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Magic, betrayal, and love in vaudeville.
Advert from Picture Play Magazine (October 1929)
Date of Release: September 21, 1929
Studio: Paramount
Director: Lothar Mendes
Screenplay: E. Lloyd Sheldon, Richard H. Digges Jr.
Music: Lou Davis, J. Fred Coots, Sam Coslow, Larry Spier
Leading Actors: Charles "Buddy" Rogers (Carlee Thorpe), Nancy Carroll (Claire Jernigan), June Collyer (Hilda Schmittlap), Regis Toomey (Eric Schmittlap), Knute Erickson (Mr. Jacob Schmittlap), Kay Francis (Zelda Paxton), Eugenie Besserer (Mrs. Jacob Schmittlap), Maude Turner Gordon (Queen of Dalmatia), William Austin (Mr. Z), Emilie Melville (Mother Fay), Frances Raymond (Mrs. Y), Catherine Wallace (Mrs. Z), J. E. Nash (Mr. X), William McLaughlin (Mr. Y), Eddie Kane (Gus Bloomberg), Michael Visaroff (Equerry), Paul Lucas (Count Fortuny), Richard Cramer (Magus), Bessie Lyle (Consuelo), Col. G. L. McDonnell (Jarman), Lillian Roth (Herself, a singer), Harriet Spiker (Midget), Anna Magruder (Fat lady), Albert Wolfe (Giant)
Studio: Paramount
Director: Lothar Mendes
Screenplay: E. Lloyd Sheldon, Richard H. Digges Jr.
Music: Lou Davis, J. Fred Coots, Sam Coslow, Larry Spier
Leading Actors: Charles "Buddy" Rogers (Carlee Thorpe), Nancy Carroll (Claire Jernigan), June Collyer (Hilda Schmittlap), Regis Toomey (Eric Schmittlap), Knute Erickson (Mr. Jacob Schmittlap), Kay Francis (Zelda Paxton), Eugenie Besserer (Mrs. Jacob Schmittlap), Maude Turner Gordon (Queen of Dalmatia), William Austin (Mr. Z), Emilie Melville (Mother Fay), Frances Raymond (Mrs. Y), Catherine Wallace (Mrs. Z), J. E. Nash (Mr. X), William McLaughlin (Mr. Y), Eddie Kane (Gus Bloomberg), Michael Visaroff (Equerry), Paul Lucas (Count Fortuny), Richard Cramer (Magus), Bessie Lyle (Consuelo), Col. G. L. McDonnell (Jarman), Lillian Roth (Herself, a singer), Harriet Spiker (Midget), Anna Magruder (Fat lady), Albert Wolfe (Giant)
Advert from The Film Daily (Sept 5, 1929)
Illusion told the story of Carlee (Buddy Rogers) and Claire (Nancy Carroll), who star together in a vaudeville magic act. Carlee abandons Claire for a wealthy society girl, Hilda (June Collyer). Claire is despondent and attempts to take her own life by sabotaging the act. She miraculously sustains only minor injuries, and is relieved to discover Carlee has tired of society life and has come back to her.
The story was based on Arthur Chesney Train’s novel Illusion, published in 1929. Chesney Train was a lawyer and novelist who was best known for writing legal thrillers. Several of his books were adapted for film and television plays, including his popular Mr. Ephraim stories.
Earlier in 1929, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll had been a hit in the charming musical Close Harmony. It was hoped bringing the duo back together would be a sure fire hit.
Theatre managers employed innovative tricks to promote Illusion. Window dressings and foyers had magic-themed displays, carnival and trick mirrors that on closer inspection changed into ads for the film. One enterprising theatre had cards printed with the letters “I L S O,” and when held up to a light, the card read “ILLUSION”.
The story was based on Arthur Chesney Train’s novel Illusion, published in 1929. Chesney Train was a lawyer and novelist who was best known for writing legal thrillers. Several of his books were adapted for film and television plays, including his popular Mr. Ephraim stories.
Earlier in 1929, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll had been a hit in the charming musical Close Harmony. It was hoped bringing the duo back together would be a sure fire hit.
Theatre managers employed innovative tricks to promote Illusion. Window dressings and foyers had magic-themed displays, carnival and trick mirrors that on closer inspection changed into ads for the film. One enterprising theatre had cards printed with the letters “I L S O,” and when held up to a light, the card read “ILLUSION”.
Trick card featured in Motion Picture News (October 12, 1929)
Radio was also employed as a publicity tool. To coincide with the film’s release, Paramount presented an hour-long radio broadcast through the Columbia Radio Chain. The broadcast featured live performances of theme songs from various Paramount films, including “When the Real Thing Comes Your Way” from Illusion. The song was performed by Buddy Rogers.
