- Published on
Read on for a detailed analysis of the films of 1929!
THE RESEARCH
I started this project in Sydney, way back when in 2010 as a means of distracting myself from a nasty breakup. I worked on the project sporadically, being limited by distance and cashflow to access the films.
Since that time, I have moved to London, gone to drama school, gotten married, and moved to the USA. In 2014 I was diagnosed with leukemia, and I’ve spent the past two years recovering.
I was initially only going to post about movies from the American Film Institute (AFI) “musicals” list, and only the films I could watch. I soon realized that the AFI list was rather incomplete.
Important films such as Hearts in Dixie and Hallelujah (the first feature films to star a full cast of African American characters), The Cocoanuts (the first Marx brothers musical), and Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (the first revue style musical), were missing. I became curious about the lost films, and decided to research them too.
The list is now comprised of films listed on IMDb and in the AFI catalog. The IMDb has a more complete list, however many of the films listed under “Musical” are shorts, rather than full-length musicals, and quite a few entries are dated incorrectly. The AFI Catalog tends to be more accurate for release dates, though the classifications are hit and miss.
Thanks to the internet, research-from-home has become incredibly easy.
The Internet Archive is a history nerd’s dream come true. The non-profit has digitized “millions of free books, movie, software, music, and more,” including film magazines and journals, making research vastly easier.
I started this project in Sydney, way back when in 2010 as a means of distracting myself from a nasty breakup. I worked on the project sporadically, being limited by distance and cashflow to access the films.
Since that time, I have moved to London, gone to drama school, gotten married, and moved to the USA. In 2014 I was diagnosed with leukemia, and I’ve spent the past two years recovering.
I was initially only going to post about movies from the American Film Institute (AFI) “musicals” list, and only the films I could watch. I soon realized that the AFI list was rather incomplete.
Important films such as Hearts in Dixie and Hallelujah (the first feature films to star a full cast of African American characters), The Cocoanuts (the first Marx brothers musical), and Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (the first revue style musical), were missing. I became curious about the lost films, and decided to research them too.
The list is now comprised of films listed on IMDb and in the AFI catalog. The IMDb has a more complete list, however many of the films listed under “Musical” are shorts, rather than full-length musicals, and quite a few entries are dated incorrectly. The AFI Catalog tends to be more accurate for release dates, though the classifications are hit and miss.
Thanks to the internet, research-from-home has become incredibly easy.
The Internet Archive is a history nerd’s dream come true. The non-profit has digitized “millions of free books, movie, software, music, and more,” including film magazines and journals, making research vastly easier.
The Media History Digital Library is also a terrific resource, providing access to a wealth of film journals and magazines such as The Film Daily, Photoplay, Motion Picture News, and Variety. Simply select a journal from the extensive collection, type a movie title into the search box, and voila! The search engine finds all the references to that movie within the journal - complete with hyperlinks direct to the page. The Lantern search also allows you to search across journals, and across multiple years. I love living in the future!
Over the past six years, more and more early films are have become available to watch. Thanks to the hard work of archivists, technicians, and film buffs from the Vitaphone Project, Library of Congress, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Warner Bros, and Turner, many early musicals have been re-discovered, restored, and made available to the general public on DVD. Many are also now available on YouTube.
Now that I live in NYC with access to MoMA, the New York Public Library, and through the NYPL the libraries of NYU and Columbia, cost to watch the films has become less of an issue.
Over the past six years, more and more early films are have become available to watch. Thanks to the hard work of archivists, technicians, and film buffs from the Vitaphone Project, Library of Congress, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Warner Bros, and Turner, many early musicals have been re-discovered, restored, and made available to the general public on DVD. Many are also now available on YouTube.
Now that I live in NYC with access to MoMA, the New York Public Library, and through the NYPL the libraries of NYU and Columbia, cost to watch the films has become less of an issue.
Outside the Kentucky Theatre (Motion Picture News, 1 Feb 1929)
GOING TO THE MOVIES
Movie-going in 1929 was an entirely different experience. The average price of a theatre ticket was 45 cents, and audiences could expect live entertainment before the feature. In small towns, this could be a small musical act or variety performance. In larger cities such as New York, “vaude-films” featured elaborate live stage shows that sometimes lasted longer than the film itself, with singers, dancers, and moving sets.
Bringing the stage to the big screen was a key selling point for early talkie films, as evidenced by the high number of vaudeville and Broadway performers, such as George Jessel, Eddie Buzzel, Mack and Moran, Rudy Vallee, and Sophie Tucker, who were placed into star vehicles.
Critics were mixed in their reactions to talkies. Several critics voiced concerns that talkies would be the end of cinema, and cause people to lose their imaginations. Some feared talkies would kill the stage.
Others were excited for the medium, believing that talkies would boost attendance at live theatre, and that patrons of live theatre would attend more films.
Whatever the critics thought, the general public loved talkies. By the end of 1929, close to half of all theatres were wired for sound and musicals had become an integral staple of the cinematic world.
Movie-going in 1929 was an entirely different experience. The average price of a theatre ticket was 45 cents, and audiences could expect live entertainment before the feature. In small towns, this could be a small musical act or variety performance. In larger cities such as New York, “vaude-films” featured elaborate live stage shows that sometimes lasted longer than the film itself, with singers, dancers, and moving sets.
Bringing the stage to the big screen was a key selling point for early talkie films, as evidenced by the high number of vaudeville and Broadway performers, such as George Jessel, Eddie Buzzel, Mack and Moran, Rudy Vallee, and Sophie Tucker, who were placed into star vehicles.
Critics were mixed in their reactions to talkies. Several critics voiced concerns that talkies would be the end of cinema, and cause people to lose their imaginations. Some feared talkies would kill the stage.
Others were excited for the medium, believing that talkies would boost attendance at live theatre, and that patrons of live theatre would attend more films.
Whatever the critics thought, the general public loved talkies. By the end of 1929, close to half of all theatres were wired for sound and musicals had become an integral staple of the cinematic world.
The giant crane used in the film Broadway (Photoplay, May 1929)
STUDIO SYSTEM
A total of 17 studios released 74 musical films between 1 January 1929 and 31 December 1929.
With access to higher budgets, the major studios were able to not only invest in expensive sound technology, but to make multiple sound films. Unsure of how talkies were going to fare, the studios often released two versions of a film - one silent and one talkie.
With a total of eleven, Paramount made the most number of musicals, followed by Fox and First National with ten, Warner Bros with seven, RKO with six, and MGM with five.
Several independent studios attempted a musical, but these were often not commercially successful. Independent films that did well at the box office were those that were picked up by major studios or distributors, such as Gloria Productions’ The Trespasser, distributed by United Artists, and Harold Lloyd Productions’ Welcome Danger, distributed by Paramount. Both these films were also able to trade on the names of well known silent film stars.
Sono-Art proved the exceptional independent studio which, following the success of The Great Gabbo, was able to make a total of three musicals.
The major studios had access to vast publicity machines which they used to boost sales of their musicals. Promotions often focused on a star, the use of technicolor, and of course the fact that the film was “All talking! All singing! All dancing!" Even where films only contained one token song and dance number, the film would be billed as "All talking, all singing, all dancing!"
It was not until the end of 1929, with the release of Welcome Danger in October, that publicity became a coordinated effort. Apart from ads in newspapers and radio spots, it was left to the individual cinema owners to promote films and attract pundits.
Motion Picture News ran the Manager’s Round Table Club, a regular feature reporting on successful and interesting film advertisements. These often involved tie-ins with local businesses, elaborate window displays, decorated cars or buses driving around town, human billboards, and competitions. The Film Daily started running a similar, though less formal, column in the early 1930s.
A total of 17 studios released 74 musical films between 1 January 1929 and 31 December 1929.
With access to higher budgets, the major studios were able to not only invest in expensive sound technology, but to make multiple sound films. Unsure of how talkies were going to fare, the studios often released two versions of a film - one silent and one talkie.
With a total of eleven, Paramount made the most number of musicals, followed by Fox and First National with ten, Warner Bros with seven, RKO with six, and MGM with five.
Several independent studios attempted a musical, but these were often not commercially successful. Independent films that did well at the box office were those that were picked up by major studios or distributors, such as Gloria Productions’ The Trespasser, distributed by United Artists, and Harold Lloyd Productions’ Welcome Danger, distributed by Paramount. Both these films were also able to trade on the names of well known silent film stars.
