- Published on
Sequel to The Cock-Eyed World (1929).
Screenland (March 1930)
Date of Release: Dec 22, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenplay: Charles J. McGuirk, Raoul Walsh, William K. Wells
Composers: Walter Donaldson, Edgar Leslie
Leading Actors: Victor McLaglen, Fifi D’Orsay, El Brendel, Polly Moran, Lennox Pawle, August Tollaire, George Fawcett, Charles Judels, Edward Dillon, Rosita Marstini, Agostino Borgato, Yola d’Avril, Anita Murray, Dave Balles
What a relief Hot for Paris is a lost film. Described by the critics as “broad, vulgar” and a purely “male divertissement,” Hot for Paris was the sequel of the painfully sexist lackluster musical The Cock-Eyed World.
Director Raoul Walsh was once again working with lead Victor McLaglen, and Fifi D’Orsay was bought in as the token charming French girl.
In mid-October 1929 Motion Picture News reported that production on had been delayed until 1930. On December 7, however the same magazine printed a review. Production must have happened very quickly, though it is not clear why a delay was announced in the first place.
Theatre managers employed the usual array of gimmicks to attract pundits. At a couple of theatres, managers developed the trick of making steam rise from the Hot for Paris front of house sign which “unquestionably attracted a lot of attention,” and in one instance resulted in the fire brigade being called in. Another theatre displayed a cut-out of Fifi D’Orsay “in the act of taking off a stocking.”
At the Fox Japanese Garden in NYC, the theatre had a tie-in with a local restaurant, Fleischer’s, offering “a “'hot' meal” followed by the film. The meal was a “special blue plate dinner of boneless chicken pot pie and vegetables.”
Larger theatres also used live stage shows to flesh out the bill. At the Roxy in New York, a stage show ran in conjunction with the film that had an elaborate Moulin Rouge themed set with “gala signs [and] electrically studded windmill paddles.” The live show included Apache, Russian and Spanish dances and songs, the Roxy chorus, a ballet corps, and “32 Markert girls.” The show ran for over two hours, and led into Hot for Paris, which only ran for 71 minutes. Variety (January 1930) described the stage show as one of the best of its kind. The Academy Theatre brought in a “girl band that’s rated a draw.”
Studio: Fox
Director: Raoul Walsh
Screenplay: Charles J. McGuirk, Raoul Walsh, William K. Wells
Composers: Walter Donaldson, Edgar Leslie
Leading Actors: Victor McLaglen, Fifi D’Orsay, El Brendel, Polly Moran, Lennox Pawle, August Tollaire, George Fawcett, Charles Judels, Edward Dillon, Rosita Marstini, Agostino Borgato, Yola d’Avril, Anita Murray, Dave Balles
What a relief Hot for Paris is a lost film. Described by the critics as “broad, vulgar” and a purely “male divertissement,” Hot for Paris was the sequel of the painfully sexist lackluster musical The Cock-Eyed World.
Director Raoul Walsh was once again working with lead Victor McLaglen, and Fifi D’Orsay was bought in as the token charming French girl.
In mid-October 1929 Motion Picture News reported that production on had been delayed until 1930. On December 7, however the same magazine printed a review. Production must have happened very quickly, though it is not clear why a delay was announced in the first place.
Theatre managers employed the usual array of gimmicks to attract pundits. At a couple of theatres, managers developed the trick of making steam rise from the Hot for Paris front of house sign which “unquestionably attracted a lot of attention,” and in one instance resulted in the fire brigade being called in. Another theatre displayed a cut-out of Fifi D’Orsay “in the act of taking off a stocking.”
At the Fox Japanese Garden in NYC, the theatre had a tie-in with a local restaurant, Fleischer’s, offering “a “'hot' meal” followed by the film. The meal was a “special blue plate dinner of boneless chicken pot pie and vegetables.”
Larger theatres also used live stage shows to flesh out the bill. At the Roxy in New York, a stage show ran in conjunction with the film that had an elaborate Moulin Rouge themed set with “gala signs [and] electrically studded windmill paddles.” The live show included Apache, Russian and Spanish dances and songs, the Roxy chorus, a ballet corps, and “32 Markert girls.” The show ran for over two hours, and led into Hot for Paris, which only ran for 71 minutes. Variety (January 1930) described the stage show as one of the best of its kind. The Academy Theatre brought in a “girl band that’s rated a draw.”
The reviews for Hot for Paris were mixed. The Film Daily (Jan 5, 1929) described it as “Full strength entertainment, directed with a punch. Bound to click far and wide.” The National Board of Review Magazine (January 1930) enthusiastically described it as “A super-sophisticated comedy” and stated that “The skillful direction and clever acting save the picture from vulgarity.”
Meanwhile The Educational Screen (Feb 1930) called Hot for Paris a “Broad, vulgar sex-comedy which will entertain all who are not disturbed by the question of good taste,” and rating it as “Hardly” for “intelligent adults.” Various newspapers reviewed the dialogue as “stag,” “masculine,” “obvious” and “stale.” Some reviewers preferredThe Cock-Eyed World, while others felt Hot for Paris was the superior film.
Meanwhile The Educational Screen (Feb 1930) called Hot for Paris a “Broad, vulgar sex-comedy which will entertain all who are not disturbed by the question of good taste,” and rating it as “Hardly” for “intelligent adults.” Various newspapers reviewed the dialogue as “stag,” “masculine,” “obvious” and “stale.” Some reviewers preferredThe Cock-Eyed World, while others felt Hot for Paris was the superior film.
Fifi D'Orsay in Picture Play (March 1930)
Fifi D’Orsay received universally good reviews. Described as a French bombshell, Fifi d’Orsay was actually Canadian born. She started out as a dancer in vaudeville and went on to appear in over forty films, usually playing a “French flirt.”
The press hyped up her “Frenchness" and sex appeal. The Film Daily (Jan 5, 1930) gushed
Those eyes! Can she use ‘em? Oh, boy. And those beautiful centrifugal movements of the waist line. She dances. She sings. She makes ooh-la-la. She’s a wow. A pip. Go see her and then write your own adjectives. We’ve exhausted ours.”
Motion Picture (Feb 1930) described her as “vivacious, sparkling… She is naughty without being vulgar, a talent sorely needed by the screen.” Screenland (March 1930) wrote “Her antics are so disarming that even grandmother will content herself with a gentle “Tut-tut!” The French are a great people!”
Picture Play Magazine (March 1930) ran a full-page feature article on D’Orsay, “Fifi’s Magic Touch.” The article was all about “Miss Dorsay’s [sic] wordless language” and her alluring “vamping ways.” William H. McKegg makes no apology for his entendre laden article and gushing infatuation with D’Orsay – “She flashed onto the screen with a mop of black hair, rolling eyes, and shapely legs…From that moment every member of the audience – at least evert male member – declared the Dorsay to be the real thing.”
According to d'Orsay's obituary in the New York Times, she never actually managed to visit France in person.
Picture Play Magazine (March 1930) ran a full-page feature article on D’Orsay, “Fifi’s Magic Touch.” The article was all about “Miss Dorsay’s [sic] wordless language” and her alluring “vamping ways.” William H. McKegg makes no apology for his entendre laden article and gushing infatuation with D’Orsay – “She flashed onto the screen with a mop of black hair, rolling eyes, and shapely legs…From that moment every member of the audience – at least evert male member – declared the Dorsay to be the real thing.”
According to d'Orsay's obituary in the New York Times, she never actually managed to visit France in person.
Victor McLaglen in Picture Play Magazine (June 1930)
Victor McLaglen was also generally liked, though several critics mentioned is less-than-adequate singing voice. Born in England, McLaglen was a real-life soldier who, according to his IMDb bio started out as a prizefighter, touring the vaudeville and circus circuits. He went on to become a popular action movie star, and was twice nominated for Best Actor Academy Award (once each for Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor). He won Best Lead for The Informer in 1936. He appeared in over 100 films during a film career that spanned over forty years.
The rest of the cast failed to receive much mention. For the most part, the cast were silent film actors whose careers faded in the 1930s as their accents were not deemed suitable for talkies.
Hot for Paris contained just three songs. Variety was the only trade magazine to mention the music, stating that none of the songs were outstanding, and “Too light to be taken into serious consideration.” The score was written by Walter Donaldson and Edgar Leslie, both of whom went on to prominent careers.
Walter Donaldson was born into a musical family and worked in Tin Pan Alley. He went on to become a successful composer who worked for over thirty years. His hit songs include “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree),” “My Mammy,” “Carolina in the Morning,” My Blue Heaven,” and “Makin’ Whoopee”. His music was performed by Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Al Jolson, Mel Torme and many more.
Edgar Leslie was a prolific composer who started out writing for vaudeville acts. His songs include “Lonesome,” “For Me and My Gal,” “Oh What a Pal was Mary,” “Is There Still Room for Me ‘Neath the Old Apple Tree.” Leslie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
The rest of the cast failed to receive much mention. For the most part, the cast were silent film actors whose careers faded in the 1930s as their accents were not deemed suitable for talkies.
Hot for Paris contained just three songs. Variety was the only trade magazine to mention the music, stating that none of the songs were outstanding, and “Too light to be taken into serious consideration.” The score was written by Walter Donaldson and Edgar Leslie, both of whom went on to prominent careers.
Walter Donaldson was born into a musical family and worked in Tin Pan Alley. He went on to become a successful composer who worked for over thirty years. His hit songs include “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree),” “My Mammy,” “Carolina in the Morning,” My Blue Heaven,” and “Makin’ Whoopee”. His music was performed by Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Al Jolson, Mel Torme and many more.
Edgar Leslie was a prolific composer who started out writing for vaudeville acts. His songs include “Lonesome,” “For Me and My Gal,” “Oh What a Pal was Mary,” “Is There Still Room for Me ‘Neath the Old Apple Tree.” Leslie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Victor McLaglen, Fifi D’Orsay, and El Brendel in Motion Picture (Feb 1930)
Despite the mixed reviews, audiences flocked to see the film. Hot for Paris played in sold out houses around the country, and in some cities grossed even higher than The Cock-Eyed World which had been one of the top 10 grossing films of 1929.
A French language version was released in Montreal.
A French language version was released in Montreal.
- Published on
“O, ye amateurs of Hollywood, stop, look, and listen, to this professional!”
Screenland (Feb 1930)
Date of Release: Nov 24, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Donald Gallaher
Screenplay: Maude Fulton, Frank Gay
Music: Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
Leading Actors: Mae Clarke (Jackie Lee), Robert Ames (Bert Wills), William Harrigan (Johnny Brown), Maude Fulton (Stella Foster), George MacFarlane (Ed Foster), Frederick Graham (Baring), Camille Rovelle (Miss Woods), Grace Wallace (Bonnie Tucker), Hugh McCormack (Jim Tucker), Ben Hall (Cliff), Marshall Ruth (Billy), Billy Colvin (Hoffman), Louise Beavers (Magnolia)
Nix on Dames was yet another backstage musical comedy. The lead actors were not well-known stars, and several commentators noted that the film would have trouble bringing in audiences.
As such, Motion Picture News advised theatre managers to pair the film with “lively” acts to help generate word of mouth. The New York screening at the Roxy presented the film in conjunction with a well-received live show that featured Daniel Haynes, who had appeared in Hallelujah, and an elaborate number called “Pastelle.” Mordaunt Hall described the number as “a huge painting, with a palette and brushes of relative proportions.”
Nix on Dames told the story of two acrobats, Bert Wills (Robert Ames) and Johnny Brown (William Harrigan), who swear to never let a girl interfere with their friendship. Johnny is injured during a performance, and the pair head to a boarding house to recuperate. They come across a pretty female, Jackie Lee (Mae Clarke) who also happens to be an acrobat and, of course, the two men fall in love with her. Johnny recovers from his accident, and when they begin to perform again, the two men fight over a misunderstanding to put Jackie in the act. The quarrel is resolved, and all ends well.
While the plot sounds fairly run-of-the-mill, the critics agreed that the comedy, particularly the portrayal of life in the boarding house, was very well done.
