Top Speed

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Top Speed (1930)
Directed by	Mervyn LeRoy
Written by	Harry Ruby, Guy Bolton and Bert Kalmar
Starring	Joe E. Brown Bernice Claire Jack Whiting Frank McHugh Laura Lee
Music by	Joseph Burke, Leonid S. Leonardi
Cinematography	Sidney Hickox
Editing by	Harold Young
Distributed by	First National Pictures: A Subsidiary of Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	August 24, 1930
Running time	73 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Top Speed is musical comedy film released in 1930 by First National Pictures (a subsidiary of Warner Bros.).

Contents 1 Production 2 Plot 3 Preservation 4 Music 5 References

[edit] Production

The film was completed as a full musical. Due to the backlash against musicals, however, the Warner Bros. were forced to make many cuts to the film and much of the original music is missing or severely truncated.

[edit] Plot

A bored office clerk finds much-needed excitement by masquerading as a millionaire. To do so, he borrows the speedboat of his girl friend's father. Slapstick mayhem ensues on the water until the lad ends up winning the big race.

[edit] Preservation

• The film survives only in the cut version which was released in late 1930 by Warner Brothers. Due to the backlash against musicals, the Warner Bros. were forced to cut most of the musical sequences before releasing the film.

• The film was released as a full musical outside of the United States, where a backlash against musicals never occurred. It is unknown whether a print of this longer version still exists.

• The complete soundtrack to the "International Version" (which includes all of the original songs) survives at UCLA on Vitaphone disks.

[edit] Music

• "If You Were a Traveling Salesman and I Were a Chambermaid" (Performed by Joe E. Brown and Laura Lee)
• "Knock Knees" (Performed by Joe E. Brown, Laura Lee and chorus)
• "Looking for the Lovelight in the Dark" (Performed by Bernice Claire, Jack Whiting and chorus)
• "As Long as I Have You and You Have Me" (Cut from film; originally performed by Bernice Claire and Jack Whiting)
• "Goodness Gracious" (Cut before release in the United States)
• "I'll Know and She'll Know" (Cut before release in the United States)
• "Keep Your Undershirt On" (Cut before release in the United States)
• "What Would I Care?" (Cut before release in the United States)
• "Sweeter Than You" (Cut before release in the United States)
• "Reaching For the Moon" (Cut before release in the United States)

[edit] References