They Learned About Women is a contender for the worst title ever given to a film musical. ‘Playing the Field’ and ‘Take It Big’ were other suggested titles, but undoubtedly lend themselves to innuendo. The other contender, ‘The Pennant-Winning Battery’ would arguably have been worse.
Van and Schickel were very popular entertainers, and their musical performances give an inkling of why they were so liked. But they were no great shakes as actors and it seems likely they would have gone the same way as the Duncan Sisters after It’s a Great Life, if Schickel’s untimely death had no rendered the matter moot.
Sam (Benny Rubin), Jack (Joe Schickel) and Tim (Tom Dugan) at the start of a new season. Jerry (Gus Van) is AWOL.
They Learned About Women was the second Metro musical outing for the songwriting team of Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, and is notable for being the first of the studio’s musicals with a score entirely written by one team. These remained a rarity for the next forty years. It’s a fairly average set of numbers, though ‘Ten Sweet Mamas’ is notable for several reasons. It is a very early integrated number, in two senses: it is sung by Gus Van not on a stage, but in a shower room, with the chorus engaged in their ablutions while singing; Van washes himself then lies face down on a massage table.
The song is also integrated in the way it comments on the themes and plot
Jerry tells the other players all about his Ten Sweet Mamas
of the film. ‘Ten Sweet Mamas’ is a variation on ‘Ten Green Bottles,’ with the number of mamas reducing throughout the song; in fact, Van starts singing at the seven point. The song’s subject is unfaithfulness, ostensibly female (“Can’t trust a woman/I have found”), though in fact the blame swings both ways (he loses his last mama because she catches him with his wife). The lyrics foreshadow Jack’s fickleness and Daisy’s duplicity. The shower room setting, coyly shot though it is, positions the film as pre-code, as does the lyric “Had two sweet mamas for my jelly roll,” which was a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
The film’s other highpoint is its one production number, ‘Harlem Madness,’ which gave Nina Mae McKinney, the breakout star of Hallelujah, her second and final opportunity to shine. Her singing and dancing is joyously eccentric enough to merit the song’s title.
Nina Mae McKinney gives it her all in ‘Harlem Madness’
The direction in They Learned About Women is fairly lacklustre, even though it took two directors to achieve it. It was far from unusual at MGM, at that time, for one director to complete another’s film, but it seems unclear why, on this occasion, Conway and Wood were given a shared credit.
Bessie Love works hard, as always, but there are diminishing returns for her third dose of heartbreak in a year. Frankly, Jerry is as big a chump as Terry in Chasing Rainbows; she would probably have been better off with Jerry.
Jerry Burke and Jack Glennon are baseball players for the Blue Sox who perform as a vaudeville act during the off-season. They are on a train to Florida for the start of the new season, along with a bevy of chorus girls. Jerry is very drunk, but insists they perform one more song before going to bed [He’s That Kind of a Pal].
Jack gets Jerry into bed, then hears golddigger Daisy Gebhart crying. Her tears are fake, but he is fooled by her pretence of innocence. Meanwhile, Jerry slips out of bed and goes back to entertaining the girls.
Jack (Joe Schenk) is taken in by the tears of golddigger Daisy (Mary Doran)
The next morning, Jack finds that the carriage containing Jerry was left behind during the night. Jack’s girl, Mary Collins, meets him at the station. As the train is pulling out, Jack thinks he hears Jerry’s voice. He jumps on board, but it turns out to be a record.
Later that day, the Blue Sox are training, while Mary types for the team’s owner, Stafford. Jack reunites with his friends Sam Goldberg and Tim O’Connor. Haskins, a new signing, upsets Coach Brennan with his practical jokes.
Jerry arrives in a taxi, still in his pyjamas. Brennan tells Jack and Jerry to get Haskins out. They succeed when they realize he cannot handle slow balls.
Several days later, the team is relaxing in a hotel. Mary sews on a button for Jerry, who asks if she will still do it when she is married to Jack [A Man of My Own]. Jack is talking to Daisy about her problems; she wheedles money from him and then kisses him. He says they probably should not see each other again, but agrees that they can write to each other. Jack introduces Mary as his fiancee and Daisy leaves [Does My Baby Love?; There Will Never Be Another Mary]. While Jack is talking to Mary, it is clear he still has Daisy on his mind, even though he says “a guy would be crazy to think of anyone but you”.
