Part-Talkies - the transition..
by I_Won-t_Dance | created - 18 Nov 2014 | updated - 27 May 2015 | PublicFilms from the silent-to-talkie transition period. Between 1927 and 1930, a number of films included portions in the brand new "talking pictures" medium, but due to cost or technical limitations (plus the belief that talkies were just a passing fad!) were still mainly silent..
(Incomplete list)
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1. The Jazz Singer (1927)
Passed | 88 min | Drama, Music, Musical
The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer
Votes: 11,064 | Gross: $7.63M
The original.. Most of the first talkies were musicals.
2. The Singing Fool (1928)
Passed | 105 min | Drama, Musical
A singing waiter and composer (Al Jolson) loves two women (Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn), conquers Broadway and holds his dying son, singing "Sonny Boy."
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Al Jolson, Betty Bronson, Josephine Dunn, Arthur Housman
Votes: 279 | Gross: $10.90M
3. Lonesome (1928)
Passed | 69 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two lonely people in the big city meet and enjoy the thrills of an amusement park, only to lose each other in the crowd after spending a great day together. Will they ever see each other again?
Director: Pál Fejös | Stars: Barbara Kent, Glenn Tryon, Fay Holderness, Gusztáv Pártos
Votes: 2,599
4. Glorious Betsy (1928)
Passed | 80 min | Drama, History
The real-life courtship, marriage, and forced breakup of Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, and his rich wife from the American south, Elizabeth Patterson. Napoleon did not approve of the union and fixes him up with another girl.
Director: Alan Crosland | Stars: Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, John Miljan, Marc McDermott
Votes: 158
5. Noah's Ark (1928)
Passed | 135 min | Drama, War
The Biblical story of Noah and the Great Flood, with a parallel story of soldiers in the First World War.
Directors: Michael Curtiz, Darryl F. Zanuck | Stars: Dolores Costello, George O'Brien, Noah Beery, Louise Fazenda
Votes: 917 | Gross: $1.37M
6. The Lion and the Mouse (1928)
Passed | 60 min | Drama
Judge Ross, on the Federal Bench, rules in favor of a large company in litigation before him, unaware that a smaller company in which he owns considerable stock has been subsumed by the ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: May McAvoy, Lionel Barrymore, Alec B. Francis, William Collier Jr.
Votes: 13
7. Land of the Silver Fox (1928)
Passed | 58 min | Action, Adventure, Family
In his first 'barking talkie", set in the far-North in the silver-fox trapping country, Rin-Tin-Tin plays a much-abused dog who is rescued by a young girl and he, in turn, provides ... See full summary »
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: Rin Tin Tin, Leila Hyams, John Miljan, Carroll Nye
Votes: 38
8. Caught in the Fog (1928)
70 min | Thriller
Wealthy Bob visits his mother's Florida houseboat in order to remove her jewelry and stumbles upon a bobbed-hair bandit and her male accomplice, who mistake him for another burglar. A fight... See full summary »
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: May McAvoy, Conrad Nagel, Mack Swain, Hugh Herbert
Votes: 27
9. Beware of Bachelors (1928)
Passed | 64 min | Comedy, Romance
A young couple, Ed (Willain Collier Jr.) and May (Audrey Ferris) have to stay married for a year in order to receive a large monetary windfall from a kindly relative. If they don't the ... See full summary »
Director: Roy Del Ruth | Stars: Audrey Ferris, William Collier Jr., Tom Ricketts, George Beranger
10. The Barker (1928)
Passed | 80 min | Drama
A carnival barker wants his son to become a lawyer, but his son gets side-tracked into joining the carnival too.
Director: George Fitzmaurice | Stars: Milton Sills, Dorothy Mackaill, Betty Compson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Votes: 123
11. Sal of Singapore (1928)
Passed | 70 min | Drama
Sailors find a baby in a rowboat and head to shore to find a woman who knows how to care for it.
