IMDb > The Broadway Melody (1929)
The Broadway Melody
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The Broadway Melody (1929) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,819 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Edmund Goulding (story)
Norman Houston (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Broadway Melody on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1929 (Turkey) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The pulsating drama of Broadway's bared heart speaks and sings with a voice to stir your soul! more
Plot:
Harriet and Queenie Mahoney, a vaudeville act, come to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns needs... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Silent Screen Star Anita Page Dead At 98
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 8 September 2008, 10:35 AM, PDT)

Silent Screen Siren Anita Page Dies
 (From WENN. 7 September 2008, 4:02 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
The Granddaddy Of Them All more (48 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited 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 (as Drew Demarest)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Broadway Melody of 1929 (USA) (alternative title)
more
Runtime:
110 min | 101 min (TCM print)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White | Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System) | Silent
Certification:
Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Eddie Kane starred as a big shot Broadway producer named Francis Zanfield, which is an obvious take on Broadway legend Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.. While the character name Jock Warriner (played by Kenneth Thomson) was meant to sound like Jack L. Warner who was the head of Warner Bros. Studio, the main rival of MGM studio at that time. more
Quotes:
Eddie Kearns: Those men aren't going to pay ten bucks to look at your face; this is Broadway!
Hank Mahoney: Yeah, "Broad's way!"
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
The Wedding of the Painted Doll more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 25 people found the following comment useful.
The Granddaddy Of Them All, 8 August 2002
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

A song & dance sister act strives for happiness and fame on the Great White Way.

Hailed as Hollywood's first true musical, THE Broadway MELODY shows its age, but ought to be judged by its own era, not ours. When it premiered in 1929, the movie industry was still releasing its last silent films. To see a hundred-minute movie full of music & talk, with a storyline that made sense, some good acting and genuinely hummable tunes - this was all tremendously exciting. That the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the year is hardly surprising. From this source the mighty American Movie Musical would spring.

Some of the acting is a bit awkward, illustrating the rough transition from silents to talkies - the Microphone was a Monster that would completely devour some actors - but most of the performances are adequate. Of special note is Miss Bessie Love. Pert & pretty, as well as a most engaging actress, she dominates the proceedings as the tough, realistic half of the sibling duo. Able to show joy or despair with equal conviction, she amply demonstrates her mastery of the new medium. Her Academy Award nomination was well earned.

As her younger sister, Anita Page is lovely to look at. Her ease with the microphone would increase with her next few acting assignments. Broadway singing star Charles King plays the composer/performer loved by both young ladies and he is quite agreeable in this role. Mr. King had the distinction of being America's first male musical movie star, aside from Jolson, but his film career would be very short, covering only six pictures from 1928 to 1930.

The team of Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown supplied the tunes, including the classics 'The Broadway Melody,' 'You Were Meant For Me' & 'The Wedding of the Painted Doll,' which is unfortunately missing its original Technicolor hues. Mr. Brown can be spotted as a piano player in the film, while movie mavens should recognize James Gleason as a music publisher in the opening sequence and Jed Prouty as the girl's stuttering agent - both uncredited.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Broadway Melody (1929)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Explanation for Hank's name? Banquo13
Jock Warriner rdott
The toe dancer... heyteegs
The Warner Bros restored DVD of 1929 'The Broadway Melody' kekouri
Rosie - Awesome Flapper! Alix1929
R.I.P. Anita Squashpants
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