One For The Road: Happy Birthday, Mary Philbin

By Samantha Abernethy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 16, 2012 10:30PM

Silent film star Mary Philbin was born in Chicago on this date in 1903. She's best known for her role as Christine in the original 1925 Phantom of the Opera. Like many silent stars, her career quickly petered out when the "talkies" showed up. She did, however, participate in the reworking of Phantom in 1929, lending her voice to her own performance. However, the sound cut of the film is presumed lost.

The 1925 and 1929 versions of Phantom are posted in-full on YouTube, and it's the perfect thing to whet your appetite for the Silent Film Society of Chicago's "Silent Summer" Film Festival, which starts this Friday. If you only have time to watch one scene, we suggest the Bal Masque starting at 1:04 in the 1925 version and at 0:50 in the 1929 version, which is in color.

The 1925 version:

The 1929 version: