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George Jessel's failed attempt to make it big in talkies.
George Jessel, Hollywood Filmograph (Aug 31, 1929)
Date of Release: Nov 3, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: William K. Howard, Henry Kolker (staged by)
Screenplay: Dana Burnet, Edwin Burke, George Jessel
Music: Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
Leading Actors: George Jessel (Luigi), Lila Lee (Margharita), David Rollins (Pasquale Gallupi), Henry Kolker (Enrico), Kenneth MacKenna (Dr. Price), John Reinhardt (Mario), Dick Winslow Johnson (Mike), Henry Armetta (Tony), Marcia Manon (Sylvia), Jerry Mandy (Barber)
George Jessel was a prominent vaudeville performer who had starred in the hit stage production of The Jazz Singer. Due to conflicts with Warner Bros, Jessel did not star in the phenomenally successful movie version. While on the stage Jessel was just as popular as Al Jolson, he never achieved the same success or popularity on screen.
Jessel was keen to establish himself in talkies. After signing a lucrative deal with Fox, Jessel went into production on a film version of the play The Hurdy-Gurdy Man by Leroy Clemens and John B. Hymer. The play does not appear to have played on Broadway, and little information is currently available about its origins or history. At some point during production, the title of the film was changed to Love, Live and Laugh, a key line from the script.
The story followed an Italian immigrant in America, Luigi (George Jessel). Luigi has fallen in love with the sweet Margharita (Lila Lee), but before he can marry her, Luigi is called back to Italy to be with his dying father. Luigi is caught up in the Austro-Italian war, becomes a prisoner of war, and is blinded. Convinced Luigi is dead, Lila marries Dr. Price (Kenneth MacKenna). Three years later, Luigi finally returns to America. A surgeon is able to cure his blindness and Luigi seeks him out to express his gratitude. He discovers that the surgeon is Dr. Price, Margharita’s husband. Margharita offers to leave the doctor, but seeing she is happy in her new life, Luigi tells her it is her duty to “love, live and laugh” and he leaves.
Overall the reviews for Love, Live and Laugh were positive. The New York Times stated “It may be a piece of well-polished hokum in plot, but it possesses a certain refreshing levity that makes it a good entertainment.”
The critics gave particular praise to director William K. Howard. Howard started out as an engineer before moving into film distribution. He eventually became a director who was known for his fluid and dynamic visual style. Howard directed over fifty films including Sherlock Holmes (1932), Fire Over England (1937) and Johnny Come Lately (1943). Later in his career Howard was relegated to B-grade films, however his earlier work and style are considered quite influential.
Motion Picture News stated that Howard “imparted warmth and feeling to the story by his effective and appreciative treatment…” The Film Daily described Howard’s direction as “stimulating and diverting throughout.” Finally, Motion Picture News credited Howard with bringing out the best in Jessel – “Directional restraint and sympathy… lead Jessel through an intensely human and likeable role.”
George Jessel’s performance received mostly positive reviews. Photoplay described Jessel’s work as “splendid,” and Motion Picture News stated “Georgie gives a surprise performance, vastly different from those other screen appearances of his.” The same publication later wrote “The bravado is gone and in its stead, Jessel becomes a sympathetic and warm character.”
Others were not so enthralled. While The Film Daily called his performance “the best thing Jessel has done on the screen,” the reviewer panned his Italian accent. Picture Play criticized Jessel’s arrogance and claimed that “…it serves him right that once scene, from which he nobly absents himself, is the best in the picture.” Variety felt the film was too long and claimed that “All the cutting… will not eliminate the strained and highly artificial atmosphere dominated by Jessel.” Finally, Harrison’s Reports wrote “…George Jessel is too cold for the part of the hero. In situations where he is required to show deep emotion, he is like an icicle.”
Studio: Fox
Director: William K. Howard, Henry Kolker (staged by)
Screenplay: Dana Burnet, Edwin Burke, George Jessel
Music: Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
Leading Actors: George Jessel (Luigi), Lila Lee (Margharita), David Rollins (Pasquale Gallupi), Henry Kolker (Enrico), Kenneth MacKenna (Dr. Price), John Reinhardt (Mario), Dick Winslow Johnson (Mike), Henry Armetta (Tony), Marcia Manon (Sylvia), Jerry Mandy (Barber)
George Jessel was a prominent vaudeville performer who had starred in the hit stage production of The Jazz Singer. Due to conflicts with Warner Bros, Jessel did not star in the phenomenally successful movie version. While on the stage Jessel was just as popular as Al Jolson, he never achieved the same success or popularity on screen.
