Parody Because audiences had seen these classic Westerns, they had expectations for any new Westerns, and when these expectations were inverted, the audience laughed. Perhaps the earliest parody film was the 1922 "Mud and Sand", a Stan Laurel film that made fun of Rudolph Valentino's film "Blood and Sand". Laurel specialized in parodies in the mid-1920s, writing and acting in a number of them. Some were send-ups of popular films, such as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"—parodied in the comic "Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde" (1926). Others were spoofs of Broadway plays, such as "No, No, Nanette" (1925), parodied as "Yes,
The Circle (1925 film) Crawford) decides to leave her husband (and her son Arnold) in favor of her lover ("Hughie" Porteous). Thirty years later, young Elizabeth (Eleanor Boardman) is facing the same choice between her husband (the now grown Arnold, played by Creighton Hale) and lover (Malcolm McGregor). In the meantime, Arnold's mother Lady Catherine and lover Lord Porteous are coming to visit. The Circle (1925 film) The Circle is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Frank Borzage. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Malcolm McGregor, and Alec B. Francis. A young Joan Crawford appears early in the film but only in a