Movie Review
The Broadway Melody, (1929)
Cast: Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles KingI watch old movies for the same reason that many people love to shop for antiques – it may be crude, perhaps it no longer serves any useful function, it may even be ugly. But it is one of a kind, and they just don’t make ‘em like that any more.
So here is The Broadway Melody, generally acknowledged to be the first genuine musical produced in Hollywood, and featuring a couple of songs that are still familiar to many, "You Were Meant For Me" by Nacio Herb Brown and "Give My Regards to Broadway" by George M. Cohen. Recorded 80 years ago and, unlike most of today’s music, you can understand every word. Actually, as the picture progressed the sound got better. The technicians were experimenting during the filming, and there is a noticeable improvement in the sound quality near the end of the film. This is also the first time that lip syncing was used, so that a song could be recorded once and used in take after take.
The story concerns two sisters (Love and Page) who arrive in New York with expectations of conquering Broadway, with the aid of Harriet’s (Love) boyfriend, Eddie Kerns (Charles King). Eddie proceeds to fall in love with Harriet’s sister and all sorts of complications naturally arise. Harriet, in a monumental bit of self sacrificing, ultimately steps aside so that her sister can be happy.
The second academy awards were held the next year (1930), and this movie managed to garner one award (Best Picture) and two other nominations, Best Actress (Bessie Love) and Best Director (Harry Beaumont). Possibly the awards came because the musical was a brand new genre and a screaming hit with the public.
Bessie Love had a long, distinguished career and was a good actress. She was quite petite and not what could be termed as a classic beauty. Neither Anita Page (although beautiful) nor Charles King were much past the acting ability required by the silent movies.
The music and dancing were very well done, complete with chorus lines comprised of girls who mostly shopped for clothes in the chubbette section. The twenties were definitely not the era of the tall, leggy and slim.
This one deserves a look. It’ll give you a rare insight to the very birth of a phenomenon that was to last well into the 1940’s, the Hollywood Musical.
05.06.08