The Paramount Theatre in New York staged a live show called Believe It Or Not as an “atmospheric prologue” to the feature. The two-act show included various magic acts, comedy, and music, and was described by The Film Daily (Sept 29, 1929) as “one of the best stage shows that Paramount has uncovered.”
The reviews for Illusion were mixed. Director Lothar Mendes received the most criticism, with reviewers describing his work as lacking in skill and imagination. German-born Mendes worked as a director in Germany, England, and the United States. He directed thirty films in twenty years, including The Four Feathers (1929), Paramount on Parade (1930) and The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936). Mendes’ 1934 film Jew Süss (released in the USA under the title Power) aimed to show the anti-semitic roots of the Nazi Party. He was briefly married to leading lady Dorothy Mackaill, who appeared in another musical from 1929, The Great Divide.
Male lead Charles “Buddy” Rogers received less-than-glowing reviews. The critics blamed the poor script, and the fact that his character was “A heel” for leaving Claire in the first place.
The female leads fared better, particularly Nancy Carroll and June Collyer, and Kay Francis, with the critics stating they were well-suited to their rules.
Nancy Carroll started out on Broadway and moved with her husband and daughter to Hollywood. Carroll became a movie star, adored by the public and critics alike, and was particularly known for her comedies and movie musicals. She reportedly received the most fan mail of any movie star of her day. Her films include Sweetie (1929), Close Harmony (1929), The Dance of Life (1929), Follow Thru (1930), Child of Manhattan (1933), and There Goes My Heart (1938). Carroll also appeared on television throughout the 1950s.
June Collyer started out in silent film, and was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1928. She made a successful transition to talkies and appeared in over 30 films. She later appeared on television on the The Stu Erwin Show and Playhouse 90. Illusion (1929)
Kay Francis started out on Broadway before becoming a prominent Hollywood star, and one of the highest paid actors of her day. She appeared in seventy films including The Cocoanuts (1929), Illusion (1929), Paramount on Parade (1930), Trouble in Paradise (1932), Confession (1937) and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944).
The Paramount Theatre in New York staged a live show called Believe It Or Not as an “atmospheric prologue” to the feature. The two-act show included various magic acts, comedy, and music, and was described by The Film Daily (Sept 29, 1929) as “one of the best stage shows that Paramount has uncovered.”
The reviews for Illusion were mixed. Director Lothar Mendes received the most criticism, with reviewers describing his work as lacking in skill and imagination. German-born Mendes worked as a director in Germany, England, and the United States. He directed thirty films in twenty years, including The Four Feathers (1929), Paramount on Parade (1930) and The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936). Mendes’ 1934 film Jew Süss (released in the USA under the title Power) aimed to show the anti-semitic roots of the Nazi Party. He was briefly married to leading lady Dorothy Mackaill, who appeared in another musical from 1929, The Great Divide.
Male lead Charles “Buddy” Rogers received less-than-glowing reviews. The critics blamed the poor script, and the fact that his character was “A heel” for leaving Claire in the first place.
The female leads fared better, particularly Nancy Carroll and June Collyer, and Kay Francis, with the critics stating they were well-suited to their rules.
Nancy Carroll started out on Broadway and moved with her husband and daughter to Hollywood. Carroll became a movie star, adored by the public and critics alike, and was particularly known for her comedies and movie musicals. She reportedly received the most fan mail of any movie star of her day. Her films include Sweetie (1929), Close Harmony (1929), The Dance of Life (1929), Follow Thru (1930), Child of Manhattan (1933), and There Goes My Heart (1938). Carroll also appeared on television throughout the 1950s.
June Collyer started out in silent film, and was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1928. She made a successful transition to talkies and appeared in over 30 films. She later appeared on television on the The Stu Erwin Show and Playhouse 90. Illusion (1929)
Kay Francis started out on Broadway before becoming a prominent Hollywood star, and one of the highest paid actors of her day. She appeared in seventy films including The Cocoanuts (1929), Illusion (1929), Paramount on Parade (1930), Trouble in Paradise (1932), Confession (1937) and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944).
Charles "Buddy" Rogers as featured in Picture Play Magazine (December 1929)
Illusion is notable for the unusually high number of older women in its cast. Illusion boasts not just one motherly/older female character, but four – Emilie Melville, Maude Turner Gordon, Eugenie Besserer, and Frances Raymond.
At age 78, Emilie Melville is, thus far, the oldest female actor of the movie musical project. She was an early Broadway performer and appeared in two films, the early silent The White Sister (1915) and Illusion. The John Hopkins University holds in its collection a piece of sheet music entitled “The Emilie Melville Polka.” Published in 1866, when Melville would have been fifteen years old, it is not clear if the song was named for her. According to IMDb, Melville was the daughter of show business parents, so it is possible there was a connection.
