Syncopation was a hit at the box office, but the critics, and film historians, hated it. With this in mind, it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch RKO’s first film. I was pleasantly surprised by how funny and watchable this film remains after 86 years. Date of Release: 24 March 1929 Studio: RKO Director: Bert Glennon Screenplay: Frances Agnew, Gene Markey, Paul S. Haschke Music: Sammy Stept, Bud Green, Clifford Grey, Richard Myers, Leo Robin, Herman Ruby Leading Actors: Barbara Bennett, Bobby Watson, Ian Hunter, Morton Downey, Osgood Perkins, Mackenzie Ward, Vera Teasdale, Dorothy Lee, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians New Studio, New Sound The Radio-Keith-Orpheum Corporation, RKO, was formed in 1928 following a merger of three existing companies that specialized in radio, theatre and film. RKO’s head, David Sarnoff, saw the potential of radio and cinema working in tandem, and as a result Syncopation was heavily advertised on radio, along with the traditional print media blitz. RKO also developed an innovative “touring system,” where sound equipment was brought to previously unwired theaters. For many people outside of New York, Syncopation was the first film they had seen with sound. Film Daily (October 8, 1929) reported the film as the first talkie to be screened in South Africa. The massive publicity and “touring system” ensured Syncopation broke box office records. Despite what the critics said, the sound in Syncopation is surprisingly good. This may be due to the fact that RKO used its own Photophone sound system, which recorded sound on film, making it a flexible means of recording. Vitaphone, which was used more widely, recorded sound on discs, and required movie houses to sync up the discs with the film. An excellent explanation of the history and differences between the various sound systems can be found at Film Sound. Professor Bethany Jacobson also provides a useful account here. Unkind Opinions Following a disastrous performance, a character in Syncopation laments, "Read tomorrow's papers, public opinion can be very unkind." Despite its commercial success, the critics were not kind to Syncopation. The NY Times Review was critical of the plot and sound, while Film Daily also lamented the story and poor acting. Film historian Richard Barrios described Syncopation as “dowdy,” with “undistinguished” songs and an “ordinary and derivative” plot, while Richard Koszarski lamented the film’s clunkiness. It’s hard to understand why the critics were so harsh. Syncopation is funny, well paced, and features a strong cast, and great music. Director Bert Glennon is better remembered as a cinematographer, and worked on over 100 films, primarily for 20th Century-Fox. His most well-known film, The House of Wax (1953), was the first major color 3D film. His skill for the visual is not lost in Syncopation, and the shots and frame compositions are clever and highly watchable. Stepping High Based on Gene Markey’s novel Stepping High, the film centers around a married dancing duo, Benny and Flo. Flo desires more than their working class life, and leaves her devoted husband to find it. After being wooed by a wealthy patron, Flo realizes Benny is the best partner for her both on and off the stage, and returns. Writer Frances Agnew, Motion Picture Acting The screenplay written by Frances Agnew, is surprisingly tight and full of great comedy (though unfortunately, there are several homophobic references). There is often scant information about screenwriters, and this is even more true of screenwriters who happened to be women. As Kevin Brownlow writes in his introduction to Frederica Maas’ The Shocking Miss Pilgrim: A Writer in Early Hollywood, women working in Hollywood throughout the 1920s and 1930s were often treated “disgracefully” and not publicly recognized for their talents. Frances Agnew was a screenwriter for at least 11 films in the 1920s and 1930s. Author and fellow screenwriter Frederica Maas met Agnew around this time, and described her a “a spinster nearing fifty” who “lived in a small hotel on Hollywood Boulevard.” According to Agnew’s own book published in 1913, she was an “author, actress, and photoplayer”. The book, written whilst working for famed Hollywood movie columnist Louella Parsons, entitled Motion Picture Acting: How to Prepare for Photoplaying, What Qualifications are Necessary, How to Secure an Engagement, Salaries Paid to Photoplayers, is a fascinating insight into early film acting. Leading Players The entire cast is strong and well cast. Barbara Bennett puts in a solid performance as the social climbing Flo, and her character is an interesting one. The social conventions of the day suggest a woman leaving her husband to pursue her dreams is highly unacceptable, but we never truly dislike Flo. We see her frustrations in trying to achieve more than her social class allows, and how limited her options are without a partner. Despite the attention and lavish gifts presented by the wealthy Winston (played by Ian Hunter), Flo remains loyal to Benny. Perhaps this was all too modern for the critics of the day who dismissed the story as fluff. Barbara Bennett was the middle child of a highly theatrical family, and despite early success as a dancer, she was not as successful or well-known as her two sisters, Constance and Joan Bennett. Barbara appeared in several Broadway shows, and a few unsuccessful Hollywood musicals including Mother’s Boy, and Love Among the Millionaires. Bobby Watson is charming and funny as her doting husband, Benny. Bobby Watson was a vaudeville comedian famous for playing drag roles. He went on to much success in Hollywood, and became most well-known for playing Hitler after being cast as the dictator in 9 different films. He played the (uncredited) diction coach in the “Moses Supposes” number in Singin’ in the Rain! Benny and Flo never sing, but their comedic sidekick friends, Lew and Peggy, fill the void. Played with great charisma by Morton Downey and Peggy Lee, Lew and Peggy appear at opportune moments to play and sing at Benny and Flo’s piano. Morton Downer was a well-regarded tenor, known as the “Irish Nightingale,” and was Barbara Bennet’s real life husband. Syncopation marked the film debut for actress Dorothy Lee who went on to appear in the highly enjoyable Rio Rita and several Wheeley & Woolsey comedies. The other supporting characters, wealthy New York socialites, are played with panache by Osgood Perkins, Mackenzie Ward, and Veree Teasdale. Syncopation is one of the few movie musicals film I’ve seen in 1929 to feature an African American actor, the role of Mammy — a help maid to Flo, is unfortunately uncredited. Song and Dance
With music by a group of highly prolific and successful writers, including Sam Stept who wrote hundreds of songs such as “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)," the score contains several contrasting numbers that make for a fun and very listenable soundtrack. Although some of the songs are contrived, particularly the scenes where Lew and Peggy miraculously appear to vocalize the emotions of the scene, the music has heart. As mentioned in previous posts, most music in films from this period is performed on camera by musicians in a performance setting. “I’ll Always Be in Love” is a rare example of music being used to underscore a character’s emotions — in this case, Benny’s pain when Flo announces she is leaving him. The touching final scene of the film is also underscored to great effect. “My Inspiration is You” and “Bell Song” are sweet romantic songs with voice and piano. They are contrasted by the big band jazz numbers performed by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians. A real life jazz group, Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians performed widely, appearing on stage, radio, film and television. Throughout the 1920s, the Pennsylvanians’ records were top-sellers, and the group remained popular into the 1950s. Their popularity is easy to understand from the performances captured in Syncopation. “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life,” “Tin Pan Parade,” and “Jericho” are terrific jazz numbers, complete with entertaining choreography from the band. Aside from the band choreography, the only dancing to appear in the film are two club scenes featuring Benny and Flo's routine. Although the dancing is not slick by modern standards, the duets are earnest and contain some impressive lifts. The dancing is filmed from a wide angle, with few close ups, allowing us to see the band and Flo and Benny’s bodies in full. Backstage Musical Comedies By June 1929, audiences on the coasts were growing tired of backstage musical comedies and profits started to dip. Variety reported that theater “Managers are considering a joint protest to the producers” as the “public had had so much similar film fare during recent months.” Despite the lack of critical enthusiasm, with its fun score, humorous screenplay, and strong performances, Syncopation is a solid contribution to the early movie musical.
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