Sono-Art proved the exceptional independent studio which, following the success of The Great Gabbo, was able to make a total of three musicals.
The major studios had access to vast publicity machines which they used to boost sales of their musicals. Promotions often focused on a star, the use of technicolor, and of course the fact that the film was “All talking! All singing! All dancing!" Even where films only contained one token song and dance number, the film would be billed as "All talking, all singing, all dancing!"
It was not until the end of 1929, with the release of Welcome Danger in October, that publicity became a coordinated effort. Apart from ads in newspapers and radio spots, it was left to the individual cinema owners to promote films and attract pundits.
Motion Picture News ran the Manager’s Round Table Club, a regular feature reporting on successful and interesting film advertisements. These often involved tie-ins with local businesses, elaborate window displays, decorated cars or buses driving around town, human billboards, and competitions. The Film Daily started running a similar, though less formal, column in the early 1930s.
The Trespasser (Screenland, Oct 1929)
THE STORIES
While a third of the musicals told original stories that were not based on a book or stage show, over two-thirds were centered around a backstage or performance theme that incorporated vaudeville, Broadway, cabaret, or a revue.
Where the theme focused on subjects away from the stage, such as criminal activity or football, at least one of the characters was defined by their singing or music playing ability.
The second biggest theme in the musicals of 1929 was romance. Close to half of the musicals centered around a romantic relationship. The couples portrayed were always heterosexual couples, and the relationships all led to marriage, or at least the suggestion of it. Where couples were already married, themes of infidelity or choosing career over a spouse always ended with the couple happily reunited.
Films with female protagonists ended with the woman getting married, or at least engaged, and women who pursued career over romance were portrayed as villainous.
Eighteen films were based on a stage show, and thirteen were based on a book or short story. For movie versions of Broadway musicals, the original score was often cut and studio writers wrote new songs. In the case of Show Boat, an entirely new score was written, however the film included a prologue which featured the original Broadway cast singing songs from the Broadway production.
While a third of the musicals told original stories that were not based on a book or stage show, over two-thirds were centered around a backstage or performance theme that incorporated vaudeville, Broadway, cabaret, or a revue.
Where the theme focused on subjects away from the stage, such as criminal activity or football, at least one of the characters was defined by their singing or music playing ability.
The second biggest theme in the musicals of 1929 was romance. Close to half of the musicals centered around a romantic relationship. The couples portrayed were always heterosexual couples, and the relationships all led to marriage, or at least the suggestion of it. Where couples were already married, themes of infidelity or choosing career over a spouse always ended with the couple happily reunited.
Films with female protagonists ended with the woman getting married, or at least engaged, and women who pursued career over romance were portrayed as villainous.
Eighteen films were based on a stage show, and thirteen were based on a book or short story. For movie versions of Broadway musicals, the original score was often cut and studio writers wrote new songs. In the case of Show Boat, an entirely new score was written, however the film included a prologue which featured the original Broadway cast singing songs from the Broadway production.
THE WRITERS
A total of 128 screenwriters contributed to the film musical scripts. Eleven percent of the writers were women, and every single writer was white.
Eighteen screenwriters contributed to two or more films. Gene Markey was the most prolific, with five musical films (Syncopation, Mother’s Boy, Close Harmony, Lucky in Love, and The Battle for Paris).
A total of 128 screenwriters contributed to the film musical scripts. Eleven percent of the writers were women, and every single writer was white.
Eighteen screenwriters contributed to two or more films. Gene Markey was the most prolific, with five musical films (Syncopation, Mother’s Boy, Close Harmony, Lucky in Love, and The Battle for Paris).
Still from It's a Great Life
MUSIC
The musicals of 1929 employed popular music of the day, ranging from light operetta to jazz. Hollywood producers would often purchase rights to popular songs and insert them as production numbers into otherwise unrelated films. Original songs were also included, and many went on to become popular hits themselves.
Critics and filmmakers alike believed that while audiences could believe someone on stage could break into song, the same convention would not read on film. As such, the vast majority of songs were performative - literally sung on a stage within the film. Most songs were preceded with “Hey Character! Sing us that song…!” Given this convention, it is unsurprising that most musicals of 1929 were centered around a backstage or vaudeville theme.