Next in age was Maude Turner Gordon, who was 61 when she appeared in Illusion. She performed in 15 Broadway shows, and over 80 films, though following the advent of sound, most of her roles were small or uncredited. Her film credits include Sally (1929), The Floradora Girl (1930) and Living on Velvet (1935).
A month younger than Gordon was Eugenie Besserer. Besserer had a successful career as a stage actor and appeared in her first film in 1910 at the age of 42. She played Aunt Em in an early short The Wizard of Oz (available to watch at the Internet Archive). Besserer appeared in almost 200 silent shorts and films. Her first talkie was The Jazz Singer (1927), where she played Al Jolson’s mother in a beautiful, if somewhat disjointed, performance. She continued to appear in films until her death in 1934.
A year behind Gordon and Besserer was Frances Raymond. She was a silent film actress and although she continued to appear in film following the advent of talkies, it was usually in small or uncredited roles.
By the numbers, Illusion did well at the box office. The numbers may have been deceptive however, as one theatre manager reported in Exhibitors Herald World (June 26, 1930) that the film had “more walkouts… than on any of 15 pictures.”
For the purposes of seeing several female show business veterans in action, it’s a shame Illusion hasn’t been made available for general distribution. A research copy is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
At age 78, Emilie Melville is, thus far, the oldest female actor of the movie musical project. She was an early Broadway performer and appeared in two films, the early silent The White Sister (1915) and Illusion. The John Hopkins University holds in its collection a piece of sheet music entitled “The Emilie Melville Polka.” Published in 1866, when Melville would have been fifteen years old, it is not clear if the song was named for her. According to IMDb, Melville was the daughter of show business parents, so it is possible there was a connection.
Next in age was Maude Turner Gordon, who was 61 when she appeared in Illusion. She performed in 15 Broadway shows, and over 80 films, though following the advent of sound, most of her roles were small or uncredited. Her film credits include Sally (1929), The Floradora Girl (1930) and Living on Velvet (1935).
A month younger than Gordon was Eugenie Besserer. Besserer had a successful career as a stage actor and appeared in her first film in 1910 at the age of 42. She played Aunt Em in an early short The Wizard of Oz (available to watch at the Internet Archive). Besserer appeared in almost 200 silent shorts and films. Her first talkie was The Jazz Singer (1927), where she played Al Jolson’s mother in a beautiful, if somewhat disjointed, performance. She continued to appear in films until her death in 1934.
A year behind Gordon and Besserer was Frances Raymond. She was a silent film actress and although she continued to appear in film following the advent of talkies, it was usually in small or uncredited roles.
By the numbers, Illusion did well at the box office. The numbers may have been deceptive however, as one theatre manager reported in Exhibitors Herald World (June 26, 1930) that the film had “more walkouts… than on any of 15 pictures.”
For the purposes of seeing several female show business veterans in action, it’s a shame Illusion hasn’t been made available for general distribution. A research copy is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
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Can't sing? Can't dance? That's entertainment!
Screenland, Sept 1929
Release Date: June 30, 1929
Studio: First National
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Writers: Monte Katterjohn, Humphrey Pearson, Paul Perez
Choreography: Larry Caballos
Costumes: Max Rée
Music: Al Bryan, Harry Akst, Grant Clarke, George W. Meyer
Cast: Alice White (Delight Foster), Charles Delaney (Billy Buvanny), Fred Kohler (Percé Gessant), Tom Dugan (Scotty), Bodil Rosing (Sarah Durgen), Sally Eilers (Navarre King), Marion Byron (Florine Chandler), Jocelyn Lee (Blossom Royale), Louis Natheaux (Gus Brand), Maurice Black (Nick)
Another backstage musical and vehicle for Alice White, Broadway Babies was loosely based on the short story “Broadway Musketeers” by Jay Gelzer.
Similarly to Show Girl, the critics were not enamored with Broadway Babies. The Film Daily (June 25, 1929) commented that the film was “A rather obvious story of life as seen from the chorus line.” Educational Screen (September 1929) stated it was “Lively but cheap. Another contribution to bad taste.” Meanwhile Variety (June 26, 1929) claimed the film “does not even contain a suggestive gesture,” and that the camera frequently cut off the limbs of the dancers.
The reviewers all generally agreed that despite its flaws, the film was fun entertainment. The audiences felt the same way and, despite a lukewarm opening, Broadway Babies played to good houses — particularly in regional areas.
