The Life of the Party (1930 film)

The Life of the Party (1930)
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Written by Darryl F. Zanuck
Arthur Caesar
Starring Winnie Lightner
Irene Delroy
Jack Whiting
Charles Butterworth
Charles Judels
Music by Earle Crooker
Sidney D. Mitchell
Cinematography Devereaux Jennings
Frank B. Good
(Technicolor)
Editing by William Holmes
Studio First National Pictures
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) October 25, 1930 (US)
Running time 79 minutes
Country United States
Language English

The Life of the Party is a 1930 American musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor. The musical numbers of this film were cut out before general release in the United States because the public had grown tired of musicals by late 1930. Only one song was left in the picture. The complete film was released intact in countries outside the United States where a backlash against musicals never occurred. It is unknown whether a copy of this full version still exists. The film only survives in a black and white copy (of the United States release print) made in the 1950s for television.

Contents

Plot

The girls try to find a millionaire in Havana but end up finding a male "gold-digger" who is looking for a rich woman to help pay his bills. Eventually, the dressmaker arrives in Havana.

Cast

also the Our Gang kids did appear in the film

Songs

Preservation

Only a black and white copy of the cut print released in the United States (without most of the musical numbers) seems to have survived. The complete film was released intact in countries outside the United States where a backlash against musicals never occurred. It is unknown whether a copy of this full version still exists.

Production

The music heard of the credits at the beginning of the film was added in the 1950s. These credits are also not original but have been redrawn, removing all indication that the film was photographed in Technicolor. The original music survives on Vitaphone disks. The rest of the film, beginning with the first title card ("New York was originally purchased from the Indians..."), has the original sound.

See also

External links