It was also agreed that under Donald Gallaher’s direction, Nix on Dames was a cut above the average backstage musical. Picture Play stated “…there is knowing and imaginative direction of a simple, human story rich in characterization and quite devoid of backstage hokum.” Gallaher was a prominent early Broadway actor who later worked in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and director. He appeared in over twenty films, including Married in Hollywood (1929).
The three leads, Robert Ames, William Harrigran, and Mae Clarke were described by The Film Daily as “An unusually fine cast,” and received high praise for their performances from the vast majority of critics. Robert Ames was a successful stage and screen actor, whose career was tragically cut short when he died unexpectedly at the age of 42 in 1931. He had also appeared in The Trespasser (1929).
William Harrigan was a stage and screen actor whose career spanned nearly six decades. Over the course of his career, Harrigan appeared in over forty films and television shows, and over thirty Broadway plays.
Despite the title nixing women, the clear stand out was Mae Clarke. Clarke had started out as a dancer, working in vaudeville before being scouted by Fox. Nix on Dames was one of her first screen appearances, and she went on to appear in over 120 films. Her best known credits are The Public Enemy (1931), in which James Cagney famously squished a grapefruit on her face, and Frankenstein (1931). Clarke continued to appear in film until the 1970, though her roles were usually small or uncredited. She made appearances in Royal Wedding (1951) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Her sister-in-law was Fannie Brice.
Motion Picture News stated that Clarke “gives a corking performance.” Picture Play gushed,
Studio: Fox
Director: Donald Gallaher
Screenplay: Maude Fulton, Frank Gay
Music: Abel Baer, L. Wolfe Gilbert
Leading Actors: Mae Clarke (Jackie Lee), Robert Ames (Bert Wills), William Harrigan (Johnny Brown), Maude Fulton (Stella Foster), George MacFarlane (Ed Foster), Frederick Graham (Baring), Camille Rovelle (Miss Woods), Grace Wallace (Bonnie Tucker), Hugh McCormack (Jim Tucker), Ben Hall (Cliff), Marshall Ruth (Billy), Billy Colvin (Hoffman), Louise Beavers (Magnolia)
Nix on Dames was yet another backstage musical comedy. The lead actors were not well-known stars, and several commentators noted that the film would have trouble bringing in audiences.
As such, Motion Picture News advised theatre managers to pair the film with “lively” acts to help generate word of mouth. The New York screening at the Roxy presented the film in conjunction with a well-received live show that featured Daniel Haynes, who had appeared in Hallelujah, and an elaborate number called “Pastelle.” Mordaunt Hall described the number as “a huge painting, with a palette and brushes of relative proportions.”
Nix on Dames told the story of two acrobats, Bert Wills (Robert Ames) and Johnny Brown (William Harrigan), who swear to never let a girl interfere with their friendship. Johnny is injured during a performance, and the pair head to a boarding house to recuperate. They come across a pretty female, Jackie Lee (Mae Clarke) who also happens to be an acrobat and, of course, the two men fall in love with her. Johnny recovers from his accident, and when they begin to perform again, the two men fight over a misunderstanding to put Jackie in the act. The quarrel is resolved, and all ends well.
While the plot sounds fairly run-of-the-mill, the critics agreed that the comedy, particularly the portrayal of life in the boarding house, was very well done.
It was also agreed that under Donald Gallaher’s direction, Nix on Dames was a cut above the average backstage musical. Picture Play stated “…there is knowing and imaginative direction of a simple, human story rich in characterization and quite devoid of backstage hokum.” Gallaher was a prominent early Broadway actor who later worked in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and director. He appeared in over twenty films, including Married in Hollywood (1929).
The three leads, Robert Ames, William Harrigran, and Mae Clarke were described by The Film Daily as “An unusually fine cast,” and received high praise for their performances from the vast majority of critics. Robert Ames was a successful stage and screen actor, whose career was tragically cut short when he died unexpectedly at the age of 42 in 1931. He had also appeared in The Trespasser (1929).
William Harrigan was a stage and screen actor whose career spanned nearly six decades. Over the course of his career, Harrigan appeared in over forty films and television shows, and over thirty Broadway plays.
Despite the title nixing women, the clear stand out was Mae Clarke. Clarke had started out as a dancer, working in vaudeville before being scouted by Fox. Nix on Dames was one of her first screen appearances, and she went on to appear in over 120 films. Her best known credits are The Public Enemy (1931), in which James Cagney famously squished a grapefruit on her face, and Frankenstein (1931). Clarke continued to appear in film until the 1970, though her roles were usually small or uncredited. She made appearances in Royal Wedding (1951) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952). Her sister-in-law was Fannie Brice.
Motion Picture News stated that Clarke “gives a corking performance.” Picture Play gushed,
Her naturalness is disarming, but it is really technique of the highest order, and she speaks the vernacular of vaudeville to perfection, but with the distinctness and modulation of the trained actress. O, ye amateurs of Hollywood, stop, look, and listen, to this professional!"
Clarke performed nearly all the songs in the film, including "Two Pals," "Say the Word," "The Song of My Heart," and "Fading Away." A gospel number, "Oh, Lord, Pour Down Your Waters and Baptize Me" was performed by African American actress Louise Beavers.
Beavers appeared in over 160 films and television shows, often playing the stereotypical “mammy” role. For her performance in Imitation of Life (1934), one of the first serious roles for an African American woman, Beavers received much praise and the role generated intense discussion about the portrayal and treatment of African American people in film.
Beavers appeared in over 160 films and television shows, often playing the stereotypical “mammy” role. For her performance in Imitation of Life (1934), one of the first serious roles for an African American woman, Beavers received much praise and the role generated intense discussion about the portrayal and treatment of African American people in film.
Picture Play (March, 1930)
The music in Nix on Dames was well received, with The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle describing the songs as “snappy” and The Film Daily stating that the “songs add pleasure to the proceedings.”
The score was written by Fox studio writers Abel Baer and Louis Wolfe Gilbert. The pair had previously worked on Love, Live and Laugh (1929). 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.” His film credits included Lucky Boy (1928), and Why Be Good (1929).
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 songwriting credits include “Hop-along Cassidy March,” “Lucky Lindy,” and “My Mother’s Eyes.”
Despite enthusiasm for the director and cast, Nix on Dames was not a smash. Several reviewers mentioned the “poor English” used in the film. It seems the script called for the actors to speak in a colloquial vernacular, and some critics just did not like the casual banter. The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle stated the film “…represents a new talkie departure, both dramatically and photographically.” Perhaps it was just too ahead of its time?!
Also ahead of its time was the fact that Nix on Dames had three credited women in the production team, writer Maude Fulton, editor Dorothy Spencer, and costumer designer Sophie Wachner.
Maude Fulton was a prominent actor and writer who worked on Broadway and in Hollywood. Upon her death in 1950, the New York Times wrote that Fulton was “one of the most versatile performers of her day, she was an accomplished writer, dancer, composer, concert pianist, stage director and theatre manager.” Fulton wrote and appeared in her own plays, including hits The Brat (1917) and The Humming Bird (1923). In addition to writing the screenplay, Fulton also appeared in Nix on Dames.
Dorothy Spencer edited over 70 films, including Married in Hollywood (1929), in a career spanning fifty years. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing four times for her work on Stagecoach (1939), Decision Before Dawn (1951), Cleopatra (1963), and Earthquake (1974). She worked with some of the most highly regarded directors, including John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ernst Lubitsch. A terrific article on the history of women and film editing can be found at Premium Beat.
After starting out as a designer on Broadway, Sophie Wachner moved to Hollywood. She went on to design costumes for over 100 films, in a career spanning almost twenty years. Wachner worked for MGM, and later, Fox Studios where she served as head of the costume department for several years. Her credits include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Married in Hollywood (1929), Love, Live, and Laugh (1929), A Song of Kentucky (1929), Sunnyside Up (1929), Hot for Paris (1929), Words and Music (1929),
In my research, I came across a strange coincidence. Over half the ensemble from Nix on Dames also appeared in Wall Street, a Columbia drama released in the same week. What is unusual is that the actors have the same character names in both films. Apart from the actors, the films have nothing in common. They were made by different studios and production teams, and contain very different storylines. I had initially thought it was an error in IMDb and the AFI Catalog listings, but by comparing cast lists in various trade magazines and newspaper articles, the names remain the same.
It seems that although Nix on Dames contained strong elements, they weren’t enough to make it stand out from the twenty or more backstage musicals that had already been released in 1929.
Although the film had decent box office numbers, it was not a smash, and even deemed a flop by Motion Picture News when the Thanksgiving holiday did not provide the usual box office boost.
Nix on Dames is considered to be a lost film.
The score was written by Fox studio writers Abel Baer and Louis Wolfe Gilbert. The pair had previously worked on Love, Live and Laugh (1929). 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.” His film credits included Lucky Boy (1928), and Why Be Good (1929).
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 songwriting credits include “Hop-along Cassidy March,” “Lucky Lindy,” and “My Mother’s Eyes.”
Despite enthusiasm for the director and cast, Nix on Dames was not a smash. Several reviewers mentioned the “poor English” used in the film. It seems the script called for the actors to speak in a colloquial vernacular, and some critics just did not like the casual banter. The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle stated the film “…represents a new talkie departure, both dramatically and photographically.” Perhaps it was just too ahead of its time?!
Also ahead of its time was the fact that Nix on Dames had three credited women in the production team, writer Maude Fulton, editor Dorothy Spencer, and costumer designer Sophie Wachner.
Maude Fulton was a prominent actor and writer who worked on Broadway and in Hollywood. Upon her death in 1950, the New York Times wrote that Fulton was “one of the most versatile performers of her day, she was an accomplished writer, dancer, composer, concert pianist, stage director and theatre manager.” Fulton wrote and appeared in her own plays, including hits The Brat (1917) and The Humming Bird (1923). In addition to writing the screenplay, Fulton also appeared in Nix on Dames.
Dorothy Spencer edited over 70 films, including Married in Hollywood (1929), in a career spanning fifty years. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing four times for her work on Stagecoach (1939), Decision Before Dawn (1951), Cleopatra (1963), and Earthquake (1974). She worked with some of the most highly regarded directors, including John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and Ernst Lubitsch. A terrific article on the history of women and film editing can be found at Premium Beat.
After starting out as a designer on Broadway, Sophie Wachner moved to Hollywood. She went on to design costumes for over 100 films, in a career spanning almost twenty years. Wachner worked for MGM, and later, Fox Studios where she served as head of the costume department for several years. Her credits include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Married in Hollywood (1929), Love, Live, and Laugh (1929), A Song of Kentucky (1929), Sunnyside Up (1929), Hot for Paris (1929), Words and Music (1929),
In my research, I came across a strange coincidence. Over half the ensemble from Nix on Dames also appeared in Wall Street, a Columbia drama released in the same week. What is unusual is that the actors have the same character names in both films. Apart from the actors, the films have nothing in common. They were made by different studios and production teams, and contain very different storylines. I had initially thought it was an error in IMDb and the AFI Catalog listings, but by comparing cast lists in various trade magazines and newspaper articles, the names remain the same.
It seems that although Nix on Dames contained strong elements, they weren’t enough to make it stand out from the twenty or more backstage musicals that had already been released in 1929.
Although the film had decent box office numbers, it was not a smash, and even deemed a flop by Motion Picture News when the Thanksgiving holiday did not provide the usual box office boost.
Nix on Dames is considered to be a lost film.
- Published on
Innovative use of music, and the longest close-up in motion picture history.