Jessel was keen to establish himself in talkies. After signing a lucrative deal with Fox, Jessel went into production on a film version of the play The Hurdy-Gurdy Man by Leroy Clemens and John B. Hymer. The play does not appear to have played on Broadway, and little information is currently available about its origins or history. At some point during production, the title of the film was changed to Love, Live and Laugh, a key line from the script.
The story followed an Italian immigrant in America, Luigi (George Jessel). Luigi has fallen in love with the sweet Margharita (Lila Lee), but before he can marry her, Luigi is called back to Italy to be with his dying father. Luigi is caught up in the Austro-Italian war, becomes a prisoner of war, and is blinded. Convinced Luigi is dead, Lila marries Dr. Price (Kenneth MacKenna). Three years later, Luigi finally returns to America. A surgeon is able to cure his blindness and Luigi seeks him out to express his gratitude. He discovers that the surgeon is Dr. Price, Margharita’s husband. Margharita offers to leave the doctor, but seeing she is happy in her new life, Luigi tells her it is her duty to “love, live and laugh” and he leaves.
Overall the reviews for Love, Live and Laugh were positive. The New York Times stated “It may be a piece of well-polished hokum in plot, but it possesses a certain refreshing levity that makes it a good entertainment.”
The critics gave particular praise to director William K. Howard. Howard started out as an engineer before moving into film distribution. He eventually became a director who was known for his fluid and dynamic visual style. Howard directed over fifty films including Sherlock Holmes (1932), Fire Over England (1937) and Johnny Come Lately (1943). Later in his career Howard was relegated to B-grade films, however his earlier work and style are considered quite influential.
Motion Picture News stated that Howard “imparted warmth and feeling to the story by his effective and appreciative treatment…” The Film Daily described Howard’s direction as “stimulating and diverting throughout.” Finally, Motion Picture News credited Howard with bringing out the best in Jessel – “Directional restraint and sympathy… lead Jessel through an intensely human and likeable role.”
George Jessel’s performance received mostly positive reviews. Photoplay described Jessel’s work as “splendid,” and Motion Picture News stated “Georgie gives a surprise performance, vastly different from those other screen appearances of his.” The same publication later wrote “The bravado is gone and in its stead, Jessel becomes a sympathetic and warm character.”
Others were not so enthralled. While The Film Daily called his performance “the best thing Jessel has done on the screen,” the reviewer panned his Italian accent. Picture Play criticized Jessel’s arrogance and claimed that “…it serves him right that once scene, from which he nobly absents himself, is the best in the picture.” Variety felt the film was too long and claimed that “All the cutting… will not eliminate the strained and highly artificial atmosphere dominated by Jessel.” Finally, Harrison’s Reports wrote “…George Jessel is too cold for the part of the hero. In situations where he is required to show deep emotion, he is like an icicle.”
Lila Lee and George Jessel, Picture Play (Feb 1930)
The supporting cast received positive reviews, particularly Lila Lee, David Rollins, and Henry Kolker. Lee’s was described by Motion Picture News as “charming and again demonstrating that she ranks among the best of players brought forward by sound,” playing the role of the sweetheart “with a vast sympathy and understanding…”
Lila Lee was a child star affectionately known as Cuddles. Immensely popular during the silent film years, her star faded in the 1930s – most likely due to her struggles with alcoholism. She continued to act however, and appeared in B grade films and various television programs into the 1960s. Lee also appeared in the 1929 musicals Honky Tonk and The Show of Shows. She was the mother of James Kirkwood Jr., who wrote the book for A Chorus Line.
David Rollins was predominantly a silent film star. He appeared in The Big Trail (1930), famous for being John Wayne's first starring role. Rollins was interviewed for Michael Ankerich's book, Broken Silence: Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars. He appeared in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), The Big Trail (1930) and The Phantom Express (1932).
German-born Henry Kolker was a prominent stage actor who went on to appear in over 170 films. He also worked as a director during the silent era.
Unlike many of the films I’ve researched thus far, music actually played an important role in Love, Live and Laugh. Motion Picture News stated that “The musical interludes, in German and Italian, carry a vast appeal because they progress the action and, therefore, have a fitting place in the story.”
The score featured original songs, including “(A Song of) Margharita,” “Two Little Baby Arms,” and “If You Believe in Me,” written by Abel Baer and Louis Wolfe Gilbert. After starting out in medicine Abel Baer went on to become a prominent Broadway and Hollywood composer. His songs include “My Mother’s Eyes,” “Gee Buy You’re Swell,” “Chapel of the Roses,” and “I’m Sitting Pretty.”
Ukrainian-born Louis Wolfe Gilbert was a prominent stage and screen composer who is credited with writing the first theme song for a film, “Ramona.” His other songwriting credits include “Hop-along Cassidy March,” “Lucky Lindy,” and “My Mother’s Eyes.”