The entertainment factor fulfilled director Mervyn LeRoy’s fervent goal that movies be just that: entertaining. LeRoy started out in vaudeville before moving to film where he worked in a variety of departments until he became a writer and actor. Under the guidance of Cecile B. DeMille, LeRoy became a director and went on to direct a variety of well-received films including Show Girl in Hollywood (1930), Little Caeser (1931), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Madame Curie (1943), Rose Marie (1954) and Gypsy (1962).
The average script can be attributed to Monte Katterjohn, who predominantly only wrote during the silent era.
Humphrey Pearson contributed dialogue to the film. He was a prolific writer whose work appeared on both stage and film. In under seven years he wrote over twenty scripts including Hot Stuff (1929), They Never Grow Up (1930), and Face in the Sky (1933). The 1929 musical On With the Show was based on his play Shoestring. Still only on the cusp of a promising career, Pearson was tragically shot dead in his home in what was deemed an accident.
Modern day viewers are far more generous with their criticism of Broadway Babies. Film historian Edwin M. Bradley describes it as “very watchable.” The reviews on IMDb call the film a “terrific little musical,” “a treat” and “highly, highly recommended.” Jeff Cohen at Vitaphone Varities writes “Best of all, by today’s standards, Broadway Babies doesn’t dull the senses – it excites them.”
Studio: First National
Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Writers: Monte Katterjohn, Humphrey Pearson, Paul Perez
Choreography: Larry Caballos
Costumes: Max Rée
Music: Al Bryan, Harry Akst, Grant Clarke, George W. Meyer
Cast: Alice White (Delight Foster), Charles Delaney (Billy Buvanny), Fred Kohler (Percé Gessant), Tom Dugan (Scotty), Bodil Rosing (Sarah Durgen), Sally Eilers (Navarre King), Marion Byron (Florine Chandler), Jocelyn Lee (Blossom Royale), Louis Natheaux (Gus Brand), Maurice Black (Nick)
Another backstage musical and vehicle for Alice White, Broadway Babies was loosely based on the short story “Broadway Musketeers” by Jay Gelzer.
Similarly to Show Girl, the critics were not enamored with Broadway Babies. The Film Daily (June 25, 1929) commented that the film was “A rather obvious story of life as seen from the chorus line.” Educational Screen (September 1929) stated it was “Lively but cheap. Another contribution to bad taste.” Meanwhile Variety (June 26, 1929) claimed the film “does not even contain a suggestive gesture,” and that the camera frequently cut off the limbs of the dancers.
The reviewers all generally agreed that despite its flaws, the film was fun entertainment. The audiences felt the same way and, despite a lukewarm opening, Broadway Babies played to good houses — particularly in regional areas.
The entertainment factor fulfilled director Mervyn LeRoy’s fervent goal that movies be just that: entertaining. LeRoy started out in vaudeville before moving to film where he worked in a variety of departments until he became a writer and actor. Under the guidance of Cecile B. DeMille, LeRoy became a director and went on to direct a variety of well-received films including Show Girl in Hollywood (1930), Little Caeser (1931), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Madame Curie (1943), Rose Marie (1954) and Gypsy (1962).
The average script can be attributed to Monte Katterjohn, who predominantly only wrote during the silent era.
Humphrey Pearson contributed dialogue to the film. He was a prolific writer whose work appeared on both stage and film. In under seven years he wrote over twenty scripts including Hot Stuff (1929), They Never Grow Up (1930), and Face in the Sky (1933). The 1929 musical On With the Show was based on his play Shoestring. Still only on the cusp of a promising career, Pearson was tragically shot dead in his home in what was deemed an accident.
Modern day viewers are far more generous with their criticism of Broadway Babies. Film historian Edwin M. Bradley describes it as “very watchable.” The reviews on IMDb call the film a “terrific little musical,” “a treat” and “highly, highly recommended.” Jeff Cohen at Vitaphone Varities writes “Best of all, by today’s standards, Broadway Babies doesn’t dull the senses – it excites them.”
Though his name is not well known today, Larry Ceballos was an innovative choreographer of stage and screen who worked in Hollywood from 1927 until 1951. His credits include ten Broadway shows and over sixty films including On With the Show! (1929), Honky Tonk (1929), No, No, Nanette (1930), Redheads on Parade (1935), Follies Girl (1943) and an episode of The Colgate Comedy Hour (1951) which was a tribute to vaudeville.
Ceballos was the head of dance at Warner Bros and First National from its early talkie days.
Many sources cite Busby Berkley and Fred Astaire for changing the way dance was filmed. In the few years before either arrived on the scene, Ceballos was creating dance sequences that were innovative and often well received by the critics and loved by audiences. In 1930 a feature article (as referenced on Vitaphone Varieties) describes how Ceballos understood that in order for the camera to effectively capture the chorus line on camera, it was better to stage the dancers vertically instead of horizontally.