The Film Daily (Sept 30, 1929)
Date of Release: Nov 10, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Lewis Seiler
Screenplay: Frederick Hazlitt Brennan
Music: Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, Archie Gottler
Leading Actors: Joseph Wagstaff (Jerry Reavis), Lois Moran (Lee Coleman), Dorothy Burgess (Nancy Morgan), Douglas Gilmore (Kane Pitcairn), Herman Bing (Jake Kleinschmidt), Hedda Hopper (Mrs. Coleman), Edwards Davis (Mr. Coleman), Bert Woodruff (Steve)
A Song of Kentucky told the story of Lee Coleman (Lois Moran), a wealthy Southern girl. In New York, Lee falls in love with Jerry (Joseph Wagstaff), a composer. Lee’s Southern suitor, Kane Pitcairn (Douglas Gilmore) sabotages the budding romance by organizing for an old vaudeville friend, Nancy (Dorothy Burgess), to frame Jerry for a crime. Lee returns heartbroken to Kentucky, and makes a wager with Kane that if her horse doesn’t win the Kentucky Derby, she will marry him (Kane, not the horse). She loses the wager, and heads to a concert, where Jerry happens to be conducting his new symphony. At the end of the concert the truth about Jerry being framed is revealed, and Jerry and Lee are happily reunited.
According to Exhibitors Herald World, A Song of Kentucky was the first film to feature “a talking picture within a talking picture.” The film featured a Fox Movietone newsreel, which contained footage of the 1929 Kentucky Derby, was “shot as seen and heard by an audience which applauds at its conclusion.”
The film was well received by critics. Motion Picture News claimed the film was “above average,” and The Film Daily stated it was ““Modest in plot, but built up with a musical background and skillful direction to the point of a soaking human interest wallop.” The Educational Screen described the film as an “Unpretentious, pleasant romantic drama.”
Unlike other musicals of this period, several reviewers praised the innovative use of music. While Variety found the score to be “anemic as to melody or appeal,” The Film Daily and Motion Picture News celebrated the “catchy” Mitchel/Conrad/Gottler tunes, particularly the film’s climatic original symphony. Motion Picture News described the symphony as “an artistic, but realistic touch, that demonstrates what might be done in the future with the addition of sound in pictures.”
The music was written by Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, and Archie Gottler. Sidney Mitchell was a prolific composer who wrote hundreds of songs. His songs include “Walking with Susie,” “Doing the Boom-Boom,” “Broadway,” and “Hittin’ the Ceiling.” His other film credits from 1929 include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, Broadway, and The Cock-Eyed World.
Con Conrad started out in vaudeville, touring extensively in the United States and abroad. He wrote for several Broadway shows including The Greenwich Village Follies (1923), Americana (1926) and Keep Shufflin’ (1928). In Hollywood Conrad became a staff writer for Fox and his songs can be heard in over one hundred films including The Cock-Eyed World (1929), New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930), Goodbye Love (1933), I Like it That Way (1934) and Margie (1946). He won the Best Music (Original Song) Oscar in 1935 for The Gay Divorcee (1934). Conrad was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Archie Gottler was a staff writer for Fox who had started out as a pianist and moved onto writing for Broadway. His Broadway credits include Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 (1918), Broadway Breveties of 1920 (1920) and The Mimic World (1921). In Hollywood, Gottler joined the illustrious ranks of writers churning out song after song. His hits include “Walking with Susie,” “Broadway,” “Kiss Me Goodnight,” and “Easter Sunday on Parade.” In the mid-1930s, Gottler also directed and wrote a series of short films.
Actor Joseph Wagstaff received plenty of praise. The Film Daily described him as “a talented, likeable lad whom picture fans are sure to take to their hearts,” a sentiment echoed by Photoplay. Wagstaff was a well-liked Broadway performer who worked on stage for around ten years. Despite the critical approval for his performance in A Song of Kentucky, he appeared in just one more film, Let’s Go Places (1930).
Lois Moran was also praised by the critics, though usually for her good looks rather than her acting ability. American-born Lois Moran grew up in Paris, where, as a teenager, she worked with the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet. After appearing in a French movie, Moran returned to USA and became a celebrated silent film star. Whilst most actors’ careers went from stage to screen, Moran’s career did the opposite. Although brief, Moran had a successful stage career, appearing on Broadway in several celebrated productions such as Of Thee I Sing and Let Them Eat Cake. Moran was reportedly the inspiration for Rosemary Hoyt in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. She retired from acting in 1935 when she married Clarence M. Young.
According to Bradley’s The First Hollywood Musicals, the symphony scene featured an eleven minute close-up on Moran that was “the longest closeup ever made in all-talking motion pictures.”
Variety ran an article on the outfits worn by Lois Moran and Hedda Hopper, with Hopper receiving particular praise for her “ability” to wear stunning dresses. Hopper was an average stage and screen actor who found fame as a gossip columnist. Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood was notorious for its salacious stories about Hollywood’s brightest stars.
A Song of Kentucky played to relatively good houses, but was not able to stand up to tough competition from The Trespasser, Gold Diggers of Broadway and Tanned Legs.
It is now considered a lost film.
Studio: Fox
Director: Lewis Seiler
Screenplay: Frederick Hazlitt Brennan
Music: Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, Archie Gottler
Leading Actors: Joseph Wagstaff (Jerry Reavis), Lois Moran (Lee Coleman), Dorothy Burgess (Nancy Morgan), Douglas Gilmore (Kane Pitcairn), Herman Bing (Jake Kleinschmidt), Hedda Hopper (Mrs. Coleman), Edwards Davis (Mr. Coleman), Bert Woodruff (Steve)
A Song of Kentucky told the story of Lee Coleman (Lois Moran), a wealthy Southern girl. In New York, Lee falls in love with Jerry (Joseph Wagstaff), a composer. Lee’s Southern suitor, Kane Pitcairn (Douglas Gilmore) sabotages the budding romance by organizing for an old vaudeville friend, Nancy (Dorothy Burgess), to frame Jerry for a crime. Lee returns heartbroken to Kentucky, and makes a wager with Kane that if her horse doesn’t win the Kentucky Derby, she will marry him (Kane, not the horse). She loses the wager, and heads to a concert, where Jerry happens to be conducting his new symphony. At the end of the concert the truth about Jerry being framed is revealed, and Jerry and Lee are happily reunited.
According to Exhibitors Herald World, A Song of Kentucky was the first film to feature “a talking picture within a talking picture.” The film featured a Fox Movietone newsreel, which contained footage of the 1929 Kentucky Derby, was “shot as seen and heard by an audience which applauds at its conclusion.”
The film was well received by critics. Motion Picture News claimed the film was “above average,” and The Film Daily stated it was ““Modest in plot, but built up with a musical background and skillful direction to the point of a soaking human interest wallop.” The Educational Screen described the film as an “Unpretentious, pleasant romantic drama.”
Unlike other musicals of this period, several reviewers praised the innovative use of music. While Variety found the score to be “anemic as to melody or appeal,” The Film Daily and Motion Picture News celebrated the “catchy” Mitchel/Conrad/Gottler tunes, particularly the film’s climatic original symphony. Motion Picture News described the symphony as “an artistic, but realistic touch, that demonstrates what might be done in the future with the addition of sound in pictures.”
The music was written by Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, and Archie Gottler. Sidney Mitchell was a prolific composer who wrote hundreds of songs. His songs include “Walking with Susie,” “Doing the Boom-Boom,” “Broadway,” and “Hittin’ the Ceiling.” His other film credits from 1929 include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, Broadway, and The Cock-Eyed World.
Con Conrad started out in vaudeville, touring extensively in the United States and abroad. He wrote for several Broadway shows including The Greenwich Village Follies (1923), Americana (1926) and Keep Shufflin’ (1928). In Hollywood Conrad became a staff writer for Fox and his songs can be heard in over one hundred films including The Cock-Eyed World (1929), New Movietone Follies of 1930 (1930), Goodbye Love (1933), I Like it That Way (1934) and Margie (1946). He won the Best Music (Original Song) Oscar in 1935 for The Gay Divorcee (1934). Conrad was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Archie Gottler was a staff writer for Fox who had started out as a pianist and moved onto writing for Broadway. His Broadway credits include Ziegfeld Follies of 1918 (1918), Broadway Breveties of 1920 (1920) and The Mimic World (1921). In Hollywood, Gottler joined the illustrious ranks of writers churning out song after song. His hits include “Walking with Susie,” “Broadway,” “Kiss Me Goodnight,” and “Easter Sunday on Parade.” In the mid-1930s, Gottler also directed and wrote a series of short films.
Actor Joseph Wagstaff received plenty of praise. The Film Daily described him as “a talented, likeable lad whom picture fans are sure to take to their hearts,” a sentiment echoed by Photoplay. Wagstaff was a well-liked Broadway performer who worked on stage for around ten years. Despite the critical approval for his performance in A Song of Kentucky, he appeared in just one more film, Let’s Go Places (1930).
Lois Moran was also praised by the critics, though usually for her good looks rather than her acting ability. American-born Lois Moran grew up in Paris, where, as a teenager, she worked with the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet. After appearing in a French movie, Moran returned to USA and became a celebrated silent film star. Whilst most actors’ careers went from stage to screen, Moran’s career did the opposite. Although brief, Moran had a successful stage career, appearing on Broadway in several celebrated productions such as Of Thee I Sing and Let Them Eat Cake. Moran was reportedly the inspiration for Rosemary Hoyt in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. She retired from acting in 1935 when she married Clarence M. Young.
According to Bradley’s The First Hollywood Musicals, the symphony scene featured an eleven minute close-up on Moran that was “the longest closeup ever made in all-talking motion pictures.”
Variety ran an article on the outfits worn by Lois Moran and Hedda Hopper, with Hopper receiving particular praise for her “ability” to wear stunning dresses. Hopper was an average stage and screen actor who found fame as a gossip columnist. Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood was notorious for its salacious stories about Hollywood’s brightest stars.
A Song of Kentucky played to relatively good houses, but was not able to stand up to tough competition from The Trespasser, Gold Diggers of Broadway and Tanned Legs.
It is now considered a lost film.
- Published on
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.
- Published on
A lighthearted comedy featuring an excellent cast.
Screenland, Dec 1929
Date of Release: Aug 25, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Raymond Cannon
Screenplay: Robert S. Carr, Walter Catlett
Music : Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, Archie Gottler, Dave Stamper, Harlan Thompson
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors: Sue Carol (Mary), Nick Stuart (Dick), Dixie Lee (Billie), Jean Bary (Jackie), Richard Keene (José), David Rollins (Oscar), Jed Prouty (George), Walter Catlett (Elmer), Gordon De Main (Roy), Ilka Chase (Ethel), Dot Farley (Susan), Laura Hamilton (Maude)
Why Leave Home was a film adaptation of the hit Broadway play Cradle Snatchers. Written by Russel G. Medcraft and Norma Mitchell, the play opened at the Music Box Theatre on Sept 7, 1925 and ran for 485 performances. The play starred a young Humphrey Bogart and was described as “unquestionably the funniest play in town.”
The play was revived at the Liberty Theatre in 1932. Another musical adaptation Let’s Face It opened in 1941. The new adaptation starred Danny Kaye with a book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.
Fox had made a silent film version of the play titled The Cradle Snatchers in 1927. Actor Nick Stuart made his screen debut in the silent version, and Why Leave Home marked his first talkie.
Motion Picture News (Aug 31, 1929) reported that Why Leave Home would be released on the west coast under the title Imagine My Embarrassment. The title was changed due a suggestion by the President of Fox West Coast Theatres, though a reason was not given. Variety (Aug 21, 1929) ran a similar story and suggested the name change was considered for national release.
Why Leave Home opened to lukewarm reviews and solid houses in August 1929. The reviewers generally agreed the stage show was better, and dismissed the “flimsy” plot about six different couples trying to show up their significant others. The Educational Screen (October 1929), always reliable for a snarky review, described Why Leave Home as “So farcical as to be both harmless and inane.”
Studio: Fox
Director: Raymond Cannon
Screenplay: Robert S. Carr, Walter Catlett
Music : Sidney Mitchell, Con Conrad, Archie Gottler, Dave Stamper, Harlan Thompson
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors: Sue Carol (Mary), Nick Stuart (Dick), Dixie Lee (Billie), Jean Bary (Jackie), Richard Keene (José), David Rollins (Oscar), Jed Prouty (George), Walter Catlett (Elmer), Gordon De Main (Roy), Ilka Chase (Ethel), Dot Farley (Susan), Laura Hamilton (Maude)
Why Leave Home was a film adaptation of the hit Broadway play Cradle Snatchers. Written by Russel G. Medcraft and Norma Mitchell, the play opened at the Music Box Theatre on Sept 7, 1925 and ran for 485 performances. The play starred a young Humphrey Bogart and was described as “unquestionably the funniest play in town.”