By the end of 1929, some directors were experimenting with having characters break out into song to express their emotions. This was usually panned by the critics, though it is difficult to ascertain how audiences felt about it.
Studio composers were often musicians hailing from Tin Pan Alley. Approximately 190 songwriters and composers lent their talents to the films of the 1929. Of this number, just seven were female.
The musicals of 1929 employed popular music of the day, ranging from light operetta to jazz. Hollywood producers would often purchase rights to popular songs and insert them as production numbers into otherwise unrelated films. Original songs were also included, and many went on to become popular hits themselves.
Critics and filmmakers alike believed that while audiences could believe someone on stage could break into song, the same convention would not read on film. As such, the vast majority of songs were performative - literally sung on a stage within the film. Most songs were preceded with “Hey Character! Sing us that song…!” Given this convention, it is unsurprising that most musicals of 1929 were centered around a backstage or vaudeville theme.
By the end of 1929, some directors were experimenting with having characters break out into song to express their emotions. This was usually panned by the critics, though it is difficult to ascertain how audiences felt about it.
Studio composers were often musicians hailing from Tin Pan Alley. Approximately 190 songwriters and composers lent their talents to the films of the 1929. Of this number, just seven were female.
Motion Picture News (July 27, 1929)
DIRECTORS
Although women had been active producers and directors during the silent era, this did not continue with musicals.
Sixty-six men, and zero women, directed a musical in 1929. A small handful, eight, directed two musicals, and Lloyd Bacon led the group with a total of three musical films (Honky Tonk, So Long Letty, Say it With Songs).
Although women had been active producers and directors during the silent era, this did not continue with musicals.
Sixty-six men, and zero women, directed a musical in 1929. A small handful, eight, directed two musicals, and Lloyd Bacon led the group with a total of three musical films (Honky Tonk, So Long Letty, Say it With Songs).
Picture Play (Feb 1930)
THE ACTORS
Many actors appearing in musicals in 1929 had started out in vaudeville. There were over 800 credited actors across 75 films. Of this number, 86 actors appeared in more than one musical, and just 5 appeared in more than two - Marion Byron (Broadway Babies, So Long Letty, The Forward Pass), Stepin Fetchit (Fox Movietone Follies, Show Boat, Hearts in Dixie), John Miljan (Fashions in Love, Untamed, The Desert Song, Innocents of Paris), Nancy Carroll (Sweetie, Illusion, Close Harmony, The Dance of Life), and Betty Compson (Blaze o’ Glory, On with the Show, The Great Gabbo, Street Girl, and The Time, The Place, and the Girl).
Many of the actors who had prominent silent film careers behind them made one or two talkies, and then faded into oblivion. Others, such as Joan Crawford, became great film stars. Many more slowly receded into small or uncredited roles. A common theme among the actors is the astonishing number who married two, three, or even four times. The tragedy of alcoholism also plagued many.
Approximately one quarter of the actors were women. While women are over-represented in (uncredited) ensemble roles, the women are all white and of a similar body type with no distinguishing features.
For many of the women, their careers were halted or diminished due to marriage and children, or abusive and controlling husbands. Most often, as women “aged” to anything beyond-30, no matter their talent or youthful looks, their roles diminished.
Except for Hallelujah and Hearts in Dixie, nearly every single actor is white. People of color were exclusively portrayed as servants or as cotton pickin’ workers in the South.
Actors of color were almost always incredibly experienced performers, and often highly educated. The fact that their talents were ignored or diminished into tiny servant roles entirely due to racism is a terrible waste.
Many actors appearing in musicals in 1929 had started out in vaudeville. There were over 800 credited actors across 75 films. Of this number, 86 actors appeared in more than one musical, and just 5 appeared in more than two - Marion Byron (Broadway Babies, So Long Letty, The Forward Pass), Stepin Fetchit (Fox Movietone Follies, Show Boat, Hearts in Dixie), John Miljan (Fashions in Love, Untamed, The Desert Song, Innocents of Paris), Nancy Carroll (Sweetie, Illusion, Close Harmony, The Dance of Life), and Betty Compson (Blaze o’ Glory, On with the Show, The Great Gabbo, Street Girl, and The Time, The Place, and the Girl).