Ceballos advocated for a variety of camera angles in filming his sequences, such as from the perspective of the orchestra pit, the top of the curtain, and from the follow spot. Although a live theatre audience would not be able to see from all those angles, Ceballos understood that film requires “greater realism than the stage.” In increasing the shots available to the audience, Ceballos aimed to create a more authentic viewing experience for the audience. It would be fascinating to see what Ceballos would come up with given today’s technology!
As she did for Show Girl, Alice White received mixed reviews. The critics found her to be a fine enough actress, but could not understand how an actress with no singing or dancing ability kept getting cast in musical comedies. After watching the clips included in this post, I'm unfortunately inclined to agree.
Ceballos was the head of dance at Warner Bros and First National from its early talkie days.
Many sources cite Busby Berkley and Fred Astaire for changing the way dance was filmed. In the few years before either arrived on the scene, Ceballos was creating dance sequences that were innovative and often well received by the critics and loved by audiences. In 1930 a feature article (as referenced on Vitaphone Varieties) describes how Ceballos understood that in order for the camera to effectively capture the chorus line on camera, it was better to stage the dancers vertically instead of horizontally.
Ceballos advocated for a variety of camera angles in filming his sequences, such as from the perspective of the orchestra pit, the top of the curtain, and from the follow spot. Although a live theatre audience would not be able to see from all those angles, Ceballos understood that film requires “greater realism than the stage.” In increasing the shots available to the audience, Ceballos aimed to create a more authentic viewing experience for the audience. It would be fascinating to see what Ceballos would come up with given today’s technology!
As she did for Show Girl, Alice White received mixed reviews. The critics found her to be a fine enough actress, but could not understand how an actress with no singing or dancing ability kept getting cast in musical comedies. After watching the clips included in this post, I'm unfortunately inclined to agree.
Broadway Babies contained three songs, “Broadway Baby Dolls” and “Jig, Jig, Jigaloo,” and “Wishing and Waiting for Love.” The score was composed by Tin Pan Alley composers Al Bryan, Harry Akst, Grant Clarke, and George W. Meyer.
Al Bryan, also known as Alfred Bryan, was a composer for stage and screen. He frequently collaborated with Fred Fisher, and some of his well-known songs include “Come Josephine in my Flying Machine,” the popular antiwar song “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier,” and “Oui, Oui, Marie.” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Harry Akst was a talented pianist and a prolific composer. Collaborating with Sam Lewis, Irving Berlin, and Benny Davis, Akst wrote hundreds of songs. Some of his well-known compositions include “Am I Blue,” “Baby Face,” “Dinah,” and “In the Land of Let’s Pretend.” Akst is credited with discovering Judy Garland whilst he was on one of many tours. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.
Grant Clarke was a charter member of ASCAP and wrote for stage and screen. He contributed lyrics to The Jazz Singer and, in collaboration with a host of other composers composed “My Sahara Rose,” “Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” and “Second Hand Rose.”
George W. Meyer was a charter member of ASCAP, and for a considerable time also served as its director. His hit songs include “For My and My Gal,” “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” and “Under my Umbrella.”
Unfortunately I had trouble tracking down a copy of Broadway Babies. It has been released on Blu-Ray, but not on DVD. According to Project Gutenburg, it has been aired on television and cable. The film can also be viewed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Al Bryan, also known as Alfred Bryan, was a composer for stage and screen. He frequently collaborated with Fred Fisher, and some of his well-known songs include “Come Josephine in my Flying Machine,” the popular antiwar song “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier,” and “Oui, Oui, Marie.” He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Harry Akst was a talented pianist and a prolific composer. Collaborating with Sam Lewis, Irving Berlin, and Benny Davis, Akst wrote hundreds of songs. Some of his well-known compositions include “Am I Blue,” “Baby Face,” “Dinah,” and “In the Land of Let’s Pretend.” Akst is credited with discovering Judy Garland whilst he was on one of many tours. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.
Grant Clarke was a charter member of ASCAP and wrote for stage and screen. He contributed lyrics to The Jazz Singer and, in collaboration with a host of other composers composed “My Sahara Rose,” “Ragtime Cowboy Joe,” and “Second Hand Rose.”
George W. Meyer was a charter member of ASCAP, and for a considerable time also served as its director. His hit songs include “For My and My Gal,” “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” and “Under my Umbrella.”