The play was revived at the Liberty Theatre in 1932. Another musical adaptation Let’s Face It opened in 1941. The new adaptation starred Danny Kaye with a book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.
Fox had made a silent film version of the play titled The Cradle Snatchers in 1927. Actor Nick Stuart made his screen debut in the silent version, and Why Leave Home marked his first talkie.
Motion Picture News (Aug 31, 1929) reported that Why Leave Home would be released on the west coast under the title Imagine My Embarrassment. The title was changed due a suggestion by the President of Fox West Coast Theatres, though a reason was not given. Variety (Aug 21, 1929) ran a similar story and suggested the name change was considered for national release.
Why Leave Home opened to lukewarm reviews and solid houses in August 1929. The reviewers generally agreed the stage show was better, and dismissed the “flimsy” plot about six different couples trying to show up their significant others. The Educational Screen (October 1929), always reliable for a snarky review, described Why Leave Home as “So farcical as to be both harmless and inane.”
Sue Carol, Photoplay, Nov 1929
Several reviewers made mention of Sue Carol and David Rollins. Sue Carol was an heiress, but not substantially well off. She reportedly told a security guard she had three fur coats, which didn’t mean much in Chicago, but translated to luxurious wealth in Hollywood. The studio used the story of an heiress abandoning her fortune to seek fame in Hollywood as a publicity stunt, and it worked.
Carol was also featured in the press for her real life relationship with Nick Stuart. Stories like the one below ran in Photoplay.
“Every Sunday morning, rain or shine and hot or cold, Nick Stuart drives over to Sue Carol’s tepee for breakfast. Sue shows her love for Nick by dishing up a big mess of hot cakes. And Nick shows his love for Sue by eating them. Greater love hath no handsome leading man with dimples!”
David Rollins was an actor whose film career was short-lived. He appeared in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), The Big Trail (1930) and The Phantom Express (1932). He was interviewed for the book Broken Silence: Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars.
The reviewer for the The Film Daily (Sept 22, 1929) wrote “The cast is uniformly good.” Many of the cast members were experienced Broadway and vaudeville performers, and most continued on to successful film careers.
Austro-Hungarian born Nick Stuart was an actor and singer who appeared in over fifty films. He later ran his own talent agency, directed a band, and ran a clothing store. Credits include Happy Days (1930), Rio Grande Romance (1936), Mr Muggs Steps Out (1940), and The Lost Planet (1953). He and Sue Carol married at the end of 1929, though the marriage only lasted five years.
Dixie Lee is now remembered as Bing Crosby's wife, however she was very much a celebrated star in her own right (even if she was adored for her good looks rather than any remarkable acting abilities). After starting out on Broadway, a young Lee was signed with Fox. Her film credits include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), Cheer Up and Smile (1930), Manhattan Love Song (1934) and Redheads on Parade (1935). Lee made well received recordings of "A Fine Romance" and "The Way You Look Tonight." Sadly, Lee suffered from alcoholism and died from cancer at just 41.
Jed Prouty started out in vaudeville and Broadway before being signed by Fox. He went onto appear in over one hundred films, usually playing a comic character. His credits include The Girl in the Show (1929), The Floradora Girl (1930), The Big Bluff (1933), Black Sheep (1935), Happy Go Lucky (1936), A Star is Born (1937), Pot O’ Gold (1941), and Mug Town (1942).
Walter Catlett started out as a stage actor and singer in vaudeville and on Broadway before transitioning to film. He appeared in over 150 films, often playing unscrupulous characters. Some of his credits include Married in Hollywood (1929), Why Leave Home (1929), Happy Days (1930), Her Golden Calf (1930), The Floradora Girl (1930), Big City Blues (1932), The Captain Hates the Sea (1934), Pinocchio (1940), and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1955).
Ilka Chase was a highly educated and driven woman with a fascinating life story. The New York Times wrote in her obituary, “As an actress, radio and television personality, playwright, novelist, and urban sophisticate, Ilka Chase greatly brightened her times.” The daughter of Edna Woolman Chase, the editor-in-chief of Vogue for nearly forty years, Chase was born in New York and went to school in France. She appeared on Broadway in twenty different productions, and in over forty films and television shows. She ran her own radio program, wrote plays, novels, and a cookbook, and also was active in wildlife preservation and various charities.
Dot Farley was a prominent early film actress, writer, and director. She appeared in over 300 films, though most were comedic shorts. The Women Film Pioneers Project suggests that Farley’s writing credentials were not taken seriously, or properly documented, owing to her fame in comedies.
Although Why Leave Home performed well at the box office, it was quickly overshadowed by The Cock-Eyed World.
The film is now believed lost.
Carol was also featured in the press for her real life relationship with Nick Stuart. Stories like the one below ran in Photoplay.
“Every Sunday morning, rain or shine and hot or cold, Nick Stuart drives over to Sue Carol’s tepee for breakfast. Sue shows her love for Nick by dishing up a big mess of hot cakes. And Nick shows his love for Sue by eating them. Greater love hath no handsome leading man with dimples!”
David Rollins was an actor whose film career was short-lived. He appeared in Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), The Big Trail (1930) and The Phantom Express (1932). He was interviewed for the book Broken Silence: Conversations with 23 Silent Film Stars.
The reviewer for the The Film Daily (Sept 22, 1929) wrote “The cast is uniformly good.” Many of the cast members were experienced Broadway and vaudeville performers, and most continued on to successful film careers.
Austro-Hungarian born Nick Stuart was an actor and singer who appeared in over fifty films. He later ran his own talent agency, directed a band, and ran a clothing store. Credits include Happy Days (1930), Rio Grande Romance (1936), Mr Muggs Steps Out (1940), and The Lost Planet (1953). He and Sue Carol married at the end of 1929, though the marriage only lasted five years.
Dixie Lee is now remembered as Bing Crosby's wife, however she was very much a celebrated star in her own right (even if she was adored for her good looks rather than any remarkable acting abilities). After starting out on Broadway, a young Lee was signed with Fox. Her film credits include Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (1929), Happy Days (1930), Cheer Up and Smile (1930), Manhattan Love Song (1934) and Redheads on Parade (1935). Lee made well received recordings of "A Fine Romance" and "The Way You Look Tonight." Sadly, Lee suffered from alcoholism and died from cancer at just 41.
Jed Prouty started out in vaudeville and Broadway before being signed by Fox. He went onto appear in over one hundred films, usually playing a comic character. His credits include The Girl in the Show (1929), The Floradora Girl (1930), The Big Bluff (1933), Black Sheep (1935), Happy Go Lucky (1936), A Star is Born (1937), Pot O’ Gold (1941), and Mug Town (1942).
Walter Catlett started out as a stage actor and singer in vaudeville and on Broadway before transitioning to film. He appeared in over 150 films, often playing unscrupulous characters. Some of his credits include Married in Hollywood (1929), Why Leave Home (1929), Happy Days (1930), Her Golden Calf (1930), The Floradora Girl (1930), Big City Blues (1932), The Captain Hates the Sea (1934), Pinocchio (1940), and Davy Crockett and the River Pirates (1955).
Ilka Chase was a highly educated and driven woman with a fascinating life story. The New York Times wrote in her obituary, “As an actress, radio and television personality, playwright, novelist, and urban sophisticate, Ilka Chase greatly brightened her times.” The daughter of Edna Woolman Chase, the editor-in-chief of Vogue for nearly forty years, Chase was born in New York and went to school in France. She appeared on Broadway in twenty different productions, and in over forty films and television shows. She ran her own radio program, wrote plays, novels, and a cookbook, and also was active in wildlife preservation and various charities.
Dot Farley was a prominent early film actress, writer, and director. She appeared in over 300 films, though most were comedic shorts. The Women Film Pioneers Project suggests that Farley’s writing credentials were not taken seriously, or properly documented, owing to her fame in comedies.
Although Why Leave Home performed well at the box office, it was quickly overshadowed by The Cock-Eyed World.
The film is now believed lost.
- Published on
Close Up Magazine, August 1929
Date of Release: March 10, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Paul Sloane
Screenplay: Walter Weems
Music: Henry Thacker Burleigh, Stephen Foster, Howard Jackson, Walter Weems
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors:
Clarence Muse (Nappus), Eugene Jackson (Chiquapin), Stepin Fetchit (Gummy), Bernice Pilot (Chloe), Clifford Ingram (Rammey), Mildred Washington (Trailia), Zack Williams (Deacon), Gertrude Howard (Emmy), Dorothy Morrison (Melia), Vivian Smith (Violet), Robert Brooks (True Love), A. C. H. Billbrew (Voodoo woman), Richard Carlyle (White doctor), Bilbrew Chorus
By the beginning of 1929, all the major studios had announced projects featuring all-black casts. Walter White, secretary of the NAACP, wrote in 1929 that this was a natural continuation of the strong representation of “negro artists in the theatre” and in literature. White believed films would start in stereotypes and move to something rich, more nuanced, and created by and with African American artists.
According to Separate Cinema, the film was “originally conceived as a two-reel musical showcase of spirituals and minstrel comedy…” but the rough cuts “so impressed the producers… that the writers expanded it into a feature length film.”
The AFI categorizes films based on a number of criteria, including references in trade magazines. Give the description of Hearts in Dixie in Film Daily (March 3, 1929) as “a musical comedy put over very effectively,” and various ads describing it as "all singing and all dancing" it is surprising the film is not listed as a musical in the AFI Catalog (it is listed as a “drama/comedy” and “African American with songs"). I’m glad I didn’t skip this film, as not only is it historically significant as the first musical to feature a cast of all African-Americans, it is also the first feature film and talkie to do so.
Overall the (white) critics loved Hearts in Dixie. Film Daily declared in June 1929, the film was “another forward step in realism.” Mordaunt Hall wrote the New York Times “this Movietone production is something that is a testimonial for the talking film, much more so than any of the other audible pieces that have come to the screen.” Unfortunately, the racism in the reviews and in the coverage of the film is undeniable. In adverts and press about the film, the actors are always referred to by the color of their skin, and rarely appear in photographs.
A counter to the racism found in the trade magazines is Close Up magazine, a short-lived but excellent periodical “devoted to films as art.” In August 1929, the magazine ran an issue on “negro art in film” championing for a more authentic “negro cinema,” and content written, produced, directed, and starring African American performers.
In her article “The Negro Actor and the American Movies” Geraldyn Dismond described Hearts in Dixie as “pretentious” due its romanticized view of plantation life. Despite this, Dismond praised the film for showing African Americans “not as fools and servants, but as human beings with the same emotions, desires and weaknesses as other people’s…” Dismond firmly believed that “negro films” would challenge racism.
Hearts in Dixie is not commercially available, however it is available to view for “research purposes” at MoMA in New York. I emailed the Research Center and was able to schedule a viewing for a few weeks later. When you watch archived films at the UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles, or the New York Performing Arts Library, you sit in a tiny cubicle with a television screen and crummy headphones. It was a thrill to walk in to the MoMA Film Study Center to find I had a whole cinema to myself! Next time I have film to watch at MoMA, I’ll be inviting some friends!
Studio: Fox
Director: Paul Sloane
Screenplay: Walter Weems
Music: Henry Thacker Burleigh, Stephen Foster, Howard Jackson, Walter Weems
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors:
Clarence Muse (Nappus), Eugene Jackson (Chiquapin), Stepin Fetchit (Gummy), Bernice Pilot (Chloe), Clifford Ingram (Rammey), Mildred Washington (Trailia), Zack Williams (Deacon), Gertrude Howard (Emmy), Dorothy Morrison (Melia), Vivian Smith (Violet), Robert Brooks (True Love), A. C. H. Billbrew (Voodoo woman), Richard Carlyle (White doctor), Bilbrew Chorus
By the beginning of 1929, all the major studios had announced projects featuring all-black casts. Walter White, secretary of the NAACP, wrote in 1929 that this was a natural continuation of the strong representation of “negro artists in the theatre” and in literature. White believed films would start in stereotypes and move to something rich, more nuanced, and created by and with African American artists.
