Screen Chronology: 1928 to 1929
Compiled by John Kenrick
- **** - Sensational
- *** - Good entertainment
- ** - Beats a finger in the eye
- * - You'd rather mow a lawn
- (NO stars) - Run for your life
Many of these films are hardly ever screened, and in some cases no complete prints survive. I include comments only on those I have seen.
1928
- Jazz Singer, The ** - Mostly silent, but the brief sound sequences changed film forever thanks to Al Jolson's charismatic performance. Not solidly entertaining, but the musical sequences are fascinating.
- My Man - Fanny Brice finds romantic heartbreak on the road to Broadway stardom. As of this writing, no known copies survive.
1929
- Applause ** - Helen Morgan stars as a burlesque star plagued by tragedy. Alternately fascinating and flat, and not much singing, but amazing Manhattan location shots and a surprisingly dark plot make this is a must see for dedicated film buffs.
- Battle of Paris, The
- Broadway Melody, The ** - A backstage romance at the 'Zanfield' Follies. Mostly a bore, this landmark hit was the first sound film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, even though Love Parade was infinitely superior. First feature musical to pre-dub a musical sequence ("The Wedding of the Painted Doll"), a process that soon became the industry standard.
- Broadway Scandals
- Close Harmony
- Cock-Eyed World, The
- Cocoanuts, The *** - Marx Brothers in their insane stage hit, with such classics as the Viaduct sketch ("Viaduct? Via no chicken?").
- Desert Song, The - Early sound version of the Broadway hit about a desert Zorro.
- Devil May Care
- Footlights and Fools
- Forward Pass, The
- Fox Movietone Follies of 1929
- Glorifying the American Girl * - Ziegfeld's only film is downright terrible, the story of a girl seeking stardom in the Follies. Only of interest as a historical oddity.
- Gold Diggers of Broadway
- Great Gabbo, The
- Hallelujah
- Hearts in Dixie
- Hollywood Revue of 1929, The ** - MGM's all-star revue includes a few good songs ("Singin' in theRain"), but is uneven entertainment.
- Hot For Paris
- Innocents of Paris ** - Maurice Chevalier in his American screen debut as a junk man rescuing a child. Corny tale. Highlight -- "Louise."
- Is Everybody Happy?
- Little Johnny Jones - Cohan's 1904 stage hit with only two of the original songs and almost none of the plot.
- Lord Byron of Broadway
- Love Parade, The **** - The first truly delightful original screen musical has Jeanette MacDonald as a queen who makes rakish guardsman Maurice Chevalier her consort. Director Ernst Lubitsch enriched this, his first sound film, with his signature "touch" of sexy, sophisticated wit.
- Lucky Boy - George Jessel in a Jazz Singer rip off.
- Lucky in Love
- Marianne - French maiden Marion Davies and her pet pig are pursued by three soldiers during WW I.
- Married in Hollywood
- Melody Lane
- Mother's Boy
- On With the Show - First all-color musical
- Painted Angel, The
- Paris
- Pointed Heels
- Rainbow Man
- Rio Rita (1929) * - Ziegfeld's stage hit becomes a painfully lame screen comedy
- Sally ** - Marilyn Miller in her 1920 stage hit. Mostly dull viewing, except when Miller dazzles in Hollywood's first really exciting dance sequences, most notably "Wild Rose."
- Say It With Songs * - Jolson plays a radio singer unjustly jailed for murder. Boring tear jerker.
- Show of Shows, The
- Singing Fool, The * - A show biz vocalist is torn between his career and his beloved "Sonny Boy." The top-grossing film of the 1920's, this cornball tripe is hard to swallow today.
- So This is College
- Song of Love
- Sunny Side Up
- Sweetie
- Syncopation
- Tanned Legs
- Vagabond Lover, The * - Radio crooner Rudy Vallee proved to be a grand bore on screen. It would be another three decades before he hit his comic stride in How to Succeed in Business.
- Why Bring That Up? - Blackface musical comedy
- Words and Music