Gold Diggers of Broadway (1. When you think of the early talkies you might think of Al Jolson in . Both of these films are still with us and are frequently quoted in film histories. They are always quoted, partly out of legend and partly because they still exist as films. Yet, there are many early talkies lost to time and neglect. Vitaphone production - . What is remarkable is that this single film was in the top ten grossing films of the 1. Find similar and related movies for Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929) - Roy Del Ruth on AllMovie. Gold Diggers of Broadway est un film am
Until the 1. 98. 0's this film was thought to be completely lost, yet due to chance (a private collector and an Australian archive) there exists two 3. From these we can get a picture of what the film was like. This film is so poorly documented that I thought it important to describe in detail what is left. In the surviving soundtrack portion of the film, we meet a group of man hungry Gold- digging showgirls comprising of the sly (Nancy Welford), snob (Lillian Tashman), the screwy (Gertrude Short) and the desperate show- off (Winnie Lightner). Add to this a wealthy lawyer (Albert Gran), and an angry Uncle (Conway Tearle) and his Nephew (William Bakewell) who has an eye for a blonde showgirl. They all meet eventually at an archetypal 2. Welford's flat, in which Nick Lucas notably croons two songs written for the film . Both songs are supported by excellent backing arrangements that sing out the atmosphere of the crazy 2. Drink eventually goes to the heads of all concerned. After much backstage bickering, following the sleepy events of the previous night, the cast is in preparation for the opening night. At this point we have the surviving footage, in which we see the female comedy lead – Winnie Lightner, rehearsing her finale – she can't remember her sole two lines. Then we have Nick Lucas singing under an enormous moon in the elaborate production number reprise of ! Then on to the finale. Nancy Welford and Conway Tearle exchange and make up for . In a make believe distorted Paris by night we see and hear a reprise of all the songs used in the film Then, in an almost delirium making finale a whole host of specialist acrobatic acts and dancers literally throw themselves around the stage. An almost frenzy like kaleidoscope of pastel reds, coral pinks and mint greens. Behind them swirl Larry Ceballos choreographic patterns made up from Top Hatted men and Feather boa clad Women. Spotlights flash around the set, almost invisible because of the literally human carpet of dancers. Just as the whole show builds breakneck speed, suddenly the picture is lost (for the film exists as but a fragment), but the sound carries on. Sharp eyes will spot Male dancers moving into position with Winnie Lightner, just before the blackout. We can now only imagine that they must lift her up, dressed as the Statue Of Liberty and then she forgets her line for the finale – . Add to this some very snappy and pre- code dialogue and we have something special. So special at the time that it was one of the first films to gain revenue from people coming back for a second screening. Its impact at the time can be judged by the American gross of 3. Million Dollars (unadjusted to today's inflation!). It is a loss to film history that there is no complete print in existence, but what does survive sparkles far in advance of many other films in the dawn of sound.
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