According to Separate Cinema, the film was “originally conceived as a two-reel musical showcase of spirituals and minstrel comedy…” but the rough cuts “so impressed the producers… that the writers expanded it into a feature length film.”
The AFI categorizes films based on a number of criteria, including references in trade magazines. Give the description of Hearts in Dixie in Film Daily (March 3, 1929) as “a musical comedy put over very effectively,” and various ads describing it as "all singing and all dancing" it is surprising the film is not listed as a musical in the AFI Catalog (it is listed as a “drama/comedy” and “African American with songs"). I’m glad I didn’t skip this film, as not only is it historically significant as the first musical to feature a cast of all African-Americans, it is also the first feature film and talkie to do so.
Overall the (white) critics loved Hearts in Dixie. Film Daily declared in June 1929, the film was “another forward step in realism.” Mordaunt Hall wrote the New York Times “this Movietone production is something that is a testimonial for the talking film, much more so than any of the other audible pieces that have come to the screen.” Unfortunately, the racism in the reviews and in the coverage of the film is undeniable. In adverts and press about the film, the actors are always referred to by the color of their skin, and rarely appear in photographs.
A counter to the racism found in the trade magazines is Close Up magazine, a short-lived but excellent periodical “devoted to films as art.” In August 1929, the magazine ran an issue on “negro art in film” championing for a more authentic “negro cinema,” and content written, produced, directed, and starring African American performers.
In her article “The Negro Actor and the American Movies” Geraldyn Dismond described Hearts in Dixie as “pretentious” due its romanticized view of plantation life. Despite this, Dismond praised the film for showing African Americans “not as fools and servants, but as human beings with the same emotions, desires and weaknesses as other people’s…” Dismond firmly believed that “negro films” would challenge racism.
Hearts in Dixie is not commercially available, however it is available to view for “research purposes” at MoMA in New York. I emailed the Research Center and was able to schedule a viewing for a few weeks later. When you watch archived films at the UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles, or the New York Performing Arts Library, you sit in a tiny cubicle with a television screen and crummy headphones. It was a thrill to walk in to the MoMA Film Study Center to find I had a whole cinema to myself! Next time I have film to watch at MoMA, I’ll be inviting some friends!
A segment on last week’s The Daily Show joked that for white audiences (the Academy) to be okay with films featuring African Americans, the film needs to include slaves, spirituals, and plantations. Hearts in Dixie certainly contains all three, but the message of the film is more than the sum of its parts. As The Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television states, the film’s central theme “the empowerment of black youth…[remains] relevant today.”
Prior to the film, Richard Carlyle, the sole white cast member, delivers a prologue to camera. The prologue is still sadly relevant today, especially given the announcement of the 2016 Oscar nominations, the resulting #OscarsSoWhite backlash, and the Academy’s response that they really are working hard to ensure their members include more minorities.
Carlyle reminds the audience that “We are all brothers and sisters in our emotions,” and to allow the cinema to transport us away from our own troubles for a while by watching the trials and tribulations of others. Those others (literally “Other” in the context of the dominance of white audiences) may be “black, yellow, or white,” but as members of the human race, no matter the color of our skin, we all “laugh when we’re happy, and cry when we’re sad”.
Prior to the film, Richard Carlyle, the sole white cast member, delivers a prologue to camera. The prologue is still sadly relevant today, especially given the announcement of the 2016 Oscar nominations, the resulting #OscarsSoWhite backlash, and the Academy’s response that they really are working hard to ensure their members include more minorities.
Carlyle reminds the audience that “We are all brothers and sisters in our emotions,” and to allow the cinema to transport us away from our own troubles for a while by watching the trials and tribulations of others. Those others (literally “Other” in the context of the dominance of white audiences) may be “black, yellow, or white,” but as members of the human race, no matter the color of our skin, we all “laugh when we’re happy, and cry when we’re sad”.
Film Daily advert (March 24, 1929)
The film proper opens with a plaintive gospel rendition of the title song over the credits. The haunting music, performed by the Bilbrew Chorus, is beautifully recorded, and the music remains a highlight throughout the film.
The credits give way to a wide shot of a cotton plantation in the south, with the black workers singing an uptempo spiritual about the hardships of picking cotton. The camera cuts between wide shots of the plantation and close-ups of various workers as they finish work for the day. The men and women are looking forward to relaxing and consuming their “fried chicken.”
The credits give way to a wide shot of a cotton plantation in the south, with the black workers singing an uptempo spiritual about the hardships of picking cotton. The camera cuts between wide shots of the plantation and close-ups of various workers as they finish work for the day. The men and women are looking forward to relaxing and consuming their “fried chicken.”
Still from Close Up Magazine (August 1929)
Photoplay, May 1929
We are soon introduced to Gummy (Stepin Fetchit), a lazy fool who sits around all day and lets everybody else, including his gracious wife Chloe (Bernice Pilot), do all the work. His idea of babysitting is tying a piece of string to his foot and attaching the baby to the other end. The baby sits in the dust, while Gummy sits asleep on his broken chair.
In stark contrast to Gummy is his kindly father-in-law, Nappus, “the sweetest in Pappy in the world.” Played by the incredible Clarence Muse, Nappus worries for his daughter, helps around the house, and sings the children to sleep.
While Nappus and Chloe tend to the children, Chinquapin (Eugene Jackson) and his baby sister, Gummy suddenly finds the energy to attend a party down the road. Choreographed by Fanchon and Marco, a prominent LA-based brother and sister team who also worked on Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, the dancing is joyful and wonderfully staged. Gummy’s lightning speed tap work is a real highlight, and one of the best routines I’ve seen to date. The “Meow Chorus” featuring men singing like cats in four-part harmony is brilliantly executed.
The sweet natured and hard working Chloe shares with Nappus that she has been feeling illl, and tells him about her foreboding dreams of black cats and bad omens. Pappy encourages Chloe to see the doctor, to which she responds, “The doctor’s only good for white folks.”
Chloe and the baby fall ill with “swamp fever,” and the Voodoo Woman is called. Played with conviction by A.C. Bilbrew, the Voodoo Woman enters the house imploring Nappus not to call the white doctor — “Voodoo Woman heal ‘em. White doctor no good.” She stands over the mother and child, singing and praising God. Four women sit behind her, singing and occassionally declaring “amen” and “hallelujah.”
Despairing for his daughter’s life, Nappus runs to the white doctor. When they arrive back home, the doctor checks Chloe and the baby only to discover “they’ve been dead for some time.” Tears running down his cheeks, Nappus cries, “We didn’t know, we just didn’t know.” The scene is underscored to great effect by a solemn spiritual, performed by the unseen Bilbrew Chorus.
Less than a month after Chloe’s death, Gummy seduces another woman into marrying him, and doing all the work. Pappy works to ensure Chinquapin will have the education he never had. He sells his mule and his land to send the boy up north, away from his useless father. He receives criticism from the local pastor, but as Pappy sadly states, “What chance has he got down here?”
The final scene with Pappy and Chinquapin is gut-wrenching. As the gang-plank is lifted on the steam boat headed north, we see Chinquapin’s final view of his beloved grandfather. Chinquapin waves goodbye to Nappus and his childhood sweetheart, and we are left hoping that the boy will one day to return to the town of his childhood.
In stark contrast to Gummy is his kindly father-in-law, Nappus, “the sweetest in Pappy in the world.” Played by the incredible Clarence Muse, Nappus worries for his daughter, helps around the house, and sings the children to sleep.
While Nappus and Chloe tend to the children, Chinquapin (Eugene Jackson) and his baby sister, Gummy suddenly finds the energy to attend a party down the road. Choreographed by Fanchon and Marco, a prominent LA-based brother and sister team who also worked on Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, the dancing is joyful and wonderfully staged. Gummy’s lightning speed tap work is a real highlight, and one of the best routines I’ve seen to date. The “Meow Chorus” featuring men singing like cats in four-part harmony is brilliantly executed.
The sweet natured and hard working Chloe shares with Nappus that she has been feeling illl, and tells him about her foreboding dreams of black cats and bad omens. Pappy encourages Chloe to see the doctor, to which she responds, “The doctor’s only good for white folks.”
Chloe and the baby fall ill with “swamp fever,” and the Voodoo Woman is called. Played with conviction by A.C. Bilbrew, the Voodoo Woman enters the house imploring Nappus not to call the white doctor — “Voodoo Woman heal ‘em. White doctor no good.” She stands over the mother and child, singing and praising God. Four women sit behind her, singing and occassionally declaring “amen” and “hallelujah.”
Despairing for his daughter’s life, Nappus runs to the white doctor. When they arrive back home, the doctor checks Chloe and the baby only to discover “they’ve been dead for some time.” Tears running down his cheeks, Nappus cries, “We didn’t know, we just didn’t know.” The scene is underscored to great effect by a solemn spiritual, performed by the unseen Bilbrew Chorus.
Less than a month after Chloe’s death, Gummy seduces another woman into marrying him, and doing all the work. Pappy works to ensure Chinquapin will have the education he never had. He sells his mule and his land to send the boy up north, away from his useless father. He receives criticism from the local pastor, but as Pappy sadly states, “What chance has he got down here?”
The final scene with Pappy and Chinquapin is gut-wrenching. As the gang-plank is lifted on the steam boat headed north, we see Chinquapin’s final view of his beloved grandfather. Chinquapin waves goodbye to Nappus and his childhood sweetheart, and we are left hoping that the boy will one day to return to the town of his childhood.
Photoplay, April 1929
As Barrios states, “it’s impossible not to squirm in discomfort at the tendency to show the characters as charmingly quaint and simple.” The power of Hearts in Dixie is its ability to overcome these stereotypes with a genuinely touching a story about a grandfather who wants the best for his grandson.
In Every Step a Struggle: Interviews with Seven Who Shaped the African-American Image in Movies, Henry Dobbs stated that while “the filmmakers seemed “sincere” in their efforts…the movie has done an injustice by transplanting “the lachrymose myths of Uncle Tom’s Cabin once more to the screen.” Similarly, Alexander Walker claims “African-American critics...on the one hand...praise[d] the rare appearance of a “black” film; and, on the other hand, showing concern over the caricatures blacks had to perform.”
As The Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television states, Hearts in Dixie “‘forward thinking’ in its day”, but “hopelessly racist by today’s standards.”
The most problematic caricature is that of Gummy, the lazy man — “You’re just nasty hopeless ain’t you,” “Act like you is a man…good for nothin’ hunk of licorice.” Played by Lincoln Perry under his stage name Stepin Fetchit, critics and historians remain divided over whether Perry’s portrayal was subversive or subservient. Barrios writes that Perry was possibly “mocking an oppressive white culture by expanding on its prejudices in the most garish fashion possible.” Hearts in Dixie was Perry’s breakout film, and his overwhelming popularity as the lay-about black man led Fox to sign Perry to a long-term contract, the first African American performer to do so.
Writer Walter Weems is credited with creating Lincoln Perry’s lazy character. In Every Step a Struggle, Clarence Muse stated “...I was seeing Mr. Weems sit him down; talking to Stepin Fetchit for hours. He’d say, “‘Step,’ I’m creating for you a characterization that’s going to make you very famous, going to get you lots of dough.” And they would rehearse him day after day in slow speed…”
In Every Step a Struggle: Interviews with Seven Who Shaped the African-American Image in Movies, Henry Dobbs stated that while “the filmmakers seemed “sincere” in their efforts…the movie has done an injustice by transplanting “the lachrymose myths of Uncle Tom’s Cabin once more to the screen.” Similarly, Alexander Walker claims “African-American critics...on the one hand...praise[d] the rare appearance of a “black” film; and, on the other hand, showing concern over the caricatures blacks had to perform.”
As The Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television states, Hearts in Dixie “‘forward thinking’ in its day”, but “hopelessly racist by today’s standards.”
