- Published on
Colleen Moore's second talkie.
The Film Daily (Oct 25, 1929)
Date of Release: Nov 4, 1929
Studio: First National
Director: William A. Seiter
Screenplay: Tom Geraghty, Carey Wilson
Music: Ray Perkins, Herman Ruby, Norman Spencer
Leading Actors: Colleen Moore (Fifi D'Auray), Raymond Hackett (Jimmy Willet)
Fredric March (Gregory Pyne), Virginia Lee Corbin (Claire Floyd), Mickey Bennett (Call boy), Edward Martindel (Chandler Cunningham), Adrienne D'Ambricourt (Jo), Frederick Howard (Treasurer), Sidney Jarvis (Stage manager), Cleve Moore (Press agent), Andy Rice Jr. (Stage Plugger), Ben Hendricks Jr. (Stage doorman), Larry Banthim (Bud Burke)
Following on from the monumental flop Smiling Irish Eyes (1929), the First National creative team re-assembled to try and boost Colleen Moore’s ailing career.
The team chose to adapt Footlights and Fools by Katherine Brush. Katherine Brush (sometimes spelled Katharine Brush) was a prolific and widely published author. Along with at least 10 novels and several short story collections, Brush wrote an autobiography, This is On Me. Several of her books were adapted for film, including Glitter (1926), Red Headed Woman (1931), and Free Woman (1936).
Footlights and Fools told the story of Fifi D’Auray (Colleen Moore), an American chorus girl who doubles as a French starlet. Fifi’s boyfriend, Jimmy Willet (Raymond Hackett) is a professional gambler. A wealthy businessman, Fredric March (Gregory Pyne) takes a liking to Fifi and offers Jimmy a more suitable job in his office. A robbery takes place in the office, and Jimmy convinces Fifi that he had no part in it. Jimmy and Fifi marry. Fredric turns up and proves the Jimmy did indeed commit the robbery. The film had a surprise ending, with Fifi kicking both Jimmy and Fredric out of the house and choosing to be alone.
The film was First National’s first to have a coordinated advertising campaign with full-page adverts printed in over 200 newspapers across the country. Colleen Moore, with her lavish costumes, was featured heavily in the advertising.
Footlights and Fools premiered in New York at the Strand Theatre on November 4, 1929 where it played to surprisingly mediocre houses. Around the country, the audience numbers varied – in some cities it was a sell-out, while in others it played to half-full houses.
The critics were divided in their opinions. The American described it as “far short of a triumph,” and the Sun stated it was a “meek and mild program… that isn’t bad and isn’t good.” Exhibitors Herald World was far more enthusiastic, stating “the picture is a knockout.” Most critics derided the ending, while press copy played up the twist as a breakaway from the usual "all-talking all-singing all-dancing" fare.
Studio: First National
Director: William A. Seiter
Screenplay: Tom Geraghty, Carey Wilson
Music: Ray Perkins, Herman Ruby, Norman Spencer
Leading Actors: Colleen Moore (Fifi D'Auray), Raymond Hackett (Jimmy Willet)
Fredric March (Gregory Pyne), Virginia Lee Corbin (Claire Floyd), Mickey Bennett (Call boy), Edward Martindel (Chandler Cunningham), Adrienne D'Ambricourt (Jo), Frederick Howard (Treasurer), Sidney Jarvis (Stage manager), Cleve Moore (Press agent), Andy Rice Jr. (Stage Plugger), Ben Hendricks Jr. (Stage doorman), Larry Banthim (Bud Burke)
Following on from the monumental flop Smiling Irish Eyes (1929), the First National creative team re-assembled to try and boost Colleen Moore’s ailing career.
The team chose to adapt Footlights and Fools by Katherine Brush. Katherine Brush (sometimes spelled Katharine Brush) was a prolific and widely published author. Along with at least 10 novels and several short story collections, Brush wrote an autobiography, This is On Me. Several of her books were adapted for film, including Glitter (1926), Red Headed Woman (1931), and Free Woman (1936).
Footlights and Fools told the story of Fifi D’Auray (Colleen Moore), an American chorus girl who doubles as a French starlet. Fifi’s boyfriend, Jimmy Willet (Raymond Hackett) is a professional gambler. A wealthy businessman, Fredric March (Gregory Pyne) takes a liking to Fifi and offers Jimmy a more suitable job in his office. A robbery takes place in the office, and Jimmy convinces Fifi that he had no part in it. Jimmy and Fifi marry. Fredric turns up and proves the Jimmy did indeed commit the robbery. The film had a surprise ending, with Fifi kicking both Jimmy and Fredric out of the house and choosing to be alone.
The film was First National’s first to have a coordinated advertising campaign with full-page adverts printed in over 200 newspapers across the country. Colleen Moore, with her lavish costumes, was featured heavily in the advertising.
Footlights and Fools premiered in New York at the Strand Theatre on November 4, 1929 where it played to surprisingly mediocre houses. Around the country, the audience numbers varied – in some cities it was a sell-out, while in others it played to half-full houses.
The critics were divided in their opinions. The American described it as “far short of a triumph,” and the Sun stated it was a “meek and mild program… that isn’t bad and isn’t good.” Exhibitors Herald World was far more enthusiastic, stating “the picture is a knockout.” Most critics derided the ending, while press copy played up the twist as a breakaway from the usual "all-talking all-singing all-dancing" fare.
Exhibitors Herald World (Oct 26, 1929)
More standard to the singing-talkies were the lavish revue scenes, filmed in Technicolor. While Exhibitors Herald World stated that “The music and color sequences give it richness and a high class type of production,” most critics thought the scenes were superfluous and detracted from the story. The critics also lampooned the poor quality of the colorization, which made the actors skin tone look an unnatural red.
