Broadway Babies
Broadway Babies | |
---|---|
Official poster | |
Directed by | Mervyn LeRoy |
Produced by | Robert North |
Written by |
Story: Jay Gelzer ("Broadway Musketeers") Screenplay: Monte M. Katterjohn Dialogue: Monte M. Katterjohn Humphrey Pearson Titles: Paul Perez (uncredited) |
Starring |
Alice White Marion Byron Sally Eilers Charles Delaney Tom Dugan Bodil Rosing Maurice Black Fred Kohler Louis Natheaux Jocelyn Lee |
Music by | Leo F. Forbstein |
Cinematography | Sol Polito |
Editing by | Frank Ware |
Studio | First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. |
Distributed by | First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
USA: 30 June 1929 (sound version) 28 July 1929 (silent version) |
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Broadway Babies, aka Broadway Daddies (UK) and Ragazze d'America (Italy), is a 1929 all-talking pre-code black and white American musical film produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Alice White and Charles Delaney. This was Alice White's first sound film with dialogue.
Synopsis
Chorus girl (Alice White) is in love with stage manager (Charles Delaney) of show and he also loves her. They plan to marry until a bootlegger (Fred Kohler) steps in. White is led to believe that Delaney is in love with another girl, so she agrees to play around with Kohler when he becomes interested in her. When Kohler proposes marriage, White accepts. As they are about to be married, rival gangsters shoots Kohler and he ends up dying. White is reconciled with Delaney and they become engaged.
Film Preservation
Broadway Babies today survives complete and has been broadcast on television and cable.
Taglines
The film's various taglines include:
- "All the brightest lights of Broadway merged in one!"
- "Incandescent with IT!"
- "Girls and guns and glare and glamor."
Cast
- Alice White - Delight 'Dee' Foster
- Marion Byron - Florine Chanler (as Miriam Byron)
- Sally Eilers - Navarre King
- Charles Delaney - Billy Buvanny
- Tom Dugan - Scotty
- Bodil Rosing - Sarah Durgan
- Maurice Black - Nick Stepanos
- Fred Kohler - Perc Gessant
- Louis Natheaux - August 'Gus' Brand
- Jocelyn Lee - Blossom Royal
- Lew Harvey - Joe, One of the Poker Players (uncredited)
- Aggie Herring - Landlady (uncredited)
- Al Hill - One of Perc's Henchmen (uncredited)
- Armand Kaliz - Tony Ginetti, the Nightclub Manager (uncredited)
Songs
- "Wishing and Waiting for Love"
Written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke
Sung by an unidentified man over the opening credits
Reprised by Alice White and chorus at the nightclub
Played as background music throughout the film
Written by George M. Cohan Played as background in the first scene of New York
- "Vesti La Giubb", from I Pagliacci
Written by Ruggerio Leoncavallo
Sung a cappella by a tenor at the rooming house
- "Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)", from Lohengrin
Written by Richard Wagner (1850)
Sung a cappella by Charles Delaney and Tom Dugan
- "Jig, Jig, Jigaloo"
Written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke
Sung and danced to by Alice White and chorus at rehearsal
Reprised by Alice White and chorus at the show
- "Broadway Baby Dolls"
Written by George W. Meyer and Al Bryan
Sung by Alice White in the last show
Danced to by Alice White and chorus in the show
Movie Connections
- Saturday's Children (1929)
- The Broadway Melody (1929)
- Broadway (1929)
- Broadway Bad (1933)
- The Broadway Hoofer (1929)
References
- Broadway Babies at the Internet Movie Database
- Broadway Babies at Online Video Guide
- Broadway Babies at Answers.com
- Broadway Babies at BFI