Solo Zeppo Credit Discovered by Robert Moulton

A Kiss in the Dark was released on 6 April 6 1925, three months after Harpo's Too Many Kisses, and stars Adolphe Menjou, Aileen Pringle, Lillian Rich, Kenneth MacKenna and Ann Pennington. It was shot on Paramount Studios in New York and directed by Frank Tuttle. Zeppo is not listed in the cast in the 1921-1930 AFI Catalogue, so his presence is a mystery. Another expert on early films, Robert Farr, went to the Library of Congress to look for some confirmation, but Zeppo was not mentioned in reviews by The New York Times, Variety, Moving Picture World, Motion Picture News and Harrison's Reports. Farr finally found a pressbook for A Kiss in the Dark in Paramount's copyright deposit. Zeppo was not in the official cast list, but one of a number of Broadway guest stars that included Kitty Kelley of "Miss Jane McKane" and Eden Brand of "The Firebrand". The piece doesn't say which role Zeppo was cast in, but as the character played by Lillian Rich is described as having "eyes for every personable chap who crosses her path", there seem to be a plausible role for Zeppo.

This discovery may suggest that Zeppo was exploring the possibility of an acting career away from the act as early as 1925 or he might simply have been inspired by Harpo to pick up some easy money during the day. Robert Farr had hopes that more info on A Kiss in the Dark should be found in The Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles (file keepers of stills and scripts donated by Paramount) but according to Joe Adamson there's nothing about the film in those files. The lack of confirmation of Zeppo's appearance in stills and trade paper citations may indicate that the pressbook information (which was printed up well in advance of release) doesn't actually reflect what got filmed. Robert Farr has sent me the scan from the Paramount press book seen beside while Robert Moulton provided the press clip below.