The score contained four songs, “You Can’t Believe My Eyes,” “If I can’t Have You,” “Ophelia Will Fool You,” and “Pilly Pom Pom Plee.” Variety described the first song as “peppy” and “likely to be picked up by dance bands.” “If I Can’t Have You” received mixed reviews, with Variety describing the ballad as “a mild entrant in a flooded field,” and The New York Times stating it was “surely the best of the musically prismatic scenes.”
The score contained four songs, “You Can’t Believe My Eyes,” “If I can’t Have You,” “Ophelia Will Fool You,” and “Pilly Pom Pom Plee.” Variety described the first song as “peppy” and “likely to be picked up by dance bands.” “If I Can’t Have You” received mixed reviews, with Variety describing the ballad as “a mild entrant in a flooded field,” and The New York Times stating it was “surely the best of the musically prismatic scenes.”
Fredric March, Colleen Moore, and Raymond Hackett in Exhibitors Herald World (Nov 16, 1929)
Director William Seiter received positive reviews. After starting out as an actor in early silent comedies, William A. Seiter went on to become a prominent musical and comedy director. He hit his stride in the 1930s, directing Laurel and Hardy in Sons of the Desert (1933), Irene Dunne, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire in Roberta (1935), and Shirley Temple in Dimples and Stowaway (1936). Seiter directed 150 films and television shows, and in 1956 was nominated for a Directors Guild of America “Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television” Award.
The supporting cast, notably Raymond Hackett, Fredric March, and Edward Martindel, also received good notices. Raymond Hackett started out a child actor and went onto success as a stage and screen actor throughout the silent era. He retired from show business in 1934.
Fredric March was a highly regarded and immensely successful screen and stage actor. He worked for most of the major studios, appearing in nearly 90 films including The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), Death Takes a Holiday (1935), Les Miserables (1935), A Star is Born (1937), Death of a Salesman (1951), Inherit the Wind (1960), and The Iceman Cometh (1973). He was nominated for numerous awards, including five nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He won the Oscar for his performances in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Best Years of Our Lives.
Edward Martindel was an actor in vaudeville in the early 20th century, and went on to appear in over 90 films. Though most of his work was during the silent era, Martindel appeared in several talkies and musicals of 1929, including Why Be Good?, The Desert Song, and Innocents of Paris.
The supporting cast, notably Raymond Hackett, Fredric March, and Edward Martindel, also received good notices. Raymond Hackett started out a child actor and went onto success as a stage and screen actor throughout the silent era. He retired from show business in 1934.
Fredric March was a highly regarded and immensely successful screen and stage actor. He worked for most of the major studios, appearing in nearly 90 films including The Royal Family of Broadway (1930), Death Takes a Holiday (1935), Les Miserables (1935), A Star is Born (1937), Death of a Salesman (1951), Inherit the Wind (1960), and The Iceman Cometh (1973). He was nominated for numerous awards, including five nominations for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He won the Oscar for his performances in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Best Years of Our Lives.
Edward Martindel was an actor in vaudeville in the early 20th century, and went on to appear in over 90 films. Though most of his work was during the silent era, Martindel appeared in several talkies and musicals of 1929, including Why Be Good?, The Desert Song, and Innocents of Paris.
"American" Colleen v. "French" Colleen, Picture Play Magazine (Nov 1929)
Like the film in general, Colleen Moore received mixed reviews. The Film Daily stated her accent “isn’t so hot,” while the Morning Telegraph surmised that “movie-goers are not likely to become excited over Miss Moore’s rather embarrassing attempt to appear and sound Gallic.”
Other critics thought Footlights and Fools was Moore’s best work. The Evening Journal claimed “Colleen gives an excellent performance and turns the picture into better-than-average entertainment…” Variety stated “Miss Moore’s presentation of the one girl with two names and opposite characteristics is a good bit of acting. She is and always was a beautifully sincere performer.” Finally, Screenland wrote “…Colleen proves that she is just about the most versatile little girl in this blinking age of celluloid.”
Other critics thought Footlights and Fools was Moore’s best work. The Evening Journal claimed “Colleen gives an excellent performance and turns the picture into better-than-average entertainment…” Variety stated “Miss Moore’s presentation of the one girl with two names and opposite characteristics is a good bit of acting. She is and always was a beautifully sincere performer.” Finally, Screenland wrote “…Colleen proves that she is just about the most versatile little girl in this blinking age of celluloid.”
Despite the prediction that Moore would go on to great success in talkies, she never again achieved the greatness of her silent films.
Moore retired from show business in the mid-1930s, and in the decades following reportedly discussed her time in the film industry with great affection. Thanks to savvy income investment, Moore was able to live luxuriously in her retirement. She dedicated time to building an elaborate 8 foot doll house which she toured around the country raising funds for various children’s charities. The doll house, now known as “Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle,” is on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Moore wrote two autobiographies, The Story of My Life (1926) and Silent Star (1968). Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star by Jeff Codori was published in 2012.
Footlights and Fools is believed lost.
Moore retired from show business in the mid-1930s, and in the decades following reportedly discussed her time in the film industry with great affection. Thanks to savvy income investment, Moore was able to live luxuriously in her retirement. She dedicated time to building an elaborate 8 foot doll house which she toured around the country raising funds for various children’s charities. The doll house, now known as “Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle,” is on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.
Moore wrote two autobiographies, The Story of My Life (1926) and Silent Star (1968). Colleen Moore: A Biography of the Silent Film Star by Jeff Codori was published in 2012.
Footlights and Fools is believed lost.
0 Comments