Mary (Bessie Love) sings ‘A Man of My Own’. Between takes, Love would entertain the cast with her trusty uke.
Half-way through the season, Jack receives a letter from Daisy, to whom he has been writing regularly. [Ten Sweet Mamas]. Jack asks Jerry to have dinner with Mary because he has a business meeting. At a nightclub, Jerry spots Jack and Daisy at another table. He tries to get Mary out, but she notices Jack and Daisy dancing while Jerry is fetching his hat. Mary pretends to be happy while Jerry puts her into a taxi, but cries as it drives away. Jerry goes back into the nightclub and pretends to be drunk, forcing Jack to take him home.
Back at the hotel, Jerry tells Jack he is a fool if he is ditching Mary for Daisy. He leaves Jack alone with Mary, who tells Jack she saw him with Daisy and now realizes that she and he are not really in love with each other. They agree to remain friends, but afterwards Jerry finds Mary distraught.
The next morning, Jerry tells Sam that Jack has been out all night. They find Daisy waiting in reception and insult her. Back in their room, Jerry and the others try to persuade Jack to stay away from Daisy, but he reveals that they got married that morning.
In the off-season, Daisy accompanies Jack and Jerry on tour, but there are gossip column reports of friction in the dressing room. Daisy is trying to persuade Jack to include her in the act. Meanwhile, Jack is impervious to how much Jerry and Daisy hate each other. The ball team and Mary are in the audience that evening, and are meeting Jerry at the hotel afterwards. Daisy says she and Jack cannot join them, because they are going to another party where a big booker will be present, but Jack persuades Daisy to go alone.
Daisy is trying to get bookings for herself and Jack as a double act, but Jack is feeling guilty about Jerry and about his plan to give up baseball [Dougherty Is the Name; I’m an Old-Fashioned Guy]. In the audience, Tim shouts for them to sing ‘Mary’, until Sam forces him to stop. [Harlem Madness].
At Jerry’s party, Mary gives him and Jack their contract for next season. Jack and Mary are awkward together, while Jerry torments Daisy when she calls to speak to Jack. Sam and Tim try out their new double act, ending when Sam accidentally knocks out Tim with a candlestick.
Van and Schenck recreat their stage act
Daisy arrives, but Jerry has told the house detective not to let her in. She sneaks in anyway and tells Jerry and the others that Jack is through with baseball and that they are throwing Jerry out of the act. When Jack shows signs of weakening, Daisy tells him that Jerry made a play for her before they were married and has been pestering her ever since. Jack punches Jerry and leaves with Daisy. Mary comforts Jerry.
Later, the Blue Sox are on a winning streak, largely owing to Jerry’s pitching. A bottle is thrown at Jerry during a match, and Jack, who is in the crowd, punches the offender and is reunited with Jerry. Afterwards, Jack tells Jerry and Mary that his new act has not been doing well, then finally confesses that Daisy has left him and he has not worked for months. Jerry says Jack can come back to the team and goes to speak to Brennan. Jack tells Mary that he has never really loved anyone but her, and she tells him that she is going to marry Jerry. Jack tells her to forget what he said.
Later, the Blue Sox are to play in the World Series. Jack is back on the team, but is not pitching well and is benched after the Blue Sox lose their first game. Jerry realizes that Jack is still in love with Mary. At the deciding game, the Blue Sox are trailing badly. During a break for rain, Jerry tells Brennan he should play Jack, and he tells Jack that he cannot go through with his marriage to Mary. Jack confesses that he still loves her, which is why he has been playing badly. When play resumes, Brennan sends Jack on to pitch and he throws well. When the Blue Sox are put in to bat, Jack is hit in the head by the ball. But he plays on and Jerry hits a home run, winning the game. Jack collapses and comes to in Mary’s arms. She tries to pull away from his embrace, Jerry selflessly indicates that everything is all right.
A roadshow tour of a Broadway hit set during the First World War ends with a big production number [Happy Days Are Here Again].
Eddie Ross, the stage manager, tells the cost to be on the train in 55 minutes. Carlie Seymour asks her partner Terry Fay to eat with her. He agrees, but then rushes to invite Peggy, the leading lady with whom he is in love, to go with them. Terry then asks Carlie to finish his packing.
