Lord Byron of Broadway (1930)

A tunesmith, a user and an out-and-out heel, puts the stories of his broken romances into song, turning old love letters into lyrics, and capitalizing on the death of his best friend to ... See full summary »

Directors:

Harry Beaumont, William Nigh

Writers:

Nell Martin (from the novel by), Crane Wilbur (dialogue continuity),

Stars:

Charles Kaley, Ethelind Terry, Marion Shilling

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Kaley	...	Roy
Ethelind Terry	...	Ardis
Marion Shilling	...	Nancy
Cliff Edwards	...	Joe
Gwen Lee	...	Bessie
Benny Rubin	...	Phil
Drew Demorest	...	Edwards
Jack Byron	...	Mr. Millaire (as John Byron)
Rita Flynn	...	Red Head
Hazel Craven	...	Blondie
Gino Corrado	...	Riccardi
Pauline Paquette	...	Marie (as Pauline Paquet)

Storyline

A tunesmith, a user and an out-and-out heel, puts the stories of his broken romances into song, turning old love letters into lyrics, and capitalizing on the death of his best friend to turn it into the subject of a tear-jerker that turns into a hit.

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Plot Keywords:

death | composer | guilt | unrequited love | vaudeville | 

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Genres:

Musical | Romance | Drama

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

What Price Melody?

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min 77 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White Color (2-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In late 1928, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced that it had bought Nell Martin's novel "Lord Byron of Broadway" and would be turning it into a musical with William Haines and Bessie Love. However, it went downscale when actually casting the central roles, and the lack of star power and the so unappealing story added up to a flop at the box office. Critics commented about its lackluster casting, and "Lord Byron Of Broadway" quickly sank at the box office.

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Connections

Edited into Nertsery Rhymes (1933)

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Soundtracks

"The Doll Dance"
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics Arthur Freed
Danced to by Rita Flynn and Hazel Craven in a vaudeville show

User Reviews

Should I reveal exactly how I feel?...Blehhh!

If the name of Ukulele Ike makes you smile with informed warmth, you may want to give a quick flip past "Lord Byron of Broadway" when TCM replays it in thirty years or so. If you're obsessive-compulsive enough to wait out scene after scene of tepid love talk for two-strip Technicolor Albertina Rasch dance routines, or lesser-known Nacio Herb Brown songs trilled by operetta-singing stiffs, you may even sit thru a good portion of it. But whatever you bring to it, be warned that you cannot possibly like this picture.

Even to the 1929 audience, "Lord Byron" must have been a bland plate of turkey indeed. The color dance numbers aren't too bad to look at - Mme. Rasch owed a debt to Busby The Great, or maybe vice versa - but listening to the draggy, chirpy musical settings is painful even if you love the music of the 20s. And if the name of lead actor and grade-B recording star Charles Kaley means anything at all to you, you've watched entirely too much Joe Franklin. Or perhaps you ARE Joe Franklin.

Strictly for nostalgia nerds, this, and even for them, it's not all that rewarding.