Although it was the second film to win an Academy Award, Broadway Melody was a film of firsts: It was the mother of all musicals, it was the first talkie to win the Best Production award, and it was the first subject of sequels (Broadway Melody of 1936, Broadway Melody of 1938 and Broadway Melody of 1940).
1929-30 was first year for secret awards: winners were announced during a one-hour L.A. radio broadcast.
Also, the George M. Cohan classic “Give My Regards To Broadway” was the first hit song to arise from a movie.
With a $4 million take, Broadway Melody was the top grossing picture of 1929.
Here’s the story: two sisters, “Hank” and “Queenie” Mahoney, come to Broadway. Hank loves song-and-dance man Eddie Kerns. But when Eddie sees Queenie, all grown up now, he falls for her.
To brush off Eddie, Queenie dates Jock Warriner, a New York high-society swell who wants her for no-good reasons.
It’s a simple love triangle, the subject of countless movie scripts. Although Broadway Melody is considered one of the weakest films to ever win best motion picture Oscar, Stephan Eichenberg’s script has complex elements: Hank, Queenie and Eddie all recognize the danger created by the triangle, and all three sacrifice themselves for each other.
Bessie Love, who starred as Hank Mahoney, was beat out for Best Actress by Mary Pickford, America’s Sweetheart, starring in her first talkie. Insiders said Pickford’s win was actually an undeserved political honor, because Douglas Fairbanks, the academy president, was her husband and her acting was good enough for silent films but unrealistic for talkies.
It’s interesting to see how body types have changed in the past 80 years: Bessie Love, Anita Page and Janet Gaynor all had baby legs – short and chubby. They would have been considered fat by modern Hollywood.
Who didn’t win?
The Hollywood Revue of 1929, even though it cast superstars Norma Shearer, Buster Keaton, Joan Crawford and Lionel Barrymore.
Who didn’t get nominated?
A great silent film, The Wind, and its star Lillian Gish.
Erich von Stroheim was ignored as Best Director for The Wedding March.
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent film masterpiece The Passion of Joan of Arc received no nominations.
Greta Garbo’s last silent film, The Kiss, was not nominated, and Buster Keaton was ignored for his last independent film, Steamboat Bill Jr.
No comments:
Post a Comment