendencies with homosexuality. Wilde’s physical build was ignored and a more exaggerated version of a smaller, delicate, ‘feminine’ male grew into a stereotype that we see throughout film, television, and theatre today. 

While the sissy in this film is used primarily as a joke, there’s something to be said about the fact he makes it through the reels unscathed and nobody attempts to butch him up and get the girl in the end – which was a common trope in early film.

THE SOILERS

1923. USA.

Director: Ralph Ceder

Writers: Hal Coklin and H.M. Walker

Starring: Stan Laurel, Ena Gregory, Mae Laurel, Glenn Tryon, James Finlayson, Billy Engle, and Eddie Baker

You can find THE SOILERS streaming on YouTube