Director: Howard Higgin | Stars: Phyllis Haver, Alan Hale, Fred Kohler, Noble Johnson
Votes: 59
12. Alias Jimmy Valentine (1928)
Passed | 88 min | Drama
Jimmy is an expert safe cracker that intends to knock over a small town's leading bank, but he stays there and gets a job instead. As a cashier, he falls in love with the president's ... See full summary »
Director: Jack Conway | Stars: William Haines, Lionel Barrymore, Leila Hyams, Karl Dane
Votes: 41
13. A Lady of Chance (1928)
Passed | 78 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Seasoned grifter Dolly Crandall returns to the 'badger game' but has a change of heart when she falls in love with a young man she believes is a rich Southerner.
Director: Robert Z. Leonard | Stars: Norma Shearer, Lowell Sherman, Gwen Lee, Johnny Mack Brown
Votes: 539
Talking sequences now lost
14. Beware of Married Men (1927)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
Womanizer Leonard Gilbert (Richard Tucker) lures a variety of ladies to his apartment, complete with cocktail shakers, plush pillows and a Japanese manservant as symbols of sophistication. ... See full summary »
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Irene Rich, Clyde Cook, Audrey Ferris, Myrna Loy
Votes: 21
Lost
15. Tenderloin (1928)
Passed | 85 min | Drama
Rose Shannon, a dancing girl at "Kelly's" in New York City's "Tenderloin" district, worships at a distance Chuck White, a younger member of the gang that uses the place as their hangout. ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, Mitchell Lewis, Dan Wolheim
Votes: 80
Lost
16. State Street Sadie (1928)
Passed | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Framed for the murder of a policeman, gangster Joe Blake commits suicide. "The Bat," a gang leader, is the real murderer. Joe's twin brother, Ralph, joins the gang to get revenge and clear ... See full summary »
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Conrad Nagel, Myrna Loy, William Russell, George E. Stone
Votes: 19
Lost
17. Women They Talk About (1928)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A story of two closely-knit relationships, one of which involves John Harrison (Anders Randolph), the mayor of a city and his renewed friendship with a widow and former sweetheart Irene ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Irene Rich, Audrey Ferris, William Collier Jr., Anders Randolf
Votes: 18
Lost
18. My Man (1928)
Passed | 99 min | Drama
A mailman, lives a normal everyday life, until one day, something unexpected happens, and everything he knew changes.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Fanny Brice, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Edna Murphy, Andrés de Segurola
Votes: 33
Lost
19. The Little Wildcat (1928)
Passed | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A pair of elderly Civil War veterans, Judge Holt and his friend Joel Ketchum, spent most of their time reminiscing about their wartime experiences. In the meantime, Holt's granddaughter ... See full summary »
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: Audrey Ferris, James Murray, Robert Edeson, George Fawcett
Lost
20. Weary River (1929)
Passed | 86 min | Drama, Romance
A gangster is put in prison, but finds salvation through music while serving his time. Again on the outside, he finds success elusive and temptations abound.
Director: Frank Lloyd | Stars: Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson, William Holden, Louis Natheaux
Votes: 562
Very impressive example, the synchronisation back and forth several times between silent and talkie is very slick, no awkward jumps here.. (See "glofau"s review for more detail of why this is so special)
21. The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1929)
86 min | Drama
A rope bridge over a gorge in the Peruvian Andes snaps, sending five people plunging to their deaths. A priest sets out to find out more about the life of each of the victims.
