Gloria Swanson as a single girl in New York.

Manhandled is my favorite Gloria Swanson silent film.  Although she did other comedies, this is not her typical role.  It may be part of why I enjoy it so much.

Tessie is a sales clerk at a large New York department store.  She rides the crowded trains to and from work.  Diminutive Swanson nearly gets trampled several times.  Although known more for high drama, Swanson could handle slapstick with the best of them.

She returns to her apartment building where her boyfriend lives down the hall.  He works days as a mechanic and nights as a Taxi driver.  She wants to go out and party while he has to work.   The next night she goes along with a friend to a party.  At first she seems out of place as the talk is of art and philosophy.  She tries her hand at some jazz dancing and ends up losing some underwear.  She falls on her butt with her legs in the air.   She charms all the men and catches the eye of a handsome artist who hires her to pose for him. 

She takes the job as her boyfriend is going out of town to sell an idea to a Detroit auto maker.  The artist has other things on his mind and attempts to rape her.  Luckily the Wizard of Oz walks in and saves her.  Frank Morgan was at the party and impressed by her impersonations.  He hires her to pretend to be a Russian countess at his tea house to drum up business. 

He also makes a pass at her.  To get out of that, she accepts an invite to go on a date with the son of the man who owned the department store she once worked at.  He also tries to have his way with her in his limousine. 

Finally her boyfriend returns with good news of his invention.  She is out and he finds all of her expensive clothes that were bought for her.  He tells her he no longer wants to marry her as she has been "manhandled."    As this is a romantic comedy, you know all will end well. 

Swanson will be remembered as Norma Desmond and her silent bedroom dramas.  It is a shame she did not do more comedies as Manhandled is her most accessible film.   This is a role you would imagine Clara Bow in, not Swanson, but she does a great job.  Her bread and butter was the wealthy snob, but here she demonstrates she could play common as well as anyone.  Gloria Swanson truly was the greatest silent film actress.

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