Many of the actors who had prominent silent film careers behind them made one or two talkies, and then faded into oblivion. Others, such as Joan Crawford, became great film stars. Many more slowly receded into small or uncredited roles. A common theme among the actors is the astonishing number who married two, three, or even four times. The tragedy of alcoholism also plagued many.
Approximately one quarter of the actors were women. While women are over-represented in (uncredited) ensemble roles, the women are all white and of a similar body type with no distinguishing features.
For many of the women, their careers were halted or diminished due to marriage and children, or abusive and controlling husbands. Most often, as women “aged” to anything beyond-30, no matter their talent or youthful looks, their roles diminished.
Except for Hallelujah and Hearts in Dixie, nearly every single actor is white. People of color were exclusively portrayed as servants or as cotton pickin’ workers in the South.
Actors of color were almost always incredibly experienced performers, and often highly educated. The fact that their talents were ignored or diminished into tiny servant roles entirely due to racism is a terrible waste.
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
DANCE
Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the musicals of 1929 was dance, or the lack of it. Just seventeen films had a credited choreographer, and most films only contained one or two dance sequences.
The dance sequences were usually lavish revue-style spectacles, often filmed in Technicolor. The use of Technicolor allowed choreographers and directors to create visually stunning tapestries of shapes and color using human, almost exclusively female and always white, bodies.
Dance numbers were often inserted into a film without regard for the plot, and for the sake of being able to advertise the film’s use of Technicolor and dancing girls. The choreography was a combination of ballet, tap, and popular styles of the 1920s including the Charleston, Quick Step, and Shimmy.
Thirteen choreographers (including the team of Fanchon & Marco) lent their skills to the musicals of 1929. Larry Ceballos, BIO, worked on the most number of films with On With the Show!, Honky Tonk, and Paris, while Fanchon & Marco, Maurice L. Kussell, and Albertina Rasch all worked on two films each.
Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the musicals of 1929 was dance, or the lack of it. Just seventeen films had a credited choreographer, and most films only contained one or two dance sequences.
The dance sequences were usually lavish revue-style spectacles, often filmed in Technicolor. The use of Technicolor allowed choreographers and directors to create visually stunning tapestries of shapes and color using human, almost exclusively female and always white, bodies.
Dance numbers were often inserted into a film without regard for the plot, and for the sake of being able to advertise the film’s use of Technicolor and dancing girls. The choreography was a combination of ballet, tap, and popular styles of the 1920s including the Charleston, Quick Step, and Shimmy.
Thirteen choreographers (including the team of Fanchon & Marco) lent their skills to the musicals of 1929. Larry Ceballos, BIO, worked on the most number of films with On With the Show!, Honky Tonk, and Paris, while Fanchon & Marco, Maurice L. Kussell, and Albertina Rasch all worked on two films each.
Still from It's a Great Life
WOMEN
Across all departments, women were sorely under-represented. Thirteen films featured a female lead, and twenty films had a female sharing the lead with a male. Fourteen films had a woman in a credited creative role. The department with the most women was screenwriting, with thirteen female screenwriters.
Gloria Swanson was the only credited female producer, with her lovely film The Trespasser.
Ironically, the musical with the highest number of credited female creatives was Nix on Dames, with three women - writer Maude Fulton, editor Dorothy Spencer, and costumer designer Sophie Wachner.
Across the board, the female creatives all have one thing in common: there is very little information about them currently publicly available.
There were possibly more women involved in the filmmaking, but they are either not credited or the information is missing.
Across all departments, women were sorely under-represented. Thirteen films featured a female lead, and twenty films had a female sharing the lead with a male. Fourteen films had a woman in a credited creative role. The department with the most women was screenwriting, with thirteen female screenwriters.
Gloria Swanson was the only credited female producer, with her lovely film The Trespasser.
Ironically, the musical with the highest number of credited female creatives was Nix on Dames, with three women - writer Maude Fulton, editor Dorothy Spencer, and costumer designer Sophie Wachner.
Across the board, the female creatives all have one thing in common: there is very little information about them currently publicly available.
There were possibly more women involved in the filmmaking, but they are either not credited or the information is missing.
Variety (24 July, 1929)
COMING SOON
Next up, a summary of the 74 films and my favorite picks for 1929!
Next up, a summary of the 74 films and my favorite picks for 1929!
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