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From: garys@bunkerb.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re:  silent star in a \"talkie\"
Message-ID: <612@bunkerb.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Mar-86 18:08:06 EST
Article-I.D.: bunkerb.612
Posted: Wed Mar  5 18:08:06 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Mar-86 00:33:48 EST
References: <1393@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: garys@bunkerb.UUCP (Gary M. Samuelson)
Organization: Bunker Ramo, Trumbull Ct
Lines: 23

In article <1393@decwrl.DEC.COM> benton@espn.DEC (Janet Benton DTN 269-2172 Loc ICO/C04) writes:
>
> 
>> Side note: can anyone think of any other movie in the "talkie" era where the
>> main character never speaks?  (the only one I can think of is Mel Brooks'
>> "Silent Movie", but that really doesn't count, as only one person says
>> anything in that movie.  (for 10 brownie points, can anyone remember who speaks
>> and what he/she says?))
> 
>YES!  In THE STORY OF HELEN KELLER the starring actress never speaks. 
>(Because Helen was deaf/dumb/blind.)  The actress was Patti Duke.  

NO!  Helen Keller was not dumb, though she was deaf and blind.
She became deaf and blind at a very young age (scarlet fever, or
something like that), but she had already started to learn to speak
(e.g., she could say "wa-wa" for "water").  Near the end of the
movie, we know that all the work finally is starting to pay off because,
as she holds her hands in running water, she again -- for the first
time in years -- says "wa-wa."

Surprised that no one else has pointed this out.

Gary Samuelson