- Published on
One of the biggest flops of 1929.
Movie still from "Melody Lane" as featured in Screenland, October 1929
Date of Release: July 15,1929
Studio: Universal
Director: Robert F. Hill
Screenplay: J. G. Hawks, Robert F. Hill
Music: Charles E. King, Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, Jack Stern
Leading Actors: Eddie Leonard (Des Dupree), Josephine Dunn (Dolores Dupree), Rose Coe (Constance Dupree), George E. Stone (Danny Kay), Huntley Gordon (Juan Rinaldi), Jane La Verne (Constance Dupree), Blanche Carter (Nurse), Jake Kern (Orchestra leader), Monte Carter (Stage manager)
Melody Lane was based on the play The Understander by Jo Swerling (who later wrote the book for Guys and Dolls, and additional scenes for It’s a Wonderful Life). The film was meant to be a star vehicle for Eddie Leonard and was one of the biggest flops of 1929.
The film did not go quietly. At the Capitol Theatre in Miami, manager Harold A. Kopplin organized for a drum and bugle corps to play down the street. Universal provided free tickets to hundreds of children in New York City through the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. Eddie Leonard, accompanied by back-up dancers and musicians, made personal appearances at the Globe Theatre. Still, Melody Lane bombed at the box office. Even with reduced price tickets, audiences stayed away and Melody Lane closed within two weeks of opening.
Melody Lane was universally panned by the critics. Cine-Mundial (October 1929) described the film as boring and The Educational Screen (October 1929) called it a “very ordinary story.”
The reviewers resoundingly hated Eddie Leonard’s performance, claiming that he looked uncomfortable and inexperienced in front of the camera. The script told an almost identical story to The Singing Fool, and the critics agreed that Al Jolson did it far better. They panned Leonard's acting, and several reviews mentioned that the “superannuated” star was too old for the role.
Studio: Universal
Director: Robert F. Hill
Screenplay: J. G. Hawks, Robert F. Hill
Music: Charles E. King, Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, Jack Stern
Leading Actors: Eddie Leonard (Des Dupree), Josephine Dunn (Dolores Dupree), Rose Coe (Constance Dupree), George E. Stone (Danny Kay), Huntley Gordon (Juan Rinaldi), Jane La Verne (Constance Dupree), Blanche Carter (Nurse), Jake Kern (Orchestra leader), Monte Carter (Stage manager)
Melody Lane was based on the play The Understander by Jo Swerling (who later wrote the book for Guys and Dolls, and additional scenes for It’s a Wonderful Life). The film was meant to be a star vehicle for Eddie Leonard and was one of the biggest flops of 1929.
The film did not go quietly. At the Capitol Theatre in Miami, manager Harold A. Kopplin organized for a drum and bugle corps to play down the street. Universal provided free tickets to hundreds of children in New York City through the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. Eddie Leonard, accompanied by back-up dancers and musicians, made personal appearances at the Globe Theatre. Still, Melody Lane bombed at the box office. Even with reduced price tickets, audiences stayed away and Melody Lane closed within two weeks of opening.
Melody Lane was universally panned by the critics. Cine-Mundial (October 1929) described the film as boring and The Educational Screen (October 1929) called it a “very ordinary story.”
The reviewers resoundingly hated Eddie Leonard’s performance, claiming that he looked uncomfortable and inexperienced in front of the camera. The script told an almost identical story to The Singing Fool, and the critics agreed that Al Jolson did it far better. They panned Leonard's acting, and several reviews mentioned that the “superannuated” star was too old for the role.
Drum and bugle corps at the Capitol Theatre, Miami - Motion Picture News, Sept 28, 1929
Josephine Dunn and Georgie Stone received more favorable reviews, but even they could not escape the awful predictability of the script and poor direction. Josephine Dunn started performing on Broadway at 15, and two years later was cast in her first film. She went on to appear in over forty films including The Singing Fool (1928), Red Hot Rhythm (1929), Madonna of the Streets (1930), and One Hour with You (1932).
Polish-born George E. Stone started out in silent film and went on to appear in over 150 films and television shows. His credits include Little Caesar (1931), Cimarron (1931), 42nd Street (1933), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Guys and Dolls (1955) and Some Like it Hot (1959).
Melody Lane featured several songs, most of which were from Eddie Leonard’s act, including “Ida Sweet as Apple Cider,” “Roly Boly Eyes,” “Beautiful,” “Didn’t It Rain,” “I’m On My Way,” “Sugar Cane Around My Door,” “The Song of the Islands,” and the film’s theme song “Lovable.” The majority of critics didn’t bother to mention the music, though Picture Play Magazine (October 1929) stated Eddie Leonard’s songs “illustrate the public taste of long ago, and his sedate stepping is also a reminder of the time when jazz was unheard of.”
Variety (July 17, 1929) made mention of the implausibility of an orchestra suddenly start accompanying a singer out of nowhere, even if the orchestra is visible on screen. The reviewer stated that in other films where this “theatrical license” has succeeded, the actor’s “personality or story were dominant.” It is fascinating to see how the central conceit of musicals as we know them – characters bursting out into song and dance – took a while to catch on. For this reason, I’m curious to see if Melody Lane really was as awful as the critics claimed it to be, or, if perhaps it was too modern for its day.
Either way, Eddie Leonard was clearly not destined to be a star of the silver screen. He had been a prominent vaudeville and early Broadway composer and performer, famous for his black face minstrel performances. Leonard only appeared in one more feature film, If I Had My Way (1940), as a minor character.
As for Melody Lane, the film is considered lost, though one reel survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Polish-born George E. Stone started out in silent film and went on to appear in over 150 films and television shows. His credits include Little Caesar (1931), Cimarron (1931), 42nd Street (1933), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Guys and Dolls (1955) and Some Like it Hot (1959).
Melody Lane featured several songs, most of which were from Eddie Leonard’s act, including “Ida Sweet as Apple Cider,” “Roly Boly Eyes,” “Beautiful,” “Didn’t It Rain,” “I’m On My Way,” “Sugar Cane Around My Door,” “The Song of the Islands,” and the film’s theme song “Lovable.” The majority of critics didn’t bother to mention the music, though Picture Play Magazine (October 1929) stated Eddie Leonard’s songs “illustrate the public taste of long ago, and his sedate stepping is also a reminder of the time when jazz was unheard of.”
Variety (July 17, 1929) made mention of the implausibility of an orchestra suddenly start accompanying a singer out of nowhere, even if the orchestra is visible on screen. The reviewer stated that in other films where this “theatrical license” has succeeded, the actor’s “personality or story were dominant.” It is fascinating to see how the central conceit of musicals as we know them – characters bursting out into song and dance – took a while to catch on. For this reason, I’m curious to see if Melody Lane really was as awful as the critics claimed it to be, or, if perhaps it was too modern for its day.
Either way, Eddie Leonard was clearly not destined to be a star of the silver screen. He had been a prominent vaudeville and early Broadway composer and performer, famous for his black face minstrel performances. Leonard only appeared in one more feature film, If I Had My Way (1940), as a minor character.
As for Melody Lane, the film is considered lost, though one reel survives at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
0 Comments