Drunken wardrobe mistress Polly maintains a feud with Bonnie, an older performer.
Eddie asks Carlie what Terry would do without her, and she laughingly replies that Terry is just a big kid and she never takes him seriously. Eddie asks Carlie to have a drink with him, but she says she is eating with Terry.
At the station, the company’s trunks are loaded onto the train. Carlie tells Eddie that Terry never showed up at the restaurant. Peggy arrives at the last minute with a “rich barber from Kansas City” who follows her from theatre to theatre. Terry tells the barber to stop bothering Peggy, who then quits and leaves with the barber.
On the train, Terry hints he may kill himself, but Bonnie indicates this is a regular occurrence [Poor But Honest]. Eddie tells Terry that if he is going to kill himself, he has to give two weeks’ notice. Carlie tries to talk Terry round, telling him no one in the show thought Peggy was good enough for him. She tells Terry that his problem is that he is always too good to women; if he wants one to stick by him, he needs to stay indifferent and not show her too much affection. Terry determines to punch on the nose the next girl he falls for.
Daphne Wayne joins the company as Peggy’s replacement. Daphne and company-member Don Cordova have had a relationship in the past.
At the rehearsal, Eddie explains the plot of the show to Daphne: Terry is in love with her, and he is secretly loved by Carlie. Carlie stands in for Daphne to demonstrate the opening number [Lucky Me, Lovable You]. It is the first time Terry has sung a love song to her. The rehearsal continues and Daphne performs her first number [Do I Know What I’m Doing?]. Don and Carlie can both see that Terry is already falling for Daphne.
Some time later, the company is getting ready for a matinee performance. Bonnie tells Carlie she needs to stop fussing over Terry, but Carlie says she hardly sees him any more. She then goes to Terry’s dressing room and tidies it. Terry is besotted with Daphne, who has told him he is “the first guy I ever really cared for”. When Carlie fails to be excited by this news, Terry angrily tells her she doesn’t know what real love is, but immediately apologizes. Carlie says it is okay, because she knows him so well. [Everybody Tap].
While Terry is on stage [Love Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues], Carlie overhears Daphne tell Don that she is only using Terry to advance her career, but will see him secretly.
After the performance Carlie goes to Daphne’s dressing room and tells her how devastated Terry would be if he found out about Don. Daphne denies everything, even after Carlie tells her she overheard them. Terry arrives as Carlie is leaving and finds Daphne pretending to cry. Terry challenges Carlie about spreading lies, and she pretends it was just a joke. Terry follows Carlie out of the theatre and says she must apologize to Daphne, but Carlie refuses.
Returning to the theatre, Terry sees Daphne entering Don’s room. Daphne explains to Don that Terry’s sister is married to an influential theatre owner. She plans to use Terry as a stepping stone to Broadway, and is prepared to marry him if necessary. Terry enters the room just as Daphne and Don kiss.
Back at the hotel, Terry finds Carlie in her room, sitting in the dark. He apologizes and tells her about Daphne and Don. Terry tells her he is leaving the show, and Carlie replies that he is old enough to know what he is doing. Terry relents and says he will not give Daphne the satisfaction; he and Carlie have worked too hard to get where they are to let Daphne split up the act. He seems to notice for the first time how attractive Carlie is [Lucky Me, Lovable You]. They agree to stick together no matter what happens, and Terry tells Carlie he is beginning to fall for her and then kisses her. He orders dinner and arranges to meet Carlie in the lobby.
Terry meets Daphne in the hall and she begs for a chance to explain. Later, during the intermission, Carlie tells Bonnie what has happened between her and Terry, but Bonnie is sceptical. Carlie goes to Terry’s room and apologizes for not getting down in time for dinner. Daphne walks in and shows off a wedding ring. Carlie laughs at the joke this will be when the company hears, and is hysterical by the time she gets back to her own dressing room.
Months later, it is the last town of the tour and Carlie is now dating Eddie. On the closing night, Bonnie and Polly make up their differences and get drunk. Terry shamefacedly tells Carlie he is splitting up the act so he can partner with Daphne. Carlie says it is only natural and that she will be fine. She agrees to spend the summer with Eddie on his mother’s farm. Terry is irrationally jealous and advises Carlie not to go.