Director: Charles Brabin | Stars: Lili Damita, Ernest Torrence, Raquel Torres, Don Alvarado
Votes: 101
22. Show Boat (1929)
Passed | 147 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A mostly silent version of Edna Ferber's original novel, with some songs from the musical as a last-minute addition
Directors: Harry A. Pollard, Arch Heath | Stars: Laura La Plante, Joseph Schildkraut, Emily Fitzroy, Otis Harlan
Votes: 314
23. The Love Trap (1929)
Passed | 71 min | Comedy
A chorus girl loses her job and thus the room she owes back rent on, and ends up being rescued from the street by a dashing rich man. But his family isn't over-accepting of chorus girls joining their family.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Laura La Plante, Neil Hamilton, Robert Ellis, Jocelyn Lee
Votes: 239
24. Die Mitternachts-Taxe (1929)
Taxi at Midnight is a 1929 silent German thriller.
Director: Harry Piel | Stars: Harry Piel, Betty Bird, Philipp Manning, Hans Sanden
25. His Captive Woman (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
A cabaret dancer, kills her sugar-daddy and escapes to a South Seas island on the yacht of a wealthy admirer, but is captured by the detective trailing her.
Director: George Fitzmaurice | Stars: Milton Sills, Dorothy Mackaill, Gladden James, Jed Prouty
Votes: 24
26. The Iron Mask (1929)
Passed | 95 min | Adventure, Drama, History
King Louis XIII of France is thrilled when his son is born--an heir to the throne. But his Queen has actually delivered twin boys. Cardinal Richelieu sees the second son as a potential for ... See full summary »
Director: Allan Dwan | Stars: Douglas Fairbanks, Belle Bennett, Marguerite De La Motte, Dorothy Revier
Votes: 1,395 | Gross: $3.27M
(Prologue only is spoken)
27. Piccadilly (1929)
Passed | 92 min | Crime, Drama
A young Chinese woman working in the kitchen at a London dance club is given the chance to become the club's main act, which leads to a plot of betrayal, forbidden love, and murder.
Director: Ewald André Dupont | Stars: Gilda Gray, Anna May Wong, Jameson Thomas, Charles Laughton
Votes: 1,837
(Talking prologue)
28. The Million Dollar Collar (1929)
Passed | 62 min | Drama, Family
Bill Holmes (Matty Kemp) rescues Rinty (Rin-Tin-Tin) from a car wreck, not realizing that a stolen $50,000 diamond necklace is hidden in the dog's collar. He discovers this fact when he ... See full summary »
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Rin Tin Tin, Matty Kemp, Evelyn Pierce, Philo McCullough
Votes: 14
29. The Greyhound Limited (1929)
Passed | 70 min | Drama
A train engineer and his fireman are best friends, until the engineer breaks up a romance between his pal and a trampy girl he knows is no good for him, which also breaks up their ... See full summary »
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Monte Blue, Edna Murphy, Grant Withers, Lucy Beaumont
30. Hot Stuff (1929)
70 min | Comedy
An uptight society aunt (Louise Fazenda) sends her too sexy niece (Alice White) to college so she can land a man.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Alice White, Louise Fazenda, William Bakewell, Doris Dawson
Votes: 18
31. The Mysterious Island (1929)
Passed | 95 min | Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi
On a volcanic island near the kingdom of Hetvia rules Count Dakkar, a benevolent leader and scientist who has eliminated class distinction among the island's inhabitants. Dakkar, his ... See full summary »
Directors: Lucien Hubbard, Benjamin Christensen, Maurice Tourneur | Stars: Lionel Barrymore, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Lloyd Hughes, Montagu Love
Votes: 848 | Gross: $0.06M
32. The Younger Generation (1929)
Passed | 75 min | Drama, Romance
Soap-opera about a social-climbing Jewish man and his old-world parents who are heartbroken by his rejection of them.
Director: Frank Capra | Stars: Jean Hersholt, Lina Basquette, Ricardo Cortez, Rex Lease
Votes: 338
33. The Bellamy Trial (1929)
Passed | 95 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
When a wealthy Long Island society woman is discovered dead in an abandoned cottage, suspicion falls on her husband, an ex-boyfriend, and a romantic rival.