Unfortunately I had trouble tracking down a copy of Broadway Babies. It has been released on Blu-Ray, but not on DVD. According to Project Gutenburg, it has been aired on television and cable. The film can also be viewed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
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image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_(1929_film)
Date of Release: Nov 7, 1929
Studio: First National Pictures
Director: Clarence Badger
Screenplay: Hope Loring
Music: Al Bryan, Edgar Leslie, Horatio Nicholls, Eddie Ward
Choreographer: Larry Ceballos (dance director)
Leading Actors: Irene Bordini, Jack Buchanan, Louise Closser Hale, Jason Robards, ZaSu Pitts, Margaret Fielding
Based on the Martin Brown Broadway musical of the same name, Paris is the story of an American art student living in Paris who falls in love with a French actress. She agrees to marry him, but only with his mother’s blessing.
The plot initially sounds like An American in Paris, and interestingly, the original Gershwin symphonic poem was composed in the same year as Brown’s play premiered on Broadway, 1928. It seems stories about American artists falling in love in Paris were very much in vogue in the late 1920s!
Unfortunately, we cannot compare the two films as Paris only survives in fragmentary sound reels at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Paris was produced by First National Pictures, an independent movie studio that merged with Warner Bros in 1928. The movie was filmed in black and white with two technicolor (and by most accounts, extravagant and unnecessary), revue scenes. Paris received mixed reviews and was considered a moderate success, playing better overseas where its leading lady, French actress Irene Bordini, was more well known.
Like many other stage to screen adaptations of the period, the Broadway score was largely replaced for the film version. A great shame, as the Broadway show featured songs by Cole Porter including “Let’s Fall in Love”.
The Vitaphone Varieties blog has a fascinating, and incredibly detailed, history of Paris. The post includes beautiful stills of the technicolor sequences, and transcripts of the remaining sound reels.
What is fascinating to me about Paris is that it features something I have not yet come across in this project: a female screenwriter. Hope Loring was a prolific screenwriter in Hollywood, often working in partnership with her husband Louis "Buddy" Lighton. You can read more about her here.
Final tidbit, in researching this post I discovered that director Clarence Badger retired to Sydney, Australia (where I grew up), and Hope Loring retired to Mallorca, Spain (where some of my ancestors hail from)! Small world.
Studio: First National Pictures
Director: Clarence Badger
Screenplay: Hope Loring
Music: Al Bryan, Edgar Leslie, Horatio Nicholls, Eddie Ward
Choreographer: Larry Ceballos (dance director)
Leading Actors: Irene Bordini, Jack Buchanan, Louise Closser Hale, Jason Robards, ZaSu Pitts, Margaret Fielding
Based on the Martin Brown Broadway musical of the same name, Paris is the story of an American art student living in Paris who falls in love with a French actress. She agrees to marry him, but only with his mother’s blessing.
The plot initially sounds like An American in Paris, and interestingly, the original Gershwin symphonic poem was composed in the same year as Brown’s play premiered on Broadway, 1928. It seems stories about American artists falling in love in Paris were very much in vogue in the late 1920s!
Unfortunately, we cannot compare the two films as Paris only survives in fragmentary sound reels at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
Paris was produced by First National Pictures, an independent movie studio that merged with Warner Bros in 1928. The movie was filmed in black and white with two technicolor (and by most accounts, extravagant and unnecessary), revue scenes. Paris received mixed reviews and was considered a moderate success, playing better overseas where its leading lady, French actress Irene Bordini, was more well known.
Like many other stage to screen adaptations of the period, the Broadway score was largely replaced for the film version. A great shame, as the Broadway show featured songs by Cole Porter including “Let’s Fall in Love”.
The Vitaphone Varieties blog has a fascinating, and incredibly detailed, history of Paris. The post includes beautiful stills of the technicolor sequences, and transcripts of the remaining sound reels.
What is fascinating to me about Paris is that it features something I have not yet come across in this project: a female screenwriter. Hope Loring was a prolific screenwriter in Hollywood, often working in partnership with her husband Louis "Buddy" Lighton. You can read more about her here.
Final tidbit, in researching this post I discovered that director Clarence Badger retired to Sydney, Australia (where I grew up), and Hope Loring retired to Mallorca, Spain (where some of my ancestors hail from)! Small world.
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The door above is the unglamorous entry to the treasure trove that is the UCLA Film and TV Archives. Hidden down a flight of stairs at the UCLA Library, and almost impossible to locate on a map, the archives are home to some of the oldest films in America. In June, I was fortunate to visit the archives and watch two films from my list. First up was the much anticipated Close Harmony. Unfortunately, the image is often fuzzy and moves in and out of the screen, and there is a constant buzzing in the soundtrack. This poor quality explains why Close Harmony has not been transferred to dvd for public consumption. For film buffs, and indeed movie musical lovers, this is a real shame, because beyond these time-induced flaws Close Harmony is a great film.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Close Harmony is about a talented musician, Al West, trying to get a break in vaudeville. There are the usual backstage shenanigans, love interests, and plenty of chorus-girls in tiny shorts. The music is mostly diagetic (a part of the scenic action), and in an exciting progression from earlier films, we hear off-screen dialogue and sound effects. The script writing is tight and sassy, with great one-liners and innuendos. There is a wonderful chemistry between Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll, and their fame at the time is understandable. The supporting characters are similarly strong. Harry Green, playing the opportunistic producer, is a great comic relief with fast-paced dialogue, and plenty of quirky physical humour.