Later, Daphne meets Don in her dressing room and tells him again that Terry means nothing to her. Terry overhears everything from the next room and beats up Don. Terry tells Daphne he never wants to see her again. Terry tells Eddie he cannot go on for the last act, but Carlie finally loses patience and tells him off. Daphne has quit, but the show goes on [My Dynamic Personality]. Carlie joins Terry on stage and they are reunited [Happy Days Are Here Again].
Three young, blonde triplets hold a sign introducing the first scene: Palace of Minstrel. A minstrel chorus sings and dances [Bones and Tambourines]. Jack Benny enters and introduces Conrad Nagel as the Interlocutor. Nagel starts to introduce Charles King, but is interrupted by King himself. To apologize, King asks the chorus to name the screen’s greatest lover. Before they can answer, Cliff Edwards enters and declares it is he. Edwards plays his ukulele and sings scat. Benny re-enters and takes away Nagel, leaving Edwards to discover he has no audience. He exits and the curtain closes.
Cliff Edwards, aka Ukulele Ike
Nagel introduces Joan Crawford, who sings and dances, supported by the Biltmore Quartet [Gotta Feelin’ for You].
Charles King and a dancing chorus performs [Minstrel Days]. June Pursell sings [Low Down Rhythm] and Joyce Murray performs a toe dance.
Conrad Nagel returns, with Charles King as Mr Bones and Cliff Edwards as Mr Tambo. After an exchange with Edwards, Nagel introduces King. [Your Mother and Mine]. King tells Nagel that, as a screen lover, he will now need to use words and music, and reminds him of the serenade to Anita Page in The Broadway Melody. He tells Nagel he is handicapped. Anita Page enters and Nagel serenades her [You Were Meant For Me]. King is astonished, shrinks to a tiny figure and storms off.
Jack Benny makes a risqué remark to Ann Dvorak, who slaps him. Benny introduces Cliff Edwards, who demands a bigger build up. [Nobody But You]. The chorus dances.
Benny returns and plays his violin. He is interrupted by Karl Dane and George K Arthur, dressed as sailors and laying a red carpet. Benny resumes [Your Mother and Mine], so Dane and Arthur roll up the carpet and carry it and Benny away. Benny returns with a cello, but the curtain closes.
Benny and William Haines exchange comic remarks while Haines destroys Benny’s tuxedo. Gwen Lee enters: Haines whispers to her and she slaps Benny. Haimes and Lee leave and a disheveled Benny takes a miniature Bessie Love from his pocket. She grows to her normal size. Bessie Love talks about the demands of talking pictures, then sings and dances with chorus boys. [I Never Knew I Could Do a Thing Like That].
Bessie Love: I Never Could Do a Thing Like That
Jack Benny enters wearing a suit of armour. The curtains open and Conrad Nagel introduces Queen Marie Dressler and Princess Polly Moran. Dressler slaps Benny but hurts her hand on the armour. Dressler sings. [For I’m the Queen].
Marie Dressler is the Queen
Jack Benny enters in his normal clothes. While he is making an introduction, the curtains open to reveal Laurel and Hardy setting up a magic act. Benny leaves and Laurel and Hardy perform a skit which ends with Hardy and Benny covered in cake. Benny introduces Marion Davies, who enters in miniature through the legs of a line of soldiers. She is in military uniform, and sings and dances. [Tommy Atkins on Parade].
The Brox Sisters enter dressed as toy soldiers and sing while the chorus marches and dances. [Strike Up the Band]. The curtain closes for the end of the first half.
The orchestra tunes up and plays a medley. The triplets display another sign: Tableau of Jewels. James Burroughs sings offscreen [Tableau of Jewels], while a tableau displays costumes by Erté. scantily-clad Carla Laemmle dances. The scene changes to the undersea world of Neptune, leading to a skit called ‘Dance of the Sea,’ with Buster Keaton in drag.
Jack Benny introduces Gus Edwards, who sings [Lon Chaney Will Get You If You Don’t Watch Out] and is joined by dancing ghouls. Benny then introduces an acrobatic dance number with the Natova company, [Turkish Adagio] which he interrupts occasionally with commentary.