Director: Monta Bell | Stars: Leatrice Joy, Betty Bronson, Edward J. Nugent, George Barraud
Votes: 15
34. Wonder of Women (1929)
95 min | Drama
A German pianist is going to break up with his unfaithful wife, when he receives the message that his favourite stepchild has died.
Director: Clarence Brown | Stars: Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams, Peggy Wood, Harry Myers
Votes: 89
35. House of Horror (1929)
Unrated | 65 min | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
American comedy mystery film directed by Benjamin Christensen.
Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Louise Fazenda, Chester Conklin, James Ford, Thelma Todd
Votes: 37
36. Fancy Baggage (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In order to get back some very important papers from her father's business rival, a young woman pretends to be the rival's new secretary. Complications ensue.
Director: John G. Adolfi | Stars: Audrey Ferris, Myrna Loy, George Fawcett, Hallam Cooley
Votes: 16
Lost
37. The Redeeming Sin (1929)
75 min | Drama, Romance
At the Café du Chat Noir, Joan Billaire, a dancer, attacks Mitzi for schooling her brother, Petit, in picking pockets and is saved from a knifing by Lupine, a thief. Later, Lupine enlists ... See full summary »
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, George E. Stone, Philippe De Lacy
Lost
38. Stolen Kisses (1929)
Passed | 70 min | Comedy, Romance
A crotchety old coot wants his son and daughter-in-law to have kids so he can have grandchildren, but so far they haven't done so. In a somewhat ham-handed attempt to bring them closer ... See full summary »
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: May McAvoy, Claude Gillingwater, Hallam Cooley, Edna Murphy
Lost
39. One Stolen Night (1929)
Passed | 58 min | Action, Drama, Romance
When his ne'er-do-well brother embezzles the commissary funds of their cavalry unit stationed in the Suden, a British soldier takes the blame for him. He winds up deserting his post and ... See full summary »
Director: Scott R. Dunlap | Stars: Betty Bronson, William Collier Jr., Mitchell Lewis, Harry Todd
Lost
40. Kid Gloves (1929)
Passed | 70 min | Drama, Romance
When a taxi carrying socialite Ruth Darrow drives into the middle of a gun battle between hijacker Kid Gloves and a trio of bootleggers, Ruth is injured. She is taken to a nearby apartment,... See full summary »
Director: Ray Enright | Stars: Conrad Nagel, Lois Wilson, Edward Earle, Edna Murphy
Lost
41. Hardboiled Rose (1929)
Passed | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A bank officer steals valuable securities from his bank to pay off debts owed to a notorious gambler, but the disgrace is more than he can bear and does himself in. His loyal secretary, a ... See full summary »
Director: F. Harmon Weight | Stars: Myrna Loy, William Collier Jr., John Miljan, Gladys Brockwell
Votes: 24
Lost
42. No Defense (1929)
Passed | 62 min | Drama
The foreman of a river bridge construction gang,Monte Collins (Monte Blue), takes the blame when the bridge collapses. But it wasn't his fault at all, as the real culprit was the brother, ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Monte Blue, May McAvoy, Lee Moran, Kathryn Carver
Lost
43. Sonny Boy (I) (1929)
70 min | Comedy
On the eve of her divorce, a mother enlists her sister's aid in smuggling her young son out of the house, fearing that she will lose custody of him and hides out in the apartment of her ... See full summary »
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Davey Lee, Edward Everett Horton, Betty Bronson, Gertrude Olmstead
Votes: 18
Lost
44. Frozen River (1929)
Passed | 61 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Rinty (Rin-Tin-Tin) rescues a young boy, Billy (Davey Lee) , lost in the woods and prevents a gang of crooks from stealing a cache of gold from Hazy (Josef Swickarf) a kindly old man.
Director: F. Harmon Weight | Stars: Rin Tin Tin, Davey Lee, Raymond McKee, Nina Quartero
Votes: 25
Lost
45. From Headquarters (1929)
Passed | 70 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
United States Marine Corps Captain "Happy" Smith (Monte Blue) and Gunnery Sergeant Wilmer (Guinn "Big Boy' Williams) lead a squadron of Marines in search of a party of American tourists lost in a Central America banana-republic jungle.
