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A touching backstage drama with songs.
Hal Skelly and Nancy Carroll, Screenland, Nov 1929
Date of Release: Sept 7, 1929
Studio: Paramount
Director: John Cromwell
Screenplay: Benjamin Glazer, George Manker Walters, Julian Johnson
Music: Sam Coslow, Walter Donaldson, Annie Fortesque Harrison, Maude Nugent, Leo Robin, Richard A. Whiting
Choreographer: Earl Lindsay
Leading Actors: Hal Skelly ([Ralph] "Skid" Johnson), Nancy Carroll (Bonny [Lee] King), Dorothy Revier (Sylvia Marco), Ralph Theadore (Harvey Howell), Charles Brown (Lefty), Al St. John (Bozo), May Boley (Gussie), Oscar Levant (Jerry), Gladys Du Bois (Miss Sherman), James Quinn (Jimmy), James Farley (Champ Melvin), George Irving (Minister), Thelma McNeal (Gilded girl, "Lady of India"), John Cromwell (Doorkeeper), Edward Sutherland (Theater attendant), Amazon Chorus Girls: Gordona Bennet, Miss La Reno, Cora Beach Shumway, Charlotte Ogden, Kay Deslys, Madga Blom
The stage play Burlesque, written by Arthur Hopkins and George Manker Watters, premiered on Broadway in September 1927. It ran for 372 performances and became the basis for three movie musicals — The Dance of Life (1929), Swing High, Swing Low (1937) and When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948). The play was revived on Broadway, starring Bert Lahr, in 1946.
Paramount opted to change the title to The Dance of Life, as they were concerned that the fading popularity of burlesque would keep audiences away.
Screenland (Feb 1930) reported that The Dance of Life was made “under trying conditions.” The new Paramount sound-proof studio had “burned” the day after it was completed, and as a result the cast and crew had to work through the night, often until dawn, to avoid the noise of car traffic ruining the shots.
Studio: Paramount
Director: John Cromwell
Screenplay: Benjamin Glazer, George Manker Walters, Julian Johnson
Music: Sam Coslow, Walter Donaldson, Annie Fortesque Harrison, Maude Nugent, Leo Robin, Richard A. Whiting
Choreographer: Earl Lindsay
Leading Actors: Hal Skelly ([Ralph] "Skid" Johnson), Nancy Carroll (Bonny [Lee] King), Dorothy Revier (Sylvia Marco), Ralph Theadore (Harvey Howell), Charles Brown (Lefty), Al St. John (Bozo), May Boley (Gussie), Oscar Levant (Jerry), Gladys Du Bois (Miss Sherman), James Quinn (Jimmy), James Farley (Champ Melvin), George Irving (Minister), Thelma McNeal (Gilded girl, "Lady of India"), John Cromwell (Doorkeeper), Edward Sutherland (Theater attendant), Amazon Chorus Girls: Gordona Bennet, Miss La Reno, Cora Beach Shumway, Charlotte Ogden, Kay Deslys, Madga Blom
The stage play Burlesque, written by Arthur Hopkins and George Manker Watters, premiered on Broadway in September 1927. It ran for 372 performances and became the basis for three movie musicals — The Dance of Life (1929), Swing High, Swing Low (1937) and When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948). The play was revived on Broadway, starring Bert Lahr, in 1946.
Paramount opted to change the title to The Dance of Life, as they were concerned that the fading popularity of burlesque would keep audiences away.
Screenland (Feb 1930) reported that The Dance of Life was made “under trying conditions.” The new Paramount sound-proof studio had “burned” the day after it was completed, and as a result the cast and crew had to work through the night, often until dawn, to avoid the noise of car traffic ruining the shots.
Theatre advertisements (Oct 12, 1929)
The film promoted itself as a “Great Revue Romance.” As reported in Motion Picture News (Oct 12, 1929) several theatres used live performers dancing in the windows of the theatre to attract pundits. At the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville, the spectacle was complete with a Victrola attached to a loudspeaker that “could be heard for blocks.” The stunt proved so popular on its first day that police had to be called in to keep the crowd moving. On the second day, the enthusiastic crowds cracked the glass window!
The promotions paid off, and The Dance of Life opened to strong audiences and rave reviews. The Film Daily (Aug 18, 1929) wrote “A finely executed drama of the show world.” Picture Play (Nov 1929) claimed the film would “rank with the finest of the new season.” The Education Screen (Oct 1929) enthusiastically agreed, “Elaborate and super sophisticated backstage story… One of the best of its breed to date.”
The critics were right. Some troubling gender politics aside, the story is touching and tragic and a far cry from the fluff of earlier backstage musicals. The plot centers around an excellent clown, Skid Johnson (Hal Skelley) and a mediocre dancer Bonny King (Nancy Carroll), who finding themselves both out of work pair up as a duo. They land a job in a mediocre burlesque troupe and eventually fall in love. To avoid Bonny being fired from the show, the pair decide to get married. Bonny soon realizes Skid is an alcoholic, and determines to make a better life for him. Skid is picked up by Ziegfeld to join his Broadway show, and Skid abandons Bonny for the glitz and glamor of Broadway. Bonny is about to re-marry, this time a loving and devoted millionaire, and realizing Skid needs her, gives up a life of luxury and comfort to stay with him.
