Piccadilly again

This week's TCM Silent Sunday Nights selection is the 1929 British movie Piccadilly, which airs just after midnight ET tonight. I've briefly mentioned the movie before for Anna May Wong's sensuous portrayal of a Chinese dancer who becomes the main attraction at a popular London nightclub. Wong, despite not getting top billing, really is the star. However, also worthy of mention is a small scene involving a patron complaining about the lousy food and service. If the man in that scene looks familiar, he should: that's a young Charles Laughton. Even at this early stage of his film career you can see that he's got the charisma to capture the screen, and it's easy to understand why, even though he wasn't endowed with the best looks, he went on to become a star.