"The Broadway Melody" **** (out of ****) Best Picture Oscar (1930)
"The Broadway Melody of 1929" is considered by modern movie fans to be the worst "Best Picture" Oscar winner. Sadly the film's charms are unable to impress the younger generation.
"The Broadway Melody" was the first all-talking motion picture. A lot of people say Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" was the first talking movie. That is true, to an extent. "The Jazz Singer" was the first film to use sound, but, if you've seen that movie you'll know only the musical numbers are sung, the rest of the film is silent. "The Broadway Melody" was the first full talking picture. When it won the Academy Award in 1930 it was the second film to win the award (the first was "Wings", a silent war film) and the first musical and the first talking picture.
Now that the movies could talk musicals became all the rage. This film set the standard for the typical formula you've come to know in back-stage musicals like "42nd Street". The film was so successful that MGM started a series of "Broadway Melody" pictures, ending in 1940.
The simple plot of the film is two country girls, the Mahoney sisters, travel to New York where they hope to find success on broadway. The eldest sister in Hank (Bessie Love). Her boyfriend, Eddie Kearns (Charles King) has written a hit song "The Broadway Melody" which has been bought by a major theatre producers, Zanfield (clearly a character aimed at the great Ziegfeld played by Eddie Kane). Eddie has promised the sisters that he will get Zanfield to audition them for the show.
After seeing the Mahoney sisters' act, Zanfield is not impressed but everyone takes an interest in the younger sister, Queenie (Anita Love). Queenie is considered the beautiful one and Hank the brains. In reality this actually makes little sense. Both ladies were quite attractive. Zanfield only wants Queenie in the show. When Queenie overhears Zanfield say that, she convinces him to put her sister in the show too.
Eddie is surprised to see how much Queenie has grown since he last saw her. And sensing Eddie is coming on to her, Queenie allows one of the producers, Jock Warner (an aim at Warner Brothers head, Jack Warner, played by Kenneth Thompson) to make advances at her. This upsets both Hank and Eddie. Eddie because he loves her and Hank because she knows what Jock is really after. He doesn't love her, he just wants her body.
The moral behind "The Broadway Melody" seems to be how the big city can corrupt the country girl. Queenie allows herself to flirt with Jock, who showers her with gifts. Has she gone bad? Was the temptation of jazz and alcohol too much for her? The film also wants to set itself up as a gritty, realistic portray of the hardships entertainers must go through. The frantic life of going from job to job, never knowing when a show will close and you'll be out of a job. Finally, at its core, "The Broadway Melody" just wants to be a love story.
Why the film should have such a bad reputation is not surprising but unfair. I can see modern audiences looking down at this film but you have to understand ladies and gentlemen, this was 1929! Does the film seem dated? Only to those who don't watch films from this period. I don't look at the drama here and find it corny. The characters' dialogue and morals are familiar to me. I share them. So, for me, there are no unintentional laughs. But modern, cynical eyes, not familiar with this will find the acting lousy, the music bad and the situations predictable. But in 1929 this story wasn't as cliched as you think.
The music in the film was done by the team of Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Their songs include "The Broadway Melody", "You Were Meant for Me", "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" and "The Boy Friend". They were a very popular team and did the score for a good many MGM musicals. Their other songs include "Singin' in the Rain", "All I Do (Is Dream Of You)", "You Are My Lucky Star" and "Temptation". I mention all these songs because anyone who has ever seen "Singin' in the Rain" with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds has to recognize these tunes. The "Broadway Melody" series is where these songs first came from and what "Singin' in the Rain" was tipping its hat to in homage. Another interesting bit of information about the music in the film is during a birthday party scene for Queenie there is a jazz band. We hear one of the guitarist sing a song, that guitarist is Eddie Lang. Jazz fans know him as one of the all-time great jazz guitarist, he goes uncredited in the film but there is no way to mistake him.
The actors in the film were quite popular at the time. Whenever I hear people talk about this film nearly everyone goes on and on about Anita Page. She was attractive and many see her as a kind of glamour queen but her performance is not in my opinion the best in the film. Bessie Love is a real standout and goes through a wider range. Her character, if you are in tune with the film, can break your heart. Both women would have careers beyond this picture. Page would live longer but have a shorter career. I've only seen her in two Buster Keaton talkies besides this. "Free & Easy" and "Sidewalks of New York". Love would work until her death in the 1980s appearing in small roles for various films including Warren Beatty's "Reds" and Milos Forman's "Ragtime". She also won an Academy Award nomination for her performance in this film. Her one and only nomination.
Charles King, thanks to this film, became the first leading man in a musical. It was only his second film, but he was an old pro of the stage. He has a good natural presence. His voice is typical of the era. Think of Jolson or Rudy Valle. Movies weren't so good to him. He died rather young, in 1944, and appeared in some films. It was on the stage though he found greater success. He and Bessie Love would make another film together the following year, "Chasing Rainbows" known for featuring the song "Happy Days Are Here Again" smack in the depression. But it became a big hit and the unofficial theme song of the Democrat Party thanks to FDR.
The film was directed by Harry Beaumont, who won a "Best Director" Oscar. His career lasted a while after this film but none of his films stand out. Of all his work I have only seen two Joan Crawford vehicles; "Laughing Sinners" and "Dance, Fools, Dance" both with Clark Gable. The story was by Edmund Goulding who would go on to direct another Best Picture Oscar winner, "Grand Hotel" with an all-star cast.
"The Broadway Melody" is the kind of film I personally enjoy to watch. I haven't reviewed many musicals on here but I must admit I do have a certain weakness for them. I love to watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers or Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler or any number of other teams and movies. I like the simplicity of the story. The charm of the actors and the wonderful music. Though I wasn't born in this era I grew up watching movies from this time period. I probably know more about movies from the 1920s and 30s then I do about contemporary movies. I get a certain nostalgic feeling watching these movies. They remind me of my childhood. Of course my feelings and background are not the same as everyone else. Younger movie fans may feel a lot of distance between themselves and the story. But I still think the film is worth seeing. And not just for historical purposes. The film works actually more as a drama than a musical. The musical number are too far between. We only get to hear them at the end of the movie when we see the show they have been working on. But the drama between the sisters and Eddie is what drives the picture. Take away the music and the film still works.
I once read someone criticize the musical numbers as unimpressive. I'll admit that some of the numbers are flat especially if you compare them to Astaire and Rogers for instance. But, it is clear Hollywood gave this film their all. The most impressive number is "Wedding of the Painted Doll" where the entire stage is filled with dancers and a chorus line in fancy costumes. And look at the backdrop for the "Broadway Melody" number. Remember this was all new to Hollywood. They were learning as they went along.
This leads to another thing I like about the film. This film represents a time when Hollywood truly was a dream factor. I don't hide it, I've been disappointed in modern Hollywood. The glitz and glamour is gone. There was a time people dreamed about becoming a movie star. Dressing up in tuxedos and evening gowns. Hollywood and films like "The Broadway Melody" told us anyone could make it. Just keep dreaming. Some will argue Hollywood still does that. People still want to go to Hollywood and become stars. That is true. But look at the talent then and compare it to what we have now. It seems then the personalities had charm, they were sophisticated, they always appeared dressed. Today celebrities come on TV in jeans with holes in them and a t-shirt. Is that class?
Because "The Broadway Melody" takes us back to a simpler time and has more charm than 90% of what comes out of Hollywood today "The Broadway Melody of 1929" is one of the masterpieces of cinema.
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