Grawlixes and the movies; Earl Hurd, 1917

 Bobby Bumps' Fourth (Earl Hurd, 1917) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQCv-O3-QDY&index=14&list=PLH3kk91FHIVCDRQSrOwNcTjxzQ19784r7

Polly wants a cracker, but the expected cracker turns out to be a firecracker.
Grawlixes appear as stars, swirls and censorded (blanked) curses.

A silent film.

Grawlixes like stars and spirals do not replace sound. (see; programming with grawlixes).
However;
Most Grawlixes seem to have disappeared from the movies with the introduction of sound.

therefore it is likely that;

A. Grawlixes must have some relation with language
B. But not with spoken language

http://the-euclideanfly.blogspot.nl/search/label/grawlixes%20and%20the%20movies