1929 was a transitional period in Hollywood with studios clamoring to convert to the new medium: talking pictures. This meant that the studios, the directors, the actors, everyone involved in film production, had to adapt to it. The Jazz Singer had just recently been released and was a huge success, paving the way for more talking pictures to be produced. But, with all new mediums, there is a period of time needed to iron out all the bugs. We saw that a lot in The Jazz Singer, and many of those same problems can also be found in The Broadway Melody.
The first big hurdle had nothing to do with the film itself but with the theaters it would be distributed to. Not every theater was going to be ready or able to be converted to sound in time for the release. To combat that, The Broadway Melody had a separate, silent version that was available for distribution. When filming commenced, there were production issues involving the sound that would often halt filming or necessitate scrapping the film and starting over. This meant many long days with little accomplished; growing pains for a new type of filmmaking. The results of all of this experimentation and primitive setups are a film that is occasionally stagnant in its setups and has a hollow, tinny sound to it that, even with modern sound-mixing, struggles to come through clearly at times.
So much effort was placed into making use of the new format that not as much time was dedicated to fleshing out the story better. This film is by no means innovative in that department. The story is rote and straightforward, lacking any real nuance or innovation. Bessie Love, playing the role of Harriet “Hank” Mahoney, fares best in a role that is better than the material surrounding her. She is playing one half of the Mahoney sisters, a duet of comedian dancers alongside Quennie (Anita Page). Whereas Hank has her eyes on the Broadway stage, Queenie is mainly along for the ride, there to help her sister reach those lofty goals. Eddie Kearns (Charles King), who is dating Hank but hasn’t seen Queenie since she was a child, is there to get them an audition before Broadway producer Francis Zanfield (Eddie Kane). Through a bit of sabotage from one of Zanfield’s dancers, Flo (Mary Doran), Zanfield decides he cannot use the pair. He is interested in hiring Queenie by herself because she is a very attractive woman, even if she isn’t an experienced dancer. Queenie uses this to get him to hire them both, paying them the same salary as if he only hired her.
During their first dress rehearsal, their musical number is cut from the show for being too slow. Hank is devastated, but Queenie almost immediately lands a new part in the production when another girl is injured falling off a prop. This new, more elaborate part gains her some attention, including from notorious playboy Jacques Warriner. Jacques begins wining and dining her and even buys her an apartment. Meanwhile, Eddie, who has fallen in love with Queenie, grows more jealous of the attention she is getting from Jacques, and it soon becomes obvious to Hank that he loves Queenie, not her.
I have mentioned this before in other films that came about just as talkies were rolling out: this film feels at times like a silent picture. It uses interstitial title cards to announce changes in settings and big events rather than relying on the film to convey that information. It was a crutch the silent films relied on and carried on into the sound era for a short while before the scriptwriters figured out a better way of doing it. It’s not ruinous, but it is a bit distracting when you’re not used to talking films using this method of conveying information. There are also moments that are missing or altered in the general release of this picture. An opening establishing shot of New York City had long been missing from every print of the film. It was only recently discovered and was included in the version I watched for this review. There was also some footage that was shot on tinted film cells that apparently no longer exists. Instead, in all available prints, it maintains the black-and-white photography.
As an early talking picture, it embraces the musical elements as a means of selling the concept to audiences. This is one of the many reasons some people felt that talking pictures were just a passing fad, soon to be forgotten. What was the point of sound if there wasn’t music, after all? The musical numbers are mostly in picture, meaning song and dance numbers associated with the stage show within the film. This was initially accompanied by an off-screen orchestra the actors could work off of. When this proved to be too unwieldy, a recording of the music was used instead. This is basically the same way most modern musicals handle these moments.
The Broadway Melody is not a great picture. It is primarily known nowadays as the first talking film to win the Best Picture Oscar. It appears in a lot of Warner Bros. box-sets celebrating musicals or the Best Picture winners. Most people have only seen it in that context. Harder to find are the numerous sequels that followed, all of them their own films but with similar plots. One of these, The Broadway Melody of 1936, was also nominated for Best Picture and will be reviewed on this blog at a later date. Other films, such as Two Girls on Broadway and Broadway Rhythm, were either direct remakes of the original film or intended at one point to be another sequel before getting retitled.
The Broadway Melody has some life left in it nearly a hundred years later in large part because of the Oscars. It’s worth watching it on that level, but it ultimately is a lesser film on that list of the greatest movies of all time. It’s painfully dated at times, and the story is overly melodramatic and rote. Still, Bessie Love is a delight to watch as the brassy sister who has a temper but also is willing to give up her love for the sake of her sister. Her scene when she is letting Eddie go is acted to perfection and is a key reason she was nominated for her acting. It is one of the main reasons I can return to this film and still find something to enjoy after nearly a half-dozen views. That, and her ukulele dance number.
Academy Award Nominations:
Outstanding Picture: MGM (won)
Best Director: Harry Beaumont
Best Actress: Bessie Love
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Release Date: June 12, 1929
Running Time: 100 minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Charles King, Anita Page, and Bessie Love
Directed By: Harry Beaumont
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