George Washington Jr. is a lost[1] 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Rex Taylor.
The film stars Wesley Barry, Gertrude Olmstead, Léon Bary, Heinie Conklin, Otis Harlan, and William Courtright.
[8] The well-known comic, Wesley Barry, referred to as “Freckles” for his boyish behavior on screen, who typically “substituted distorted facial muscles and enthusiastic gesticulation for acting” was cast in the lead role.
[9] Director St. Clair, an “advocate of the naturalistic school of acting,” coached the 16-year-old Barry so as to elicit a measure of maturity in his portrayal of the young “Washington.” Whether the acting coach Josephine Dillon was involved in tutoring Barry is not known for certain, but his performance in the film exhibited a maturity that eschewed his trademark “mugging” and “hamming.”[10] The role of the servant Eton Ham was played by Conklin in blackface.
[11] The reviewer in Variety registered disappointment that Barry’s antics, especially his facial grimaces, were absent, but found the film to be “not a little fun” and good entertainment.