Benny introduces Norma Shearer and John Gilbert in the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Director Lionel Barrymore receives a letter from the New York office saying Romeo and Juliet is old fashioned and they want it modernized. Shearer and Gilbert perform the scene again using modern slang.
The triplets hold a sign introducing ‘Singing [sic] in the Rain’. Cliff Edwards sings to his own ukulele accompaniment [Singin’ in the Rain] and the chorus dances in the rain. Then the Brox Sisters take up the song.
The Brox Sisters singin’ in the rain
Jack Benny introduces Gus Edwards, Charles King and ‘Ukulele Ike’. [Charlie, Ike and Gus]. The triplets introduce ‘The Italian Trio’ and Charlie, Ike and Gus reappear as Italians (with Cliff Edwards in drag). [The Italian Trio].
Benny introduces five lovely girls: Bessie Love, Marie Dressler and Polly Moran. [Marie, Polly and Bess]. In the middle of this skit, Moran breaks away. [Sonny Boy]. Marie, Polly, Bess, Charlie, Ike and Gus sing. [The Fountain in the Park].
Charles King sings to Myrtle McLaughlin. [Orange Blossom Time]. The Albertin Rasch troupe dances.
Finally, most of the cast gathers for a reprise. [Singin’ in the Rain].
It is registration day at the University of Southern California and best friends Biff and Eddie are reunited after the vacation. Both have many girlfriends, but they agree to “cut out the women” until the football season is over.
Biff (Robert Montgomery) and Eddie (Elliott Nugent) getting ready to “cut out women”
Immediately afterwards, they each meet Babs Baxter, a new co-ed. Eddie says he will see her at 8, but Babs’s preference is for Biff, with whom she makes a date.
Back at their fraternity house [College Days], Eddie and Biff both announce that they have met a new girl. At dinner, Biff is offended by Eddie’s intention of sharing his new girl, even though that is what they always do [Until the End].
That evening, at Babs’s sorority house [I Don’t Want Your Kisses If I Can’t Have Your Love], Eddie and Biff discover they are interested in the same girl. A number of other young men turn up and Babs asks the other girls in the house to help her out, stipulating that Biff is hers [Campus Capers].
Eddie and Biff continue to argue over Babs during an entomology field trip. Babs tricks Eddie into leaving them, then tricks Biff into giving her his fraternity pin.
Babs (Sally Starr) about to get her hands on Biff’s fraternity pin
The boys race caterpillars to decide who will accompany Babs to the Glee Club Hop. Biff wins, though by cheating. On the night of the Hop, Biff sends Eddie’s dress trousers to the cleaners so he won’t be able to go. [Sophomore Prom]. Eddie gets there by stealing a freshman’s trousers, then inserts his name into Babs’s dance card.
Biff comes close to telling Babs he loves her. Eddie and Biff continue to compete for Babs during a tag dance [The Farmer in the Dell].
Back at their room, Biff tells Eddie that he is serious about Babs and plans to ask her to marry him after college. Eddie agrees to back off, but then realises that he also loves Babs.
Some time later, Babs gets Eddie to go for a drive and asks why he has been avoiding her. Eddie kisses her and she kisses him back. Biff sees Eddie and Babs arriving back very late and kissing. Eddie wants to tell Biff what has happened, but Biff pretends to be asleep.
The following evening, on the eve of the Big Game, Eddie gives Babs his fraternity pin and Biff punches him. Babs attends the game with Bruce Nolan, and is wearing an engagement ring. When the game starts, Eddie and Biff both play badly and USC is trailing at half-time. The coach threatens to substitute them if they do not improve.
Eddie and Biff overhear Babs telling Bruce that they both mean nothing to her. Back on the field, their play improves and USC gains ground, but Eddie is injured. Biff wins the game with a kick in the dying seconds of the game. Later, Eddie and Biff promise never to let a girl come between them again–and then they see a beautiful girl….
3 August 1914 in the French village of Beinville: war has been declared and Marianne says goodbye to her sweetheart, André, promising to wait for him [Marianne].
André (George Baxter) gives his ring to Marianne (Marion Davies) before leaving for the war
Four years later, the war is over and a company of American soldiers marches into the now-devastated village, amongst them Stagg, Soapy and Sammy. They are hungry and steal a pig that belongs to Marianne, who now runs an inn. She rescues the pig, whose name is Anatole. Lieutenant Frane, an MP, asks what is happening and Marianne lies to protect the three soldiers. All of them are attracted to Marianne [When I See My Sugar].