Director: Howard Bretherton | Stars: Monte Blue, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, Gladys Brockwell, Lionel Belmore
Lost
46. Glad Rag Doll (1929)
Passed | 70 min | Drama
Glad Rag Doll is a 1929 American Pre-Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Dolores Costello. This is one of many lost films of the 1920s, no prints or Vitaphone discs ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Dolores Costello, Ralph Graves, Audrey Ferris, Albert Gran
Votes: 67
Lost
47. The Sap (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Romance
A small town dimwit takes the blame for his brother-in-law's crime.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Edward Everett Horton, Alan Hale, Patsy Ruth Miller, Russell Simpson
Lost
48. Saturday's Children (1929)
Passed | 90 min | Comedy, Romance
Youthful sweethearts Bobby and Jim plan to get married, but Bobby wants them to settle down in their sleepy hometown. Jim has bigger plans and walks out on Bobby, who then resorts to her feminine tricks to win him back.
Director: Gregory La Cava | Stars: Corinne Griffith, Grant Withers, Albert Conti, Alma Tell
Votes: 36
Lost
49. Two Weeks Off (1929)
88 min | Comedy, Romance
Salesgirl Frances is planning a summer vacation at the beach with a friend who also works at her store. Just as she is getting ready to leave home, handsome young plumber Dave arrives to ... See full summary »
Director: William Beaudine | Stars: Dorothy Mackaill, Jack Mulhall, Gertrude Astor, James Finlayson
Votes: 13
Lost
50. Prisoners (1929)
Passed | 87 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Austrian cabaret dancer Riza Rigi (Corinne Griffith) is not above a bit of petty thievery once in a while, and she steals to attract the attention of Nicholas Cathy (Ian Keith), a young ... See full summary »
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Corinne Griffith, Ian Keith, Otto Matieson, Baron Hesse
Votes: 37
Lost
51. The Girl in the Glass Cage (1929)
Passed | 80 min | Drama
A pretty young cashier at a movie theater has a few problems--a local thug is interested in her and won't leave her alone, and she discovers that her uncle is stealing the box-office receipts.
Director: Ralph Dawson | Stars: Loretta Young, Carroll Nye, Matthew Betz, Lucien Littlefield
Votes: 50
Lost
52. The Man and the Moment (1929)
79 min | Comedy, Romance
Relentlessly pursued by gold digger Viola Hatfield (Gwen Lee), millionaire Michel Towne (Rod La Rocque) decides to put her off through a marriage of convenience. Based on a story by Elinor Glyn.
Director: George Fitzmaurice | Stars: Billie Dove, Rod La Rocque, Gwen Lee, Robert Schable
Votes: 41
Lost
53. Blackmail (1929)
Not Rated | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After killing a man in self-defense, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anny Ondra, John Longden, Sara Allgood, Charles Paton
Votes: 11,943
Not really part talkie, but interesting because both a silent and a talkie version of this film survive.
54. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Passed | 93 min | Horror
A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.
Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle, Edward Sedgwick | Stars: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe
Votes: 20,080 | Gross: $3.75M
Reissued in 1930 with newly filmed talkie parts added
55. Modern Times (1936)
G | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford
Votes: 259,196 | Gross: $0.16M
56. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,397 | Gross: $8.82M
Included in this list because this film gives a behind-the-scenes view of the silent-to-talkie transition - how the actors and actresses had to adapt, difficulties with microphone placement, etc..
57. The Artist (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When George, a silent movie superstar, meets Peppy Miller, a dancer, sparks fly between the two. However, after the introduction of talking pictures, their fortunes change, affecting their dynamic.
Director: Michel Hazanavicius | Stars: Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell
Votes: 248,508 | Gross: $44.67M
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