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The Hollywood Revue

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The Hollywood Revue of 1929,or simplyThe Hollywood Revue,[4]is a 1929 Americanpre-Codemusical comedyfilm released byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer.It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of their earliestsound films.Produced byHarry RapfandIrving Thalbergand directed byCharles Reisner,it features nearly all of MGM's stars in a two-hourrevuethat includes three segments inTechnicolor.Themasters of ceremoniesareConrad NagelandJack Benny.[5]

The Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929 Lobby card
Directed byCharles Reisner
Written byAl Boasberg
Robert E. Hopkins
Joseph W. Farnham
Produced byIrving Thalberg
Harry Rapf
StarringConrad Nagel
Jack Benny
CinematographyJohn Arnold
Max Fabian
Irving G. Ries
John M. Nickolaus
Edited byWilliam S. Gray
Cameron K. Wood
Music byGus Edwards
Arthur Freed
( "Singin' in the Rain")
Nacio Herb Brown
( "Singin' in the Rain" )
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • June 20, 1929(1929-06-20)(Los Angeles)[1]
Running time
130 minutes (roadshow)
118 min (Turner library print)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$426,000[2][3]
Box office$2,421,000 (worldwide rental)[3]

At the2nd Academy Awards,the film received aBest Picturenomination (its sole nomination) but lost to anotherIrving ThalbergMGMproduction,The Broadway Melody.

As a film published in 1929, it entered thepublic domain on January 1, 2025.

Production

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The film

Unlike M-G-M's imposing feature films, which always boasted strong story values,The Hollywood Revue of 1929was a plotless parade of variety acts. Conrad Nagel, interviewed for the bookThe Real Tinsel,recalled, "Everybody thought Harry Rapf was crazy for making it."[6]Billed as an "All-Star Musical Extravaganza", the film includes performances by once and future stars, includingJoan Crawfordsinging and dancing on stage. (She later remarked, "Revuewas one of those let's-throw-everyone-on-the-lot-into-a musical things, but I did a good song-and-dance number. ").[7]Other segments featureGus Edwards,John Gilbert,Norma Shearer,Lionel Barrymore,Buster Keaton,Marie Dressler,Bessie Love,Marion Davies,Anita Page,and the comedy team ofKarl DaneandGeorge K. Arthur.

Highlights of the film are a comedy routine starringStan LaurelandOliver Hardyas inept magicians, and a variety of musical performances. One of these is the debut of "Singin' in the Rain",performed initially byCliff Edwardsas "Ukulele Ike,'" and later performed at the end of the film by the entire cast. This latter all-star color sequence was a last-minute addition to the film, shot late at night on June 10, 1929, just ten days before the premiere atGrauman's Chinese Theatre.The only major M-G-M stars missing from the revue areGreta Garbo,Ramon Novarro,andLon Chaney,although Chaney is referred to by name in one of the songs performed and Garbo is spoken of during one of the introductory dialogues. Only one sequence was cut from the film: three songs byThe Brox Sisters,which was recycled into a short subject,Gems of MGM.Another sequence, a parody of the Albertina Rasch ballet's "pearl dance" byMarie Dressler,was planned but not shot (as the film's production records reveal). Instead, the number was replaced by one featuring Buster Keaton, though Dressler did pose for stills wearing aLady Godivawig.[citation needed]

The film is sometimes cited, as on theDVDrelease of the 1952Singin' in the Rain,as the film that led to the downfall of Gilbert's career. Gilbert, a popularsilent filmactor best known for his work opposite Garbo, possessed a pleasant, tenor speaking voice which did not always match his heroic, dashing screen image. InHollywood Revuehe plays the balcony scene fromRomeo and JulietwithNorma Shearer,first straight, then for laughs with contemporary slang. It is possible, though, that the negative effect of the film on Gilbert's career has been overstated, since many contemporary reviews made no criticism of his performance.[8]His problems really began with the next two films he made,His Glorious Night(1929) andRedemption(1930).

Cast

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Musical numbers

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The circulating print ofThe Hollywood Revue of 1929runs as follows:

Act I

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Intermission

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  • "Nobody But You", "Your Mother and Mine", and "I've Got a Feeling for You" by the orchestra

Act II

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Reception

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The film, which was shot in 25 days with a budget of US$426,000, was popular with audiences and critics alike, especially in its initial big-city engagements. "Brimming over with good fun and catchy music",Mordaunt HallofThe New York Timeswrote.[9]Varietycalled it "the top novelty film to be turned out to date....If the theater booths give it an even break, nothing can stop it."[10]Film Dailyreported, "A smash and a wow. Smart revue with plenty of comedy beautifully dressed and a cast that is gilt-edged."[11]John MosherofThe New Yorkercalled it "the most extravagant and extensive musical comedy so far presented by the talking pictures, and is in itself a complete evening's entertainment."[12]

The film went on to make a profit of $1.1 million[3]and was considered for theAcademy Award for Best Picture(there were no official nominations at that point inMotion Picture Association of Americahistory).[2]Producer Rapf tried to follow it up with another revue,The Hollywood Revue of 1930,which was changed during production toThe March of Time,and finally abandoned. Musical numbers already shot for the film were edited into M-G-M short subjects of the early 1930s.

Alternate version

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Some sources list the original running time ofHollywood Revue of 1929as 130 minutes. At least two sequences in the original roadshow version are missing from current prints: an opening recitation by the showgirls who are seen posing in the "Hollywood Revue" sign after the opening credits, and the appearance ofNils Asther,who assistedJack Bennyin introducing the final "Orange Blossom" number.

Preservation

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The film survives intact with its originalTechnicolorsequences. It was released onlaserdiscin the 1990s from MGM/UA Home Video, and on DVD in 2009 through theWarner Archive Collection.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Holston, Kim R. (2013).Movie Roadshows: A History and Filmography of Reserved-Seat Limited Showings, 1911–1973.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 66.ISBN978-0-7864-6062-5.
  2. ^abBradley, Edwin M. (2004).The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography Of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932.McFarland. p. 262.ISBN978-0-7864-2029-2.
  3. ^abcThe Eddie Mannix Ledger,Los Angeles, California: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  4. ^"The 2nd Academy Awards".AMPAS.
  5. ^Green, Stanley(1999) Hollywood Musicals Year by Year (2nd ed.), pub. Hal Leonard CorporationISBN0-634-00765-3
  6. ^Silverstein, Harry; Rosenberg, Bernard (1970).The Real Tinsel.Macmillan. p.189.
  7. ^Newquist, Roy; Crawford, Joan (1980).Conversations with Joan Crawford.Citadel Press. p. 70.ISBN978-0-8065-0720-0.
  8. ^See, for example,Hall, Mordaunt(August 15, 1929)."The Screen".The New York Times.RetrievedSeptember 15,2015.
  9. ^Hall, Mordaunt(August 15, 1929)."The Screen".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 14,2015.
  10. ^"Hollywood Revue".Variety.New York. June 27, 1929. pp. 12, 22.
  11. ^"Hollywood Revue of 1929".Film Daily.New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. August 18, 1929. p. 10.
  12. ^Mosher, John(August 24, 1929). "The Current Cinema".The New Yorker.p. 53.
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