The Broadway Melody (1929)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Harry Beaumont

Writers:

Edmund Goulding (story)
Norman Houston (writer) ...

Release Date:

1929 (Turkey)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The pulsating drama of Broadway's bared heart speaks and sings with a voice to stir your soul!

Plot:

Harriet and Queenie Mahoney, a vaudeville act, come to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns needs...

Plot Keywords:

Theater | Lost Technicolor Scene | Estrangement | Audition | Love Triangle

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Charles King	...	Eddie Kearns
Anita Page	...	Queenie Mahoney
Bessie Love	...	Hank Mahoney
Jed Prouty	...	Uncle Jed
Kenneth Thomson	...	Jock Warriner
Edward Dillon	...	Stage Manager
Mary Doran	...	Flo
Eddie Kane	...	Francis Zanfield
J. Emmett Beck	...	Babe Hatrick
Marshall Ruth	...	Stew, Mr. Zanfield's assistant
Drew Demorest	...	Turpe, costumer

Also Known As:

The Broadway Melody of 1929 (USA)

Runtime:

110 min | 101 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) | Silent

Certification:

Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Followed by Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) and Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940). Another film in the series was planned, "Broadway Melody of 1943" starring Eleanor Powell and Gene Kelly. However, that project was abandoned, and a dance number filmed by Eleanor Powell was edited into Thousands Cheer (1943).

Quotes:

[the Stage Manager is yelling at the electricians in the theater rafters]
Stage Manager: [pointing to the stage] I told you, I want a spotlight *right here*!
[a miffed electrician drops a spotlight off the rafters. It lands on the stage with a crash]
Stage Manager: [cowed] Thank you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Melinda and Melinda (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Wedding of the Painted Doll

It was a different world

I have just watched the Broadway Melody for the second time. I liked the picture very much because it takes one back to a very interesting time in our history. I am fascinated with the period it represents. I liked the dialogue and the music and the dancing and so on. I think that the film is excellent for its time. Many modern viewers will look at the film and think it as poor because of the dated acting and technology. You have to remember it is 1929 not 2004. Central to its appeal for me is the fact the plot is both complicated and simple. The conflicts of affection between the characters is nicely resolved in the end. The simple fact of life is shown in the film. That is to say that all the fame and money in the world is not worth a thing if one is not happy with it.

Most films today depress me very much. I want to be entertained. I don't want to see a bunch of banality. Broadway Melody takes you back to a time when there was true entertainment. I really liked "The Wedding of the Painted Dolls". A lot of precision went into that number.