Broadway (1929 film)
| Broadway | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Pál Fejös |
| Produced by | Carl Laemmle Jr. |
| Written by |
George Abbott (play and script) Phillip Dunning Jed Harris (play) Tom Reed (titles) Charles Furthman Edward T. Lowe Jr. |
| Starring |
Glenn Tryon Evelyn Brent |
| Music by | Howard Jackson (uncredited) |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Editing by |
Edward Cahn Robert Carlisle |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
| Release dates | May 27, 1929 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Broadway is a 1929 film directed by Pál Fejös from the play of the same name by George Abbott and Philip Dunning. It stars Glenn Tryon, Evelyn Brent, Paul Porcasi, Robert Ellis, Merna Kennedy and Thomas E. Jackson.
This was Universal's first talking picture with Technicolor sequences. The film was released by the Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and DVD with Paul Fejo's Lonesome on August 2012.
Plot
Roy Lane and Billie Moore, entertainers at the Paradise Nightclub, are in love and are rehearsing an act together. Late to work one evening, Billie is saved from dismissal by Nick Verdis, the club proprietor, through the intervention of Steve Crandall, a bootlegger, who desires a liaison with the girl. "Scar" Edwards, robbed of a truckload of contraband liquor by Steve's gang, arrives at the club for a showdown with Steve and is shot in the back. Steve gives Billie a bracelet to forget that she has seen him helping a "drunk" from the club. Though Roy is arrested by Dan McCorn, he is later released on Billie's testimony. Nick is murdered by Steve. Billie witnesses the killing, but keeps quiet about the dirty business until she finds out Steve's next target is Roy. Billie is determined to tell her story to the police before Roy winds up dead, but Steve isn't about to let that happen and kidnaps her. Steve, in his car, is fired at from a taxi, and overheard by Pearl, he confesses to killing Edwards. Pearl confronts Steve in Nick's office and kills him; and McCorn, finding Steve's body, insists that he committed suicide, exonerating Pearl and leaving Roy and Billie to the success of their act. Bold text
Cast
- Glenn Tryon - Roy Lane
- Evelyn Brent - Pearl
- Merna Kennedy - Billie Moore
- Thomas E. Jackson - Dan McCorn
- Robert Ellis - Steve Crandall
- Otis Harlan - 'Porky' Thompson
- Paul Porcasi - Nick Verdis
- Marion Lord - Lil Rice
- Fritz Feld - Mose Levett
- Leslie Fenton - 'Scar' Edwards
- Arthur Housman - Dolph
- George Davis - Joe
- Betty Francisco - Mazie
- Edythe Flynn - Ruby
- Florence Dudley - Ann
Preservation
Today both the silent version and the talking version survive, but the surviving talking version is incomplete, the color sequence at the end still survives in color and in sound. As of 2013 Broadway has been beautifully restored by The Criterion Collection in both the DVD and Blu Ray.
Production
Director Fejos designed the camera crane specifically for use on this movie, allowing unusually fluid movement and access to nearly every conceivable angle. It could travel at 600 feet per minute and enlivened the visual style of this film and others that followed.
See also
External links
- Broadway at the Internet Movie Database
| ||||||||