The most problematic caricature is that of Gummy, the lazy man — “You’re just nasty hopeless ain’t you,” “Act like you is a man…good for nothin’ hunk of licorice.” Played by Lincoln Perry under his stage name Stepin Fetchit, critics and historians remain divided over whether Perry’s portrayal was subversive or subservient. Barrios writes that Perry was possibly “mocking an oppressive white culture by expanding on its prejudices in the most garish fashion possible.” Hearts in Dixie was Perry’s breakout film, and his overwhelming popularity as the lay-about black man led Fox to sign Perry to a long-term contract, the first African American performer to do so.
Writer Walter Weems is credited with creating Lincoln Perry’s lazy character. In Every Step a Struggle, Clarence Muse stated “...I was seeing Mr. Weems sit him down; talking to Stepin Fetchit for hours. He’d say, “‘Step,’ I’m creating for you a characterization that’s going to make you very famous, going to get you lots of dough.” And they would rehearse him day after day in slow speed…”
Clarence Muse is outstanding as Gummy’s opposite, Nappus. Muse was an influential, multi-talented, performer and writer who appeared on stage, film, television and radio in a career that spanned over five decades. As a founding member of the Lincoln Players and the Harlem Lafayette Theatre (one of the first theatres to desegregate its audience in 1913), he was a pioneer of the black theatre movement of the 1920s. According to Frank Manchel, “the black actor with the most screen credits up to 1972 [and]... one of the most controversial black performers to outsiders who wanted to reform Hollywood.” Initially trained as a lawyer, Muse went into show business after realizing opportunities for black lawyers were far and few between. Muse also worked as a composer, and wrote the musical Way Down South (1938) as well as Louis Armstrong’s theme song, “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South.” Muse was the first African American to direct on Broadway, with Run, Little Chillun in 1943.
A.C. Hilbrew, The Afro American (September 21, 1929)
The undoubtable highlight of the film is the music, performed by the sixty member Bilbrew Chorus under the direction of A.C. Bilbrew. Bilbrew, also known as A.C. Bilbrew and Madame Bilbrew, was a renowned choral conductor and activist in Los Angeles. Bilbrew started out as an accompanist for the Hall Johnson Choir before becoming the conductor of the first African American chorus in Hollywood. She went on to direct the radio choir of “a major Los Angeles black church,” and was “famous for her Ladies Minstrel… and her much known Bilbrew Quartette.” The Quartette performed on the Orpheum Circuit, and on radio. She was also a poet, composer, and teacher. Bilbrew was a prominent activist, and her song “This is Freedom Day” became the anthem of National Freedom Day. The A C Bilbrew Library in Los Angeles is named in her honor.
The score was composed of music by three prominent musicians. Henry Thacker Burleigh was an African American composer and singer who is credited with helping to establish an “American School” in classical music. After studying under the tutelage of Dvorak at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, Burleigh went on to a successful career performing, touring, and composing over 260 works for solo voice. He created nearly 190 choral arrangements, including arrangements of spirituals which were performed by high profile musicians. Burleigh was a soloist at both St George’s Episcopal Church, and Temple Emanu-El (the first African American soloist), for almost fifty years. He was a prominent and influential editor at Ricordi Record Company for almost thirty years and was reportedly the first African American singer to have a performance recorded.
Credited as “America’s First Composer,” Stephen Foster worked during the mid-19th century. His catalogue of over 200 songs includes “Oh Susanna,” “Swanee River,” “Camptown Races,” and “Beautiful Dreamer.” Sadly Foster was an alcoholic and badly mismanaged his funds, and despite his extensive catalogue of popular and widely known songs, died penniless. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Howard Jackson was a composer, conductor, arranger, and music director. He worked as a performer, composer, and orchestrator for the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1930s.
The score was composed of music by three prominent musicians. Henry Thacker Burleigh was an African American composer and singer who is credited with helping to establish an “American School” in classical music. After studying under the tutelage of Dvorak at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, Burleigh went on to a successful career performing, touring, and composing over 260 works for solo voice. He created nearly 190 choral arrangements, including arrangements of spirituals which were performed by high profile musicians. Burleigh was a soloist at both St George’s Episcopal Church, and Temple Emanu-El (the first African American soloist), for almost fifty years. He was a prominent and influential editor at Ricordi Record Company for almost thirty years and was reportedly the first African American singer to have a performance recorded.
Credited as “America’s First Composer,” Stephen Foster worked during the mid-19th century. His catalogue of over 200 songs includes “Oh Susanna,” “Swanee River,” “Camptown Races,” and “Beautiful Dreamer.” Sadly Foster was an alcoholic and badly mismanaged his funds, and despite his extensive catalogue of popular and widely known songs, died penniless. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Howard Jackson was a composer, conductor, arranger, and music director. He worked as a performer, composer, and orchestrator for the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1930s.
Film Daily ad (March 13, 1929)
Despite the racist undertones Hearts in Dixie was a highly enjoyable film. The dancing and singing are truly fantastic and hold up remarkably well, even if some of the dated sentiments about white superiority and simplistic portrayals of African American life in the south do not.
- Published on
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 is important for being the first revue-style musical released to the public. It received mix reviews but did well at the box office. It is now a lost film.
Date of Release: May 26, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: David Butler, Marcel Silver
Screenplay: David Butler, William K. Wells
Music: Con Conrad, Archie Gottler, Sidney D. Mitchell
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors: John Breeden (George Shelby), Lola Lane (Lila Beaumont), De Witt Jennings (Jay Darrell), Sharon Lynn, (Ann Foster), Arthur Stone (Al Leaton), Stepin Fetchit (Swifty), Warren Hymer (Martin), Archie Gottler (Stage manager), Arthur Kay (Orchestra leader), Mario Dominici, (Le Maire), Vina Gale, Arthur Springer, Helen Hunt, Charles Huff, Harriet Griffith, John Griffith (Adagio dancers), Sue Carol, Dixie Lee, Melva Cornell, Paula Langlen, Carolynne Snowden, Jeanette Dancey, David Percy, David Rollins, Bob Burns, Frank Richardson, Henry M. Mollandin, Frank La Mont
Studio: Fox
Director: David Butler, Marcel Silver
Screenplay: David Butler, William K. Wells
Music: Con Conrad, Archie Gottler, Sidney D. Mitchell
Choreographer: Fanchon and Marco
Leading Actors: John Breeden (George Shelby), Lola Lane (Lila Beaumont), De Witt Jennings (Jay Darrell), Sharon Lynn, (Ann Foster), Arthur Stone (Al Leaton), Stepin Fetchit (Swifty), Warren Hymer (Martin), Archie Gottler (Stage manager), Arthur Kay (Orchestra leader), Mario Dominici, (Le Maire), Vina Gale, Arthur Springer, Helen Hunt, Charles Huff, Harriet Griffith, John Griffith (Adagio dancers), Sue Carol, Dixie Lee, Melva Cornell, Paula Langlen, Carolynne Snowden, Jeanette Dancey, David Percy, David Rollins, Bob Burns, Frank Richardson, Henry M. Mollandin, Frank La Mont
Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 is a lost film. According to Vitaphone Varieties, the only known surviving copy of the film was lost in a catastrophic fire in 1937. There is a listing for the film at the Library of Congress, however it is only for a record as listed in Jack Raymond’s Show Music on Record (a listing of recordings from American shows). After contacting the Library of Congress, I discovered that they do hold 35mm nitrate of censor cuts from the film, however nitrate elements are not available for viewing.
DIRECTOR TROUBLE
Fox Movietone Follies was initially directed by Marcel Silver, who also directed Married in Hollywood, another lost film from 1929. In the late 1920s, he directed many of Fox’s “Varieties,” sound shorts featuring vaudeville acts filmed in Hollywood.
After Fox executives began to panic at the escalating production costs, lack of plot, and lengthy production period, director David Butler was bought in to finish the film. He did so in a matter of weeks. Raised in a show business family, Butler directed over eighty films and television shows in a career spanning over fifty years, including the delightful Sunny Side Up, (1929), The Little Colonel (1935), Calamity Jane (1953), and Leave it to Beaver (1957).
DIRECTOR TROUBLE
Fox Movietone Follies was initially directed by Marcel Silver, who also directed Married in Hollywood, another lost film from 1929. In the late 1920s, he directed many of Fox’s “Varieties,” sound shorts featuring vaudeville acts filmed in Hollywood.
After Fox executives began to panic at the escalating production costs, lack of plot, and lengthy production period, director David Butler was bought in to finish the film. He did so in a matter of weeks. Raised in a show business family, Butler directed over eighty films and television shows in a career spanning over fifty years, including the delightful Sunny Side Up, (1929), The Little Colonel (1935), Calamity Jane (1953), and Leave it to Beaver (1957).
advert in Motion Picture News, June 1929
BOX OFFICE DRAW
Following the extended production process, and frequent reports in The Film Daily about high profile changes in the creative team and casting, Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 finally opened in May 1929. Advertising included the distribution of 5000 fake movie tickets celebrating the fact that the movie was cheaper than seeing the actual Follies.
The film cost about $800,000 to make, and only bought in $381,000 at the box office. Although a financial loss for Fox, the film was a popular draw and, and according to Motion Picture Daily, consistently sold out around the country.
Following the extended production process, and frequent reports in The Film Daily about high profile changes in the creative team and casting, Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 finally opened in May 1929. Advertising included the distribution of 5000 fake movie tickets celebrating the fact that the movie was cheaper than seeing the actual Follies.
The film cost about $800,000 to make, and only bought in $381,000 at the box office. Although a financial loss for Fox, the film was a popular draw and, and according to Motion Picture Daily, consistently sold out around the country.
LOVELY LEGS!
The reviewers were skeptical of this new style of movie revue. They criticized the fluffy and “flimsy” plot, but praised the chorus of beautiful women, and their lovely legs. Photoplay wrote,
The reviewers were skeptical of this new style of movie revue. They criticized the fluffy and “flimsy” plot, but praised the chorus of beautiful women, and their lovely legs. Photoplay wrote,
Glorified girls! Legs! Abbreviated costumes! Everything!…The music is the best part of it… The big dance breaks are breathtaking, but there is not enough variety.”
The reviewer felt that “synthetic follies aren’t quite like the real thing,” and that star personalities were really needed to lift the film.
Mordaunt Hall wrote in The New York Times, “In one of the initial episodes, one receives a conception of the chorus girls, with eyes and feet filling the screen.” He praised the leads, Sue Carol and Lola Lane, as “capable and unusually attractive.”
According to Film Daily, the film contained “The necessary ingredients” for a good revue, “catchy music, plenty of pretty girls and keen limbs; snappy tempo; attractive sets; a dash of comedy. Fox Movietone Follies has ‘em and that’s exactly what makes the picture what it is.”
Mordaunt Hall wrote in The New York Times, “In one of the initial episodes, one receives a conception of the chorus girls, with eyes and feet filling the screen.” He praised the leads, Sue Carol and Lola Lane, as “capable and unusually attractive.”
According to Film Daily, the film contained “The necessary ingredients” for a good revue, “catchy music, plenty of pretty girls and keen limbs; snappy tempo; attractive sets; a dash of comedy. Fox Movietone Follies has ‘em and that’s exactly what makes the picture what it is.”
Sheet music for "Breakaway"
CATCHY MUSIC
The reviews unanimously declared that the music was catchy and fun, and bound to get the audience dancing. Several songs from the film including “That’s You, Baby,” “Breakaway,” “Walking with Susie,” “Big City Blues” became best-selling hits. Photoplay wrote, in its new record review section, “you can dance to this!”
The music team were all highly successful and prolific composers. Working primarily for Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Sidney Mitchell had a successful partnership with Lew Pollack. Mitchell wrote the lyrics for "At the Codfish Ball," "Sugar," and the Oscar nominated "A Melody from the Sky."
Starting out as a piano accompanist for silent film, Conrad went on to perform, write, and produce for the Broadway stage. His songs were recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Eddie Cantor, and Eubie Blake, and went on to become huge hits. Conrad eventually moved to Hollywood, and continued to write hit songs for the budding talkie industry. He won the first Oscar for Best Song for "The Continental," featured in The Gay Divorcee (1934), and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Conrad's music continues to be featured in film and television, including "Palesteena,” You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)," and "Ma, She's Making Eyes at Me."