Recognizable songs such as “Santa Lucia,” “Funiculi, Funicula,” “O Sole Mio,” and “Silent Night” were also used. A scene in the trenches with Austrian, German, and Italian soldiers singing “Silent Night” in their respective languages was described by Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times as “touching.”
It seems that despite the strong use of music, the recording was not top quality. Several reviewers made mention of the poor quality of the sound.
Several reviewers also made mention of the film’s “particular” appeal to women. The Film Daily stated “…femmes…will eat up the sentiment and pathos…” and Variety claimed that David Rollins was “out of place but maybe the girls will go for him.” This infuriatingly reinforces a narrow view of women as emotional and only useful for their romantic interest in men.
Despite the positive reviews, and relatively strong houses, Love, Live and Laugh was not the inspiring success Jessel had hoped for. Its release date meant it was competing with the box office smashes The Trespasser and Sweetie.
Pehraps an earlier or later release would have helped, but Jessel's own behavior may have contributed to his lack of screen success. As mentioned by a few of the reviewers, Jessel had a reputation for being arrogant and self-absorbed. This trait is evident in his first talkie, the somewhat painful, Lucky Boy.
Following the release of Love, Live and Laugh, Picture Play reported that Fox quietly bought out Jessel’s contract, releasing him from the studio. Jessel attempted a few more talkies, but they were not hits. He had more success on the stage and, later in his career, as a presenter and host and advocate for various charities. This latter work led to Jessel being awarded the Jean Hershold Humanitarian Academy Award in 1970.
Love, Live and Laugh is considered a lost film.
Lila Lee was a child star affectionately known as Cuddles. Immensely popular during the silent film years, her star faded in the 1930s – most likely due to her struggles with alcoholism. She continued to act however, and appeared in B grade films and various television programs into the 1960s. Lee also appeared in the 1929 musicals Honky Tonk and The Show of Shows. She was the mother of James Kirkwood Jr., who wrote the book for A Chorus Line.
David Rollins was predominantly a silent film star. He appeared in The Big Trail (1930), famous for being John Wayne's first starring role. Rollins was interviewed for Michael Ankerich's book, Broken Silence: Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars. He appeared in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), The Big Trail (1930) and The Phantom Express (1932).
German-born Henry Kolker was a prominent stage actor who went on to appear in over 170 films. He also worked as a director during the silent era.
Unlike many of the films I’ve researched thus far, music actually played an important role in Love, Live and Laugh. Motion Picture News stated that “The musical interludes, in German and Italian, carry a vast appeal because they progress the action and, therefore, have a fitting place in the story.”
The score featured original songs, including “(A Song of) Margharita,” “Two Little Baby Arms,” and “If You Believe in Me,” written by Abel Baer and Louis Wolfe Gilbert. After starting out in medicine Abel Baer went on to become a prominent Broadway and Hollywood composer. His songs include “My Mother’s Eyes,” “Gee Buy You’re Swell,” “Chapel of the Roses,” and “I’m Sitting Pretty.”
Ukrainian-born Louis Wolfe Gilbert was a prominent stage and screen composer who is credited with writing the first theme song for a film, “Ramona.” His other songwriting credits include “Hop-along Cassidy March,” “Lucky Lindy,” and “My Mother’s Eyes.”
Recognizable songs such as “Santa Lucia,” “Funiculi, Funicula,” “O Sole Mio,” and “Silent Night” were also used. A scene in the trenches with Austrian, German, and Italian soldiers singing “Silent Night” in their respective languages was described by Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times as “touching.”
It seems that despite the strong use of music, the recording was not top quality. Several reviewers made mention of the poor quality of the sound.
Several reviewers also made mention of the film’s “particular” appeal to women. The Film Daily stated “…femmes…will eat up the sentiment and pathos…” and Variety claimed that David Rollins was “out of place but maybe the girls will go for him.” This infuriatingly reinforces a narrow view of women as emotional and only useful for their romantic interest in men.
Despite the positive reviews, and relatively strong houses, Love, Live and Laugh was not the inspiring success Jessel had hoped for. Its release date meant it was competing with the box office smashes The Trespasser and Sweetie.
Pehraps an earlier or later release would have helped, but Jessel's own behavior may have contributed to his lack of screen success. As mentioned by a few of the reviewers, Jessel had a reputation for being arrogant and self-absorbed. This trait is evident in his first talkie, the somewhat painful, Lucky Boy.
Following the release of Love, Live and Laugh, Picture Play reported that Fox quietly bought out Jessel’s contract, releasing him from the studio. Jessel attempted a few more talkies, but they were not hits. He had more success on the stage and, later in his career, as a presenter and host and advocate for various charities. This latter work led to Jessel being awarded the Jean Hershold Humanitarian Academy Award in 1970.
Love, Live and Laugh is considered a lost film.
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