The Great Gabbo

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The Great Gabbo (1929) is an early musical drama. As originally released, it featured sequences in Multicolor; current prints are only in black and white. The film starred Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson and was directed by James Cruze, with a story by Ben Hecht. The movie follows a ventriloquist (Stroheim, the title character) who, as he spirals down into madness, increasingly uses his dummy as his only means of self-expression--an artist driven insane by his work. In 1929 as well as today, the stark drama was somewhat oddly juxtaposed with the somewhat overblown and gauche musical sequences, especially "The Web of Love" and the now-lost number "The Ga Ga Bird."

[edit] Influences

The film's basical plot and themes would later be resurrected many times, including an episode of the popular television series The Twilight Zone ("The Dummy," Season 3, Episode 33) and the 1978 Anthony Hopkins film Magic. An episode of The Simpsons, "Krusty Gets Kancelled," also featured a ventriloquist's dummy by the name of Gabbo.

[edit] External links

• The Great Gabbo at the Internet Movie Database