In the same year's "Rose of Washington Square", the two stars of this movie played fictional versions of Fanny Brice and Billy Rose, with Tyrone Power as a re-named Nicky Arnstein. In "Hollywood Cavalcade", they are playing amalgamations of a variety of early movie making legends, most obviously Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand. Like "Rose", this film later was further explored as a Broadway musical-"Rose of Washington Square" was legitimized as "Funny Girl", and part of "Hollywood Cavalcade" became "Mack and Mabel".
In "Hollywood Cavalcade", Don Ameche plays a variety of Hollywood creators rolled into one; Other than Sennett, bits of Cecil B. DeMille and D.W. Griffith are thrown in as well. Alice Faye could be anybody from Pearl White (the Serial Queen), Gloria Swanson, and Mary Pickford, in addition to Normand. The first half of the film is a tribute to Sennett and Normand with the creation of the first pie fight to the bathing beauties and Keystone Cops. The second half has Ameche's character taking a more serious look at his art, making romantic thrillers much like DeMille and an "Intolerance" like epic. Normand's drug usage is never explored, although Faye's character of Molly Adair goes through many tragedies and Ameche finds himself on the outs as his temperamental ways get the better of him.
What doesn't work about this film is the usage of two different moods. The first is light-hearted; the second is much darker. Many of the great silent era comics (including Buster Keaton playing a fictionalized version of himself) appear or are mentioned (one heavyset character, only seen from the back, is referred to as "Roscoe", the real name of disgraced comic legend Fatty Arbuckle). The romance between Faye and Ameche is never really explored, although it is obvious that they both love each other in completely different ways. They are only reunited professionally because of Molly's admiration for her Svengali. This is an enjoyable film, with Ameche and Faye both photographing beautifully, but the convoluted screenplay is against them.
In "Hollywood Cavalcade", Don Ameche plays a variety of Hollywood creators rolled into one; Other than Sennett, bits of Cecil B. DeMille and D.W. Griffith are thrown in as well. Alice Faye could be anybody from Pearl White (the Serial Queen), Gloria Swanson, and Mary Pickford, in addition to Normand. The first half of the film is a tribute to Sennett and Normand with the creation of the first pie fight to the bathing beauties and Keystone Cops. The second half has Ameche's character taking a more serious look at his art, making romantic thrillers much like DeMille and an "Intolerance" like epic. Normand's drug usage is never explored, although Faye's character of Molly Adair goes through many tragedies and Ameche finds himself on the outs as his temperamental ways get the better of him.
What doesn't work about this film is the usage of two different moods. The first is light-hearted; the second is much darker. Many of the great silent era comics (including Buster Keaton playing a fictionalized version of himself) appear or are mentioned (one heavyset character, only seen from the back, is referred to as "Roscoe", the real name of disgraced comic legend Fatty Arbuckle). The romance between Faye and Ameche is never really explored, although it is obvious that they both love each other in completely different ways. They are only reunited professionally because of Molly's admiration for her Svengali. This is an enjoyable film, with Ameche and Faye both photographing beautifully, but the convoluted screenplay is against them.