A bitter disappointment was when she was replaced in the classic war drama All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) by Beryl Mercer after her initial appearance in previews drew unintentional laughs, despite her intense performance. Switching between comedy short films and features, by the advent of sound, she was relegated to comedy roles. She starred in a number of Hal Roach short films and features, and co-starred in a series of feature-length comedies with Slim Summerville. Her stock persona (a fretful, flustered, worried spinster) made her instantly recognizable and was often imitated in cartoons and other films. She played secondary parts in many films. Pitts enjoyed her greatest fame in the early 1930s, often starring in B movies and comedy short films, teamed with Thelma Todd. He also featured her in his films The Honeymoon (1928), The Wedding March (1928), and Walking Down Broadway, released as Hello, Sister! (1933). Based on her performance, von Stroheim labelled Pitts "the greatest dramatic actress". Having been extensively edited prior to release - the final theatrical cut ran just over two hours - the movie failed initially at the box office, but has since been restored to over four hours and is considered one of the greatest films ever made. ![]() The surprise casting initially shocked Hollywood, but showed that Pitts could draw tears with her doleful demeanor, as well as laughs. In 1924, the actress, now a reputable comedy farceuse, was given the greatest tragic role of her career in Erich von Stroheim's 7 ⁄2-hour epic Greed (1924). The following year she married her first husband, Tom Gallery, with whom she was paired in several films, including Heart of Twenty (1920), Bright Eyes, Patsy (both 1921) and A Daughter of Luxury (1922). Pitts' popularity grew following a series of Universal one-reeler comedies, and earned her first feature-length lead in King Vidor's Better Times (1919).
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