Another silent film accompanist, Archie Gottler went on to write for the Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway Brevities in the 1920s. After composing innovative scores for silent films, he continued working in Hollywood as a successful composer and director. As a director. Gottler is best known for Woman Haters, the first of the Three Stooges comedies. His famous songs include “America, I Love You,” “Easter Sunday on Parade," and “Wine, Women and Song.”
The reviews unanimously declared that the music was catchy and fun, and bound to get the audience dancing. Several songs from the film including “That’s You, Baby,” “Breakaway,” “Walking with Susie,” “Big City Blues” became best-selling hits. Photoplay wrote, in its new record review section, “you can dance to this!”
The music team were all highly successful and prolific composers. Working primarily for Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Sidney Mitchell had a successful partnership with Lew Pollack. Mitchell wrote the lyrics for "At the Codfish Ball," "Sugar," and the Oscar nominated "A Melody from the Sky."
Starting out as a piano accompanist for silent film, Conrad went on to perform, write, and produce for the Broadway stage. His songs were recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Eddie Cantor, and Eubie Blake, and went on to become huge hits. Conrad eventually moved to Hollywood, and continued to write hit songs for the budding talkie industry. He won the first Oscar for Best Song for "The Continental," featured in The Gay Divorcee (1934), and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970. Conrad's music continues to be featured in film and television, including "Palesteena,” You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)," and "Ma, She's Making Eyes at Me."
Another silent film accompanist, Archie Gottler went on to write for the Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway Brevities in the 1920s. After composing innovative scores for silent films, he continued working in Hollywood as a successful composer and director. As a director. Gottler is best known for Woman Haters, the first of the Three Stooges comedies. His famous songs include “America, I Love You,” “Easter Sunday on Parade," and “Wine, Women and Song.”
MULTICOLOR DANCES!
Despite the song and dance routines being filmed in groundbreaking multicolor, which according to historian Richard Barrios “was based on shades of red-orange and blue, which gave it a softer and cooler look than its rival,” the choreography did not receive much mention in any of the reviews.
Unusually for this period, the choreographers are credited in Fox Movietone Follies. For this film, the musical numbers were staged by brother and sister team, Fanchon and Marco. Fanchon & Marco Inc, also known as F&M, was a highly successful family-run production company and talent school based in LA. The company created elaborate stage shows and film segments featuring large numbers of talented chorus girls. According to the Fanchon and Marco website, notable students who trained with Miss Fanchon and her brother, Marco Fanchon, include “Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, Ginger Rogers, Dorothy Lamour, Cyd Charisse, Betty Grable, Joan Crawford, Will Rogers and May West.” The site is well worth checking out for production shots of F&M’s elaborate sets and staging.
Even with the use of multicolor, the critics failed to be impressed by the elaborate numbers. Barrios states that “Trick photography was used on an energetic group of black singers/dancers performing “Walking with Susie”; and a faux undersea ballet, “Pearl of Old Japan”... yet neither was terribly dazzling.”
Despite the song and dance routines being filmed in groundbreaking multicolor, which according to historian Richard Barrios “was based on shades of red-orange and blue, which gave it a softer and cooler look than its rival,” the choreography did not receive much mention in any of the reviews.
Unusually for this period, the choreographers are credited in Fox Movietone Follies. For this film, the musical numbers were staged by brother and sister team, Fanchon and Marco. Fanchon & Marco Inc, also known as F&M, was a highly successful family-run production company and talent school based in LA. The company created elaborate stage shows and film segments featuring large numbers of talented chorus girls. According to the Fanchon and Marco website, notable students who trained with Miss Fanchon and her brother, Marco Fanchon, include “Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Shirley Temple, Ginger Rogers, Dorothy Lamour, Cyd Charisse, Betty Grable, Joan Crawford, Will Rogers and May West.” The site is well worth checking out for production shots of F&M’s elaborate sets and staging.
Even with the use of multicolor, the critics failed to be impressed by the elaborate numbers. Barrios states that “Trick photography was used on an energetic group of black singers/dancers performing “Walking with Susie”; and a faux undersea ballet, “Pearl of Old Japan”... yet neither was terribly dazzling.”
Photoplay, May 1929
LACK OF STARS
Variety lamented the lack of stars in the cast. With a few notable exceptions (listed below), very few of the credited cast members went on to any sort of performance career beyond a few film appearances.
Along with her sisters, Lola Lane was one of the leading ladies of the 1930s. Born Dorothy Mullican, Lane started out playing piano for silent films. After reportedly being discovered singing in a flower shop, Lane toured the vaudeville circuit and eventually moved to New York where she starred in revues alongside George Jessel. Lane was spotted by a talent scout and moved to Hollywood in 1929. She appeared in over forty films, usually playing tough women. Lane was the inspiration behind the Superman character, Lois Lane.
Stepin Fetchit, or Lincoln Perry, was a highly successful, and controversial, comedian and actor. He was the first African American actor to receive a featured screen credit, and the first to become a millionaire. Although widely criticized for his derogatory portrayals of "lazy" African American characters, Perry was later celebrated for opening the doors in Hollywood to African American actors. An excellent bio and breakdown of his career and legacy can be found here and here.
Sue Carol was a successful actress for over 10 years before starting her own talent agency, the Sue Carol Agency. The critics loved her in Fox Movietone Follies, and she received universally favorable reviews.
Dixie Lee is now known as Bing Crosby's wife, however she was very much a celebrated star in her own right, even if she was adored for her good looks rather than any remarkable acting abilities. Lee appeared on recordings "A Fine Romance" and "The Way You Look Tonight."
Paula Langlen was a stage actress who also went by the nickname of "Skipit," reportedly due to her flighty demeanor during her first Broadway audition. She appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan productions on Broadway, and in several films. One critic described her as "sprite-like" and "charming."
Carolynne Snowden was a highly acclaimed African American dancer who appeared in over twenty films, mostly during the silent era. She was a headliner at the Cotton Club in Harlem, and toured the US with her own troupe. At the height of her success in Hollywood, she had her own dressing room on the MGM lot, and a five-year contract. Snowden often appeared opposite Lincoln Perry, and appeared in The Jazz Singer as a maid. She is credited as being one of the first successful African American film actresses who paved the way for actresses of color on the big screen.
Frank Richardson was a child performer who was known as "The Wonder Boy Tenor". He had success as a black-face performer in vaudeville, and his act, "The Joy Boy of Song," was filmed as a short for Vitaphone. He appeared in Sunny Side Up and "Happy Days" (1929). A detailed biography can be found here.
Variety lamented the lack of stars in the cast. With a few notable exceptions (listed below), very few of the credited cast members went on to any sort of performance career beyond a few film appearances.
Along with her sisters, Lola Lane was one of the leading ladies of the 1930s. Born Dorothy Mullican, Lane started out playing piano for silent films. After reportedly being discovered singing in a flower shop, Lane toured the vaudeville circuit and eventually moved to New York where she starred in revues alongside George Jessel. Lane was spotted by a talent scout and moved to Hollywood in 1929. She appeared in over forty films, usually playing tough women. Lane was the inspiration behind the Superman character, Lois Lane.
Stepin Fetchit, or Lincoln Perry, was a highly successful, and controversial, comedian and actor. He was the first African American actor to receive a featured screen credit, and the first to become a millionaire. Although widely criticized for his derogatory portrayals of "lazy" African American characters, Perry was later celebrated for opening the doors in Hollywood to African American actors. An excellent bio and breakdown of his career and legacy can be found here and here.
Sue Carol was a successful actress for over 10 years before starting her own talent agency, the Sue Carol Agency. The critics loved her in Fox Movietone Follies, and she received universally favorable reviews.
Dixie Lee is now known as Bing Crosby's wife, however she was very much a celebrated star in her own right, even if she was adored for her good looks rather than any remarkable acting abilities. Lee appeared on recordings "A Fine Romance" and "The Way You Look Tonight."
Paula Langlen was a stage actress who also went by the nickname of "Skipit," reportedly due to her flighty demeanor during her first Broadway audition. She appeared in Gilbert and Sullivan productions on Broadway, and in several films. One critic described her as "sprite-like" and "charming."
Carolynne Snowden was a highly acclaimed African American dancer who appeared in over twenty films, mostly during the silent era. She was a headliner at the Cotton Club in Harlem, and toured the US with her own troupe. At the height of her success in Hollywood, she had her own dressing room on the MGM lot, and a five-year contract. Snowden often appeared opposite Lincoln Perry, and appeared in The Jazz Singer as a maid. She is credited as being one of the first successful African American film actresses who paved the way for actresses of color on the big screen.
Frank Richardson was a child performer who was known as "The Wonder Boy Tenor". He had success as a black-face performer in vaudeville, and his act, "The Joy Boy of Song," was filmed as a short for Vitaphone. He appeared in Sunny Side Up and "Happy Days" (1929). A detailed biography can be found here.
Photoplay 1929. Composer Archie Gottler supposedly teaching dance steps to the chorus girls
A TASTER
Variety and Express both correctly predicted that Fox Movietone Follies was a taste of the more extravagant talkies, and musicals, to come.
Barrios wroe that Fox Movietone Follies “typified Fox’s approach to musicals for years to come: bland and banal, lacking star and staying power, bungling good ideas with an interminable reliance on formula.”
Perhaps it is for the best that this film remains lost.
Variety and Express both correctly predicted that Fox Movietone Follies was a taste of the more extravagant talkies, and musicals, to come.
Barrios wroe that Fox Movietone Follies “typified Fox’s approach to musicals for years to come: bland and banal, lacking star and staying power, bungling good ideas with an interminable reliance on formula.”
Perhaps it is for the best that this film remains lost.
- Published on
Victor McLaglen & Lili Damita
Date of Release: Oct 20, 1929
Studio: Fox
Director: Raoul Walsh
Music: John Philip Sousa, George M. Cohan, James Caddigan, Joseph A. Brennan, Geoffrey O’Hara, Al Dubin, Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh, Irwin Dash, Sidney Mitchell, Archie Gottler, Con Conrad, Lew Brown, B. G. DeSylva, Ray Henderson, Lew Clare and Sidney Pollack
Leading Actors: Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Lily Damita, Lelia Karnelly, El Brendel, Bob Burns, Jeanette Dagna, Joe Brown, Stuart Erwin, Ivan Lino, Jean Bary, Soledad Jiménez, Albert Dresden, Joe Rochay
The Cock-Eyed World is a sequel based on a silent film which had been based on a Broadway play, which had been turned into a talkie. The original silent film, What Price is Glory? was released in 1926, and re-issued as a synchronized sound short a year later. What Price is Glory? was the first outing of Fox’s synchronized sound system (Movietone Sound), and is famous for its use of profanity, only noticeable by lip-reading the actor’s mouths. I decided not to watch the first film after reading one modern day review which stated, “Glorification of war, amazing objectification of women, exploitation controversy and lots of sequels, oh boy!”. Unfortunately, the same statement could be applied to The Cock-Eyed World.
Although family friendly by today’s standards, as described by Butters in his book on film censorship, The Cock-Eyed World was considered “loud, crude, tough, loutish and decidedly vulgar in spots.” A complaint about the film decried, “It is misnamed… a more appropriate name would be the ‘sex life of the marines’.” Despite the complaints, The Cock-Eyed World was one of Film Daily’s 10 best films of 1929, and the ninth most profitable film of that year.
The film divides critics into two camps. Some feel it’s a fast-paced hilarious riot. Others find it tedious with terrible use of sound. Film historian Richard Barrios describes The Cock-Eyed World as “Unquestionably one of 1929’s most fluid productions, it demonstrated how a strong director could make sound film pay off. It’s also, today, a coarse and wearisome gust of Walshian misogyny and empty heroics, which no amount of technique could make palatable.”
The film follows two marines, Flagg and Quirt as they travel around the world on duty, and compete for women. From Vladivostok to Coney Island to South America, each locale provides a pretty, silly, girl for the men to fight over. The plot repeats itself in each new location, capped off with a battle scene towards the film’s conclusion.