Marianne prepares food for the whole company and they cram into the inn [Blondy]. Marianne resists all Stagg’s advances. Stagg, Soapy and Sammy find out that Marianne is caring for four war orphans.
The next morning, Stagg approaches Marianne again. She is attracted to Stagg, but continues to reject him [Just You, Just Me], especially after he pretends his girl back home is Mary Pickford.
Frane pays Marianne to cook Anatole for the General’s dinner. Stagg misinterprets the reason Frane is giving her money [Just You, Just Me]. Later on, Marianne cooks Anatole while the General and his party wait in the backroom. Stagg thinks Marianne has cooked the pig for Frane and steals it, giving it to Soapy and Sammy to take to their comrades. When Stagg discovers his mistake, he rushes to bring back the stolen pig. Marianne tries to cover for him, but Frane realizes what has happened and has Stagg arrested.
Soapy and Sammy find Marianne very upset about what has happened to Stagg and try to cheer her up [Hang On to Me]. She wants to go and intercede with the General, but Soapy and Sammy explain that he will only see other officers.
Marianne, as the French lieutenant, appeals to the General (Robert Edeson)
Marianne disguises herself as a French officer and forces her way into the General’s office. Revealing who she is, she says that she accidentally gave the pig to Stagg, and the General orders that Stagg be returned to his command. Stagg is released and sent back in the General’s car with Marianne, who is still in disguise. Stagg recognizes her and tells ‘the lieutenant’ how sorry he is for getting Marianne in trouble and that he loves her. Then he kisses her.
Later, Stagg looks for Marianne, who is washing clothes at the river. The company is about to pull out, and Stagg tries to persuade Marianne that he really loves her and wants her to go back to America with him. She tells him about her promise to André, who is a prisoner but will be home soon [Marianne]. Stagg says he will not give her up, but Marianne says she must do her duty and they part.
The company throws a leaving party at the inn [Oo-La-La-La-La; The Girl From Noochateau; Louise]. Stagg comes in and makes another appeal to Marianne in front of the company [Just You, Just Me]. Stagg says he will wait and fight André and, at that moment, André enters the room. He is blind.
The next morning, as the soldiers are preparing to leave, Stagg sees André go into the inn and he goes across to bid farewell to Marianne. André asks Stagg to help him persuade Marianne not to waste her life on a man who can only be a burden. Marianne takes André’s hand and says “I love you. I love you with all my heart,” looking at Stagg while she says it. Stagg rejoins his comrades and they march away. While André and Marianne are waving them off, he realises the truth.
Months later, Stagg, Soapy and Sammy are in business together in New York. A letter arrives from Marianne. André has decided to become a priest and Marianne is coming to New York. Stagg rushes to meet her off the boat.
[Old Folks at Home]. Zeke Johnson, his brother Spunk and the rest of their family pick cotton on a big plantation. The two brothers are about to go into town to sell their family’s share of the latest crop. A late supper [Dance 1] is interrupted by Adam, Eve and their 12 children. Adam and Eve ask Mr Johnson to marry them.
While the ceremony is taking place, Zeke forces himself on his adopted sister Missy Rose and kisses her. He immediately apologizes, claiming the devil was in him. [Dance 2].
The next day, Zeke and Spunk sell the cotton [Waiting at the End of the Road]. Zeke collects $100 and resists the temptation to join a dice game. But he sees a young woman named Chick dancing [Dance 3]. Chick is not interested in him, until she sees his money. Spunk waits for his brother, but he does not return.
Nina Mae McKinney as the seductive Chick
Chick takes Zeke to a night spot where she performs [Swanee Shuffle]. Chick introduces Zeke to Hot Shot, a gambler for whom she shills. Hot Shop plays dice with Zeke. Spunk, meanwhile, is searching for his brother. Zeke quickly loses all the money. Zeke accuses Hot Shot of cheating. Spunk enters while they are fighting and is shot and killed.
Zeke arrives home the next morning with Spunk’s body in the wagon. After the funeral, Zeke repents of his sins and leads the people in prayer [Swing Low, Sweet Chariot].
