| The Great Gabbo | |
|---|---|
Original theatrical poster for the film |
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| Directed by | James Cruze Erich von Stroheim (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Nat Cordish (executive producer) James Cruze (producer) Henry D. Meyer (executive producer) |
| Written by | Ben Hecht (story "The Rival Dummy") Hugh Herbert (continuity) Hugh Herbert (dialogue) |
| Starring | Erich von Stroheim Betty Compson Donald Douglas |
| Music by | Howard Jackson (musical arrangement) Songs: Lynn Cowan Paul Titsworth Donald McNamee King Zany |
| Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
| Distributed by | Sono Art-World Wide Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 12 September 1929 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | German, English |
The Great Gabbo (1929) is an American early sound film musical drama film directed by James Cruze, based on a story ("The Rival Dummy") by Ben Hecht and starring Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson.
As originally released by Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, the film featured sequences in Multicolor. The current prints, restored by the Library of Congress and released by Kino International on DVD, are only in black and white.
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The movie follows a brilliant ventriloquist "The Great Gabbo" (Stroheim) who, as he spirals down into madness, increasingly uses his dummy "Otto" as his only means of self-expression—an artist driven insane by his work. Gabbo's gimmick is his astonishing ability to make Otto talk—and even sing—while Gabbo himself smokes, drinks and eats. Gabbo's girlfriend and assistant (Betty Compson) loves him, but is driven to another performer (Donald Douglas) by Gabbo's deteriorating personality.
Though not a musical, the stark drama is oddly juxtaposed with the somewhat overblown and gauche musical sequences, especially "Every Now and Then", "I'm in Love with You", "The New Dance Step", "Caught in a Web of Love", and the now-lost color number "The Ga-Ga Bird". The "Web of Love" sequence is occasionally shown on Classic Arts Showcase. Footage of the dance sequences was re-used with different music in The Girl from Calgary (1932).
The public domain version available on Internet Archive runs 68 minutes, while the original film ran 92 minutes. The title sequence mentions "Color by Multicolor" however those color sequences are now lost. Multicolor, based on the earlier Prizmacolor process, went out of business in 1932, and its assets were bought by Cinecolor.
The film's basic plot and themes would later be resurrected many times, most famously in the British portmanteau film Dead of Night (1945), two episodes of the popular television series The Twilight Zone ("The Dummy," Season 3, Episode 33 and "Caesar and Me," Season 5, Episode 148); 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. The Batman villain Ventriloquist (and his dummy Scarface) are arguably based on the Great Gabbo as well, also depicting the madness that comes from one person living two personas.