The racist and sexist overtones are impossible to ignore. With lines like “she’s fat but nice,” “oh you’re still working from the back,” and “come here sweet stuff,” the humour does not stand up well after 86 years. Women exist solely for the pleasure of men. They are silly, speak in artificial high pitched voices, and interactions with other women are for the purpose of arguing over the men. The Spanish South American women (we’re never told where we are exactly, somewhere in “the tropics”) perpetually swish their skirts and hold their hands as though they are about to dance the flamenco. They speak in such a fast high-pitched way, that I’m fairly convinced they’re speaking gibberish that sounds vaguely like Spanish. Even with the limited material and terrible stereotypes, Lili Damita as Mariana is an excellent comic, though her role makes her painful to watch.
There are some eloquent moments about the futility of war and nature of the war machine, like the early line spoken by a soldier, “I ain’t got no home. I’m just roamin’ and fightin’ and preventin’ fightin’ to protect other homes.” But these small significant moments are lost in the middle of the womanizing and lame duck humor. The soldiers have nothing to redeem them, no charisma, no charm, just lots of bravado. It’s hard to imagine Flagg and Quirt were so popular that four films were made to feature them. As Richard Barrios writes, “…then as now, worthy intentions mean far less at the box office than lusty posturing.”
The Cock-Eyed World should not be classified as a musical, but as a “comedy with songs”. A few scenes feature dancing in a club, but there is certainly no organized dance or story-telling through dance to speak of. Despite a long list of credited composers, there is barely any music in the film. The first song occurs a good fifteen minutes into the film. In Vladivostok, the marines are joking around and getting ready for bed. The jocular mood is accompanied by a group musicians who are set up in the next room, (according to David Parkinson, during this period, producers were concerned that viewers could only “understand” musicals if they could see the source of the music on screen), playing an instrumental jig. Sergeant Flagg enters the room, and of course, his friends call for him to “give us a song boy!”. After 15 minutes of girl getting bravado and “sez you, sez me” humor, Flagg breaks out into a completely incongruous tenor ballad “So Dear to Me”.
“Over There” and “So Long” provide two all-too-short musical moments with wonderful chorus arrangements. The songs are played over scenes of the marines getting ready to deploy, and ships sailing into port, and help to set the scene and mood rather than advance the plot or give insight into characters’ feelings.
The Cock-Eyed World is made well-enough, with high production values and a coherent, if too long and slightly repetitive, script. The film suffers from poor restoration - the image is not always clear, and in the last half hour, the heads of the characters are cut off from the frame. Overall, the use of synchronized sound is advanced in comparison to its predecessors, and some of the visuals, particularly in the battle scene with aerial shots of bombs dropping away, are well done. The Cock-Eyed World is a good example of the desire of early filmmakers to capitalize on synchronized sound and draw in the pundits, but it’s not a movie musical.
Up next, The General!
Studio: Fox
Director: Raoul Walsh
Music: John Philip Sousa, George M. Cohan, James Caddigan, Joseph A. Brennan, Geoffrey O’Hara, Al Dubin, Irving Mills, Jimmy McHugh, Irwin Dash, Sidney Mitchell, Archie Gottler, Con Conrad, Lew Brown, B. G. DeSylva, Ray Henderson, Lew Clare and Sidney Pollack
Leading Actors: Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Lily Damita, Lelia Karnelly, El Brendel, Bob Burns, Jeanette Dagna, Joe Brown, Stuart Erwin, Ivan Lino, Jean Bary, Soledad Jiménez, Albert Dresden, Joe Rochay
The Cock-Eyed World is a sequel based on a silent film which had been based on a Broadway play, which had been turned into a talkie. The original silent film, What Price is Glory? was released in 1926, and re-issued as a synchronized sound short a year later. What Price is Glory? was the first outing of Fox’s synchronized sound system (Movietone Sound), and is famous for its use of profanity, only noticeable by lip-reading the actor’s mouths. I decided not to watch the first film after reading one modern day review which stated, “Glorification of war, amazing objectification of women, exploitation controversy and lots of sequels, oh boy!”. Unfortunately, the same statement could be applied to The Cock-Eyed World.
Although family friendly by today’s standards, as described by Butters in his book on film censorship, The Cock-Eyed World was considered “loud, crude, tough, loutish and decidedly vulgar in spots.” A complaint about the film decried, “It is misnamed… a more appropriate name would be the ‘sex life of the marines’.” Despite the complaints, The Cock-Eyed World was one of Film Daily’s 10 best films of 1929, and the ninth most profitable film of that year.
The film divides critics into two camps. Some feel it’s a fast-paced hilarious riot. Others find it tedious with terrible use of sound. Film historian Richard Barrios describes The Cock-Eyed World as “Unquestionably one of 1929’s most fluid productions, it demonstrated how a strong director could make sound film pay off. It’s also, today, a coarse and wearisome gust of Walshian misogyny and empty heroics, which no amount of technique could make palatable.”
The film follows two marines, Flagg and Quirt as they travel around the world on duty, and compete for women. From Vladivostok to Coney Island to South America, each locale provides a pretty, silly, girl for the men to fight over. The plot repeats itself in each new location, capped off with a battle scene towards the film’s conclusion.
The racist and sexist overtones are impossible to ignore. With lines like “she’s fat but nice,” “oh you’re still working from the back,” and “come here sweet stuff,” the humour does not stand up well after 86 years. Women exist solely for the pleasure of men. They are silly, speak in artificial high pitched voices, and interactions with other women are for the purpose of arguing over the men. The Spanish South American women (we’re never told where we are exactly, somewhere in “the tropics”) perpetually swish their skirts and hold their hands as though they are about to dance the flamenco. They speak in such a fast high-pitched way, that I’m fairly convinced they’re speaking gibberish that sounds vaguely like Spanish. Even with the limited material and terrible stereotypes, Lili Damita as Mariana is an excellent comic, though her role makes her painful to watch.
There are some eloquent moments about the futility of war and nature of the war machine, like the early line spoken by a soldier, “I ain’t got no home. I’m just roamin’ and fightin’ and preventin’ fightin’ to protect other homes.” But these small significant moments are lost in the middle of the womanizing and lame duck humor. The soldiers have nothing to redeem them, no charisma, no charm, just lots of bravado. It’s hard to imagine Flagg and Quirt were so popular that four films were made to feature them. As Richard Barrios writes, “…then as now, worthy intentions mean far less at the box office than lusty posturing.”
The Cock-Eyed World should not be classified as a musical, but as a “comedy with songs”. A few scenes feature dancing in a club, but there is certainly no organized dance or story-telling through dance to speak of. Despite a long list of credited composers, there is barely any music in the film. The first song occurs a good fifteen minutes into the film. In Vladivostok, the marines are joking around and getting ready for bed. The jocular mood is accompanied by a group musicians who are set up in the next room, (according to David Parkinson, during this period, producers were concerned that viewers could only “understand” musicals if they could see the source of the music on screen), playing an instrumental jig. Sergeant Flagg enters the room, and of course, his friends call for him to “give us a song boy!”. After 15 minutes of girl getting bravado and “sez you, sez me” humor, Flagg breaks out into a completely incongruous tenor ballad “So Dear to Me”.
“Over There” and “So Long” provide two all-too-short musical moments with wonderful chorus arrangements. The songs are played over scenes of the marines getting ready to deploy, and ships sailing into port, and help to set the scene and mood rather than advance the plot or give insight into characters’ feelings.
The Cock-Eyed World is made well-enough, with high production values and a coherent, if too long and slightly repetitive, script. The film suffers from poor restoration - the image is not always clear, and in the last half hour, the heads of the characters are cut off from the frame. Overall, the use of synchronized sound is advanced in comparison to its predecessors, and some of the visuals, particularly in the battle scene with aerial shots of bombs dropping away, are well done. The Cock-Eyed World is a good example of the desire of early filmmakers to capitalize on synchronized sound and draw in the pundits, but it’s not a movie musical.
Up next, The General!
- Published on
Date of Release: Oct 3, 1929
Director: David Butler
Studio: Fox
Leading Actors: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
Music: B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Choreography: Seymour Felix
Aptly directed by David Butler, a prolific Hollywood director who made over thirty films for Fox, Sunny Side Up is an original musical comedy performed with much charm and humor. Set in NY between the wealthy Southampton, and the working class Yorkville, the film is a happily-ever-after love story between an unlikely duo played by Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The film was the pair's first talking picture, and they went on to make over a dozen features together.
Janet Gaynor’s singing was described at the time by the NY Times Review as “sincere” and “appealing”. Her voice is light, and mostly uses speak-singing, but as the Times correctly asserts, she is a “delightful” actor and very believable as the sweet tempered and dreamy Molly.
Frank Richardson in the supporting role of Eddie the grocer is wonderful. His comic timing is just perfect, and plays well even to a modern audience.
Penned by the DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson team, the music is jaunty and fun and features songs such as “I’m a Dreamer,” “You’ve Got Me Pickin’ Petals off Daisies,” “Sunny Side Up,” “Turn Up the Heat,” and “If I Had a Talking Picture of You”. The writing team were well established on the vaudeville circuit and had had successes in Hollywood with earlier musical films such as The Singing Fool. The tunes in Sunny Side Up are light-hearted and work well within the story.
Director: David Butler
Studio: Fox
Leading Actors: Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
Music: B.G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Choreography: Seymour Felix
Aptly directed by David Butler, a prolific Hollywood director who made over thirty films for Fox, Sunny Side Up is an original musical comedy performed with much charm and humor. Set in NY between the wealthy Southampton, and the working class Yorkville, the film is a happily-ever-after love story between an unlikely duo played by Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The film was the pair's first talking picture, and they went on to make over a dozen features together.
Janet Gaynor’s singing was described at the time by the NY Times Review as “sincere” and “appealing”. Her voice is light, and mostly uses speak-singing, but as the Times correctly asserts, she is a “delightful” actor and very believable as the sweet tempered and dreamy Molly.
Frank Richardson in the supporting role of Eddie the grocer is wonderful. His comic timing is just perfect, and plays well even to a modern audience.
Penned by the DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson team, the music is jaunty and fun and features songs such as “I’m a Dreamer,” “You’ve Got Me Pickin’ Petals off Daisies,” “Sunny Side Up,” “Turn Up the Heat,” and “If I Had a Talking Picture of You”. The writing team were well established on the vaudeville circuit and had had successes in Hollywood with earlier musical films such as The Singing Fool. The tunes in Sunny Side Up are light-hearted and work well within the story.
Most musical numbers occur during performances, such as the Yorkville block party, and the Charity Carnival. Songs not performed as staged numbers are charming and sincere. The musical highlight of the film occurs at the Carnival, with the racy “Turn Up the Heat,” choreographed by Seymour Felix (watch above!). The number is an inventive chorus girl feature that remains fresh and exciting. Felix would go on to choreograph for the Oscar winning The Great Zegfeld (1936), and his talents are evident here.
The story telling has a tendency to move slowly, but the film is full of humor and good fun. A really delightful movie.
The story telling has a tendency to move slowly, but the film is full of humor and good fun. A really delightful movie.
- Published on
Date of Release: Sept 21, 1929
Director: Marcel Silver
Writer: Leopold Jacobson, based on an operetta by Straus
Music: Arthur Kay and Oscar Straus
Studio: Fox
Leading Actors: J. Harold Murray and Norma Terris
The next film on the list has been largely lost to time, with only a twelve minute fragment remaining at the UCLA archives. This is a shame, as the NY Times Review reported it the film having “the distinction of being the first screen translation of a superior type of musical composition that has not been presented in this country.”
One tantalizing frame has been posted on YouTube.
Director: Marcel Silver
Writer: Leopold Jacobson, based on an operetta by Straus
Music: Arthur Kay and Oscar Straus
Studio: Fox
Leading Actors: J. Harold Murray and Norma Terris
The next film on the list has been largely lost to time, with only a twelve minute fragment remaining at the UCLA archives. This is a shame, as the NY Times Review reported it the film having “the distinction of being the first screen translation of a superior type of musical composition that has not been presented in this country.”
One tantalizing frame has been posted on YouTube.