Even though by 1931 Bessie Love was looking toward Britain to continue
her film work, "The Broadway Melody" proved a great boost to her career
and 1929 was probably her busiest year. The problem was she was so good in
B.M. as the type of sunny trouper she had made her own but she just didn't
have enough clout to put her foot down and say "Stop! no more of these
parts"!! So MGM used her to almost the same extent that they used Conrad
Nagel who also happens to be in this movie!! He plays William Van Luyn
(did you really think he would play the bread winner of the family!!) who is
in love with Joan Thayer, his secretary (lovely Leila Hyams). It's a pretty
creaky early soundie with some pretty ripe dialogue but MGM, as far as
talkie innovation went was always behind the eight ball compared to the
other studios. The conservative studio heads felt the talkies were only a
passing fad and their late silents ("The Kiss", "Our Modern Maidens") were
superb.
This tried to delve into class consciousness (as far as the elegant MGM could delve - not too deep). Joan is working class (only MGM could believe classy Leila Hyams as such) while William is a billionaire!! He is a lovely chap, a trifle patronizing but anyway Joan is worried that there is a big divide between his life style and hers. Her family are not poor but middle class and as cousin Frank is always eager to expound, their class misses out on things that the rich can afford and the poor get for free!! After putting up with the Thayer's cramped apartment (after their marriage Joan refuses to go to a motel) Will drops a bombshell - he is going to relinquish all his assets and build a hospital to help the great middle class - a phrase that's going to seem like a pain in the side by the end of the movie!!
Leila Hyams is patrician and shows why she was MGM's perfect leading lady but Bessie Love as her sister Helen shows plenty of spark and gets an emotive speech. The last part of the movie is pretty dramatic as the family come to the realisation that by their constant whining they may have driven William to philanthropic extremes - in fact Helen is the only one who accepts his wealth with open arms. Her emotive speech about what it's like to work in a typing pool where cabarets and dance halls are sought as an escape would have worked terrifically in a more dramatic movie. Even though the film was confined to mainly two rooms it never felt stage bound due to the good performances - all of the cast handled dialogue exceptionally and although it was hard to believe that Bessie could fall for gormless Tom Gibney even that was explained in her little speech.
Very Recommended.
This tried to delve into class consciousness (as far as the elegant MGM could delve - not too deep). Joan is working class (only MGM could believe classy Leila Hyams as such) while William is a billionaire!! He is a lovely chap, a trifle patronizing but anyway Joan is worried that there is a big divide between his life style and hers. Her family are not poor but middle class and as cousin Frank is always eager to expound, their class misses out on things that the rich can afford and the poor get for free!! After putting up with the Thayer's cramped apartment (after their marriage Joan refuses to go to a motel) Will drops a bombshell - he is going to relinquish all his assets and build a hospital to help the great middle class - a phrase that's going to seem like a pain in the side by the end of the movie!!
Leila Hyams is patrician and shows why she was MGM's perfect leading lady but Bessie Love as her sister Helen shows plenty of spark and gets an emotive speech. The last part of the movie is pretty dramatic as the family come to the realisation that by their constant whining they may have driven William to philanthropic extremes - in fact Helen is the only one who accepts his wealth with open arms. Her emotive speech about what it's like to work in a typing pool where cabarets and dance halls are sought as an escape would have worked terrifically in a more dramatic movie. Even though the film was confined to mainly two rooms it never felt stage bound due to the good performances - all of the cast handled dialogue exceptionally and although it was hard to believe that Bessie could fall for gormless Tom Gibney even that was explained in her little speech.
Very Recommended.