With floppy arms and loose legs, the choreography appears sloppy. But the fast-paced and tight jazz music more than makes up for the loose choreography. The music for the most part is diagetic, however each number is still in the context of a performance rather than the action itself. The song “I’m all a twitter” is a performance by Al West’s band at the Babylon Club, however could easily have worked in the scene before where Al professes his love for Marjorie. In these early years of the movie musical, characters did not just break out into song when emotions became too strong, though the songs they sing in performance do reflect their feelings.
Overall, a really wonderful film. Dramatic, fun, and humorous... Everything a good movie musical ought to be!
As mentioned in an earlier post, Close Harmony is about a talented musician, Al West, trying to get a break in vaudeville. There are the usual backstage shenanigans, love interests, and plenty of chorus-girls in tiny shorts. The music is mostly diagetic (a part of the scenic action), and in an exciting progression from earlier films, we hear off-screen dialogue and sound effects. The script writing is tight and sassy, with great one-liners and innuendos. There is a wonderful chemistry between Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll, and their fame at the time is understandable. The supporting characters are similarly strong. Harry Green, playing the opportunistic producer, is a great comic relief with fast-paced dialogue, and plenty of quirky physical humour.
With floppy arms and loose legs, the choreography appears sloppy. But the fast-paced and tight jazz music more than makes up for the loose choreography. The music for the most part is diagetic, however each number is still in the context of a performance rather than the action itself. The song “I’m all a twitter” is a performance by Al West’s band at the Babylon Club, however could easily have worked in the scene before where Al professes his love for Marjorie. In these early years of the movie musical, characters did not just break out into song when emotions became too strong, though the songs they sing in performance do reflect their feelings.
Overall, a really wonderful film. Dramatic, fun, and humorous... Everything a good movie musical ought to be!
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Well, we've made it to 1929! And as mentioned in "The Next Four", although I can't actually watch the first four films 1929, I have done a little research into their history...
Despite being a commercial hit, Close Harmony survives only in 4 “quite shrunken” film reels at the UCLA Film and TV Archives. Close Harmony was directed by a duo, John Cromwell, a Broadway actor and later to become an established film director (and father of James Cromwell, better known as Farmer Hoggett inBabe, or George Sibley in that most fabulous of television series Six Feet Under), and Arthur Sutherland, an already established Hollywood director and actor. According to the book The First Hollywood Musicals, this kind of pairing of Hollywood and Broadway directors was common for Paramount movies at the time, with the belief that “the stage-trained half could concentrate on handling dialogue”.
Despite being a commercial hit, Close Harmony survives only in 4 “quite shrunken” film reels at the UCLA Film and TV Archives. Close Harmony was directed by a duo, John Cromwell, a Broadway actor and later to become an established film director (and father of James Cromwell, better known as Farmer Hoggett inBabe, or George Sibley in that most fabulous of television series Six Feet Under), and Arthur Sutherland, an already established Hollywood director and actor. According to the book The First Hollywood Musicals, this kind of pairing of Hollywood and Broadway directors was common for Paramount movies at the time, with the belief that “the stage-trained half could concentrate on handling dialogue”.
Close Harmony is another “vaudeville backstage hit”, because while talkies were taking off, it made sense to go to the other “talking” entertainment of the day, vaudeville and Broadway! The stars of the film were the beautiful Nancy Carroll and the dapper Charles “Buddy” Rogers. Both had recently starred in one of Paramount’s most successful silent films, and it was decided to showcase their musical talents in a talkie. Nancy Carroll was an established Broadway actress, and would go onto become a popular film actress. According to the IMDB, she received more fan mail than “any of her Hollywood peers of the same era”. I look forward to actually watching her perform in a later film for 1929, Sweetie. Charles “Buddy” Rogers was already an established film actor, having starred in the 1927 film Wings, the first film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards (of which you can read a modern day review by Matt Foster, an Aussie actor in New York who inspired this project with his blog “Matt vs. The Academy", and his attempt to watch every movie ever nominated for Best Picture). Rogers was also a talented musican, and is reported to have been able to play instruments from all sections of the orchestra!