Nancy Carroll received universally good notices for her performance as Bonny. The Film Daily (Aug 1929) wrote Carroll “emerges with flying colors,” and The Educational Screen stated that her acting was the best feature of the film. Her singing and dancing skills come across as mediocre in the film, but her straight scenes are genuinely affecting. It is easy to see why audiences of the day loved her, and that Carroll reportedly received the most fan mail of any Paramount starlet. In 1929, Carroll also appeared in Sweetie and Close Harmony.
The real star of the show is Hal Skelly, reprising the role he played on Broadway. It was considered his best role, and he shines as the tragic clown who cannot control his alcoholism. Really only at the beginning of a promising film career, which also included Behind the Make-Up (1930), and The Struggle (1931), Skelly was killed in an accident when his car was crossing a railroad track.
Although rarely mentioned by the critics, another standout performance was by Dorothy Revier, playing the wisecracking buxom Sylvia Marco. Revier was a classically trained dancer I imagine being in an older woman in Hollywood is the only reason her career didn’t last long beyond the silent era. Her comic timing, witty line delivery, and screen presence are excellent.
Although not the driving force of the story, The Dance of Life has several song and dance numbers. Unlike other hit songs from this period which tended to be upbeat jazz numbers, “True Blue Lou” was a plaintive ballad. Delivered with heart breaking sincerity by Skelly in full clown make-up, the number foreshadows Bonny’s devotion to Skid, and is a highlight of the film.
The promotions paid off, and The Dance of Life opened to strong audiences and rave reviews. The Film Daily (Aug 18, 1929) wrote “A finely executed drama of the show world.” Picture Play (Nov 1929) claimed the film would “rank with the finest of the new season.” The Education Screen (Oct 1929) enthusiastically agreed, “Elaborate and super sophisticated backstage story… One of the best of its breed to date.”
The critics were right. Some troubling gender politics aside, the story is touching and tragic and a far cry from the fluff of earlier backstage musicals. The plot centers around an excellent clown, Skid Johnson (Hal Skelley) and a mediocre dancer Bonny King (Nancy Carroll), who finding themselves both out of work pair up as a duo. They land a job in a mediocre burlesque troupe and eventually fall in love. To avoid Bonny being fired from the show, the pair decide to get married. Bonny soon realizes Skid is an alcoholic, and determines to make a better life for him. Skid is picked up by Ziegfeld to join his Broadway show, and Skid abandons Bonny for the glitz and glamor of Broadway. Bonny is about to re-marry, this time a loving and devoted millionaire, and realizing Skid needs her, gives up a life of luxury and comfort to stay with him.
Nancy Carroll received universally good notices for her performance as Bonny. The Film Daily (Aug 1929) wrote Carroll “emerges with flying colors,” and The Educational Screen stated that her acting was the best feature of the film. Her singing and dancing skills come across as mediocre in the film, but her straight scenes are genuinely affecting. It is easy to see why audiences of the day loved her, and that Carroll reportedly received the most fan mail of any Paramount starlet. In 1929, Carroll also appeared in Sweetie and Close Harmony.
The real star of the show is Hal Skelly, reprising the role he played on Broadway. It was considered his best role, and he shines as the tragic clown who cannot control his alcoholism. Really only at the beginning of a promising film career, which also included Behind the Make-Up (1930), and The Struggle (1931), Skelly was killed in an accident when his car was crossing a railroad track.
Although rarely mentioned by the critics, another standout performance was by Dorothy Revier, playing the wisecracking buxom Sylvia Marco. Revier was a classically trained dancer I imagine being in an older woman in Hollywood is the only reason her career didn’t last long beyond the silent era. Her comic timing, witty line delivery, and screen presence are excellent.
Although not the driving force of the story, The Dance of Life has several song and dance numbers. Unlike other hit songs from this period which tended to be upbeat jazz numbers, “True Blue Lou” was a plaintive ballad. Delivered with heart breaking sincerity by Skelly in full clown make-up, the number foreshadows Bonny’s devotion to Skid, and is a highlight of the film.
Lavish costumes as featured in Picture Play (Dec, 1929)
When Skid moves to Broadway we are treated to an eight minute song and dance, “The Ladies of the Dance" and "The Flippity Flop" from the Ziegfeld Follies. The grandiose sets and lavish costumes are spectacular, and it is a real shame the color prints have been lost. In other revue scenes, the awful costumes and average dancing highlight the mediocrity of the small-town burlesque shows.
Even without the production numbers, The Dance of Life still holds up as a strong drama. Director John Cromwell went on to become a prominent director with a career spanning over forty years. In that time he directed nearly fifty films including Close Harmony (1929), Dream Too Much (1935), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Anna and the King of Diam (1946) and The Goddess (1958). During the McCarthy era, Cromwell returned to New York, and won a Tony Award for his performance in Point of No Return (1952). He is the father of actor James Cromwell.
The Dance of Life is available through the Internet Archive and on YouTube.
The Dance of Life is available through the Internet Archive and on YouTube.
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