Some time later, Zeke has become the prophet Zekiel, a travelling preacher. He arrives in a new town and Chick and Hot Shot are in the crowd. They heckle Zeke, but he confronts and cows them. Zeke preaches to the crowd [(Gimme Dat) Old Time Religion], and Chick begins heckling again, but is eventually moved by Zeke’s preaching [Waiting at the End of the Road]. Later, Mrs Johnson and Missy Rose are shocked when Chick volunteers for baptism in the river. Zeke is tempted by Chick’s presence, but his mother intercedes.
That evening, Zeke asks Missy Rose to marry him. Elsewhere, Hot Shot tries to stop Chick going to the service, telling her she will always be a sinner, but she beats him with a poker and gets away. At the service, Missy Rose sees that Zeke is still drawn to Chick, and she to him. In an apparent religious ecstasy, Chick seduces Zeke and takes him away with her.
Months later, Zeke is working in a log mill and living with Chick. But Hot Shot has tracked down Chick and wants her to go with him [St Louis Blues]. Zeke is suspicious, but he still cannot resist her. When Zeke falls asleep, Chick packs a bag and leaves with Hot Shot in his buggy. Zeke chases them, and catches up when the buggy loses a wheel. Chick is thrown from the buggy and seriously injured. She begs Zeke’s forgiveness and dies in his arms. Zeke pursues Hot Shot through a swamp and kills him.
Zeke spends time in prison doing hard labour. He is released on probation, and returns to his family [Goin’ Home]. They all welcome him back.
Many things make The Broadway Melody (1929) a noteworthy film in cinema history. It was the first feature-length musical: although Warners were filming The Desert Song (1929) at the same time, they held back its release and so missed a further opportunity to make history.
Opening title of the very first MGM musical
The Broadway Melody was also the first musical from the studio that became synonymous with that genre. It was the first musical to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and also the first talking picture to do so, the only previous winner, Wings (1927) having had only a synchronized score and sound effects.
The Broadway Melody also saw the invention (or perhaps more accurately the discovery) of the playback system, whereby performers in musicals lip-synced to songs they had recorded earlier. The Wedding of the Painted Doll was the film’s biggest production number and Irving Thalberg was so dissatisfied with the original footage that he ordered it shot again. According to Bosley Crowther in The Lion’s Share (1957), it was sound engineer Douglas Shearer who suggested that money could be saved by reusing the live music previously recorded. Pre-recording musical performances went on to become standard operating procedure throughout the classical period.
The Broadway Melody was the first backstage musical, putting in place many of the tropes that became genre clichés. This includes the convention that the show being staged is almost always a revue rather than a drama; and the recurring dichotomy between highbrow and lowbrow music.
It also includes the first musical number integrated into a film’s narrative. Eddie sings You Were Meant for Me not on stage but in Queenie’s apartment, to a non-diegetic musical accompaniment, sealing his declaration of love and moving forward the narrative.
Queenie (Anita Page) is guilty about listening to a love song from Eddie (Charles King), her sister Hank’s beau
Conversely, The Wedding of the Painted Doll is a template for the extraneous production number, filmed on a large scale and without the participation of the film’s principal players. It is also the first musical number filmed in (two-strip) Technicolor.
Arthur Freed, who would become MGM’s most important musical producer, made his first contribution to the genre with the seven songs he provided with his partner, Nacio Herb Brown. It is fitting that the trailblazing The Broadway Melody should have used original compositions rather than standards. Freed and Brown provided numbers that complemented the action. The lyrics of the title song, for example
Broadway, you magic street
River of humanity
I have trudged my weary feet
Down your Gay White Way
Dreaming a million dreams of fame
Yearning for you to know my name
reflect the story and experience of Hank, the character at the heart of the picture.
The Broadway Melody is unsophisticated to contemporary eyes, even in comparison to musicals made just a few years later. It is also a rare musical that also exists in a silent version, and even the talkie includes intertitles. And it is undeniable that the clod-hopping chorus line would not have made it into a Busby Berkeley number.
Eddie performs the title song
But it is important to remember that, in 1929, Photoplay’s review described it as the film in which talking pictures found new speed and freedom. Harry Beaumont and cinematographer John Arnold devised a “coffin on wheels”: a soundproof camera booth