As talkies really start to take off, and as mentioned in my post about Lucky Boy, we begin to see some artistic merit being displayed in the cinematography. Again according to The First Hollywood Musicals, “Cromwell and Sutherland exhibit some dexterirty with the camera, twice using lenghty shots that move the action from the dressing rooms to the Babylon stage area”.
Despite being a commercial success, it is possible that the film was not well received critically. The prominent film magazine of the day, Photoplay, claimed that Close Harmony was “the last word in talking pictures”! Oh critics, what do they really know?!
Close Harmony is a Paramount production, and if the musings of the Vitaphone Blog are anything to go by, it perhaps will not be available for public consumption for a while -
As talkies really start to take off, and as mentioned in my post about Lucky Boy, we begin to see some artistic merit being displayed in the cinematography. Again according to The First Hollywood Musicals, “Cromwell and Sutherland exhibit some dexterirty with the camera, twice using lenghty shots that move the action from the dressing rooms to the Babylon stage area”.
Despite being a commercial success, it is possible that the film was not well received critically. The prominent film magazine of the day, Photoplay, claimed that Close Harmony was “the last word in talking pictures”! Oh critics, what do they really know?!
Close Harmony is a Paramount production, and if the musings of the Vitaphone Blog are anything to go by, it perhaps will not be available for public consumption for a while -
Close Harmony is one of a large clutch of Paramount early talkies that survive and enjoy good health, yet remain largely unseen save for sporadic archive screenings. So it goes. Oh, for a boxed DVD set of Paramount's contribution to the early sound era!
I couldn’t agree more!
UPDATE: Review can be read here.
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The objective of archival policy in a democratic country cannot be the mere saving of paper; it must be nothing less than the enriching of the complete historical consciousness of the people as a whole...
— Robert C. Binkley, 1939
The thing about watching old movies is their availability. The next four films on the AFI List (Close Harmony, Syncopation, Fox Movietone Follies of 1929, and Innocents of Paris) are either lost entirely, or only available on "shrinking" film reels at the UCLA Film and TV Archives. As a history nerd, this worries me. It is a reminder of how fragile our tangible past really is. In this age of Google and YouTube, we presume that just about everything and anything is available on the interweb. Not so!
Coincidently, the UCLA Film and TV Archives held a symposium this week on this very topic: “Reimagining the Archives: Remapping and Remixing Traditional Models in the Digital Era”. Thanks to the magic of the interwebs in the modern day, I was able to track down some information on the symposium, and my inner history nerd was thrilled and delighted at what is going on in the land of digitising media, and making footage accessible. Rick Prelinger, a prominent archivist, (among many other titles) and founder of the Prelinger Archives (a collection of over 60,000 “ephemeral” films) in his Keynote Address for the symposiusm, discussed the relevance and role of archivists today. According to Prelinger, old collections are slowly but surely being digitised. He points to issues of physical space for housing old footage, costs in maintaining and digitising these old collections, and the traditional closed views of the archivists and their institutions as barriers to open and available moving footage archives. In Prelinger’s view, the archival process needs to be “Social. Public. Transparent. Collaborative and Decentralized.” Here, here! Speaking of the Symposium, I highly recommend having a look at this page of the symposium blog, which shows a very cool way in which technology, archives, and the general public can all interact.
With all the technology available today, it is exciting to think what can be done to preserve movie history. In terms of movie musical history, which in its early days also preserves on film pieces of vaudeville and early Broadway history, this is absolutely crucial!
Coming up next, some research into the next four films!
Coincidently, the UCLA Film and TV Archives held a symposium this week on this very topic: “Reimagining the Archives: Remapping and Remixing Traditional Models in the Digital Era”. Thanks to the magic of the interwebs in the modern day, I was able to track down some information on the symposium, and my inner history nerd was thrilled and delighted at what is going on in the land of digitising media, and making footage accessible. Rick Prelinger, a prominent archivist, (among many other titles) and founder of the Prelinger Archives (a collection of over 60,000 “ephemeral” films) in his Keynote Address for the symposiusm, discussed the relevance and role of archivists today. According to Prelinger, old collections are slowly but surely being digitised. He points to issues of physical space for housing old footage, costs in maintaining and digitising these old collections, and the traditional closed views of the archivists and their institutions as barriers to open and available moving footage archives. In Prelinger’s view, the archival process needs to be “Social. Public. Transparent. Collaborative and Decentralized.” Here, here! Speaking of the Symposium, I highly recommend having a look at this page of the symposium blog, which shows a very cool way in which technology, archives, and the general public can all interact.
With all the technology available today, it is exciting to think what can be done to preserve movie history. In terms of movie musical history, which in its early days also preserves on film pieces of vaudeville and early Broadway history, this is absolutely crucial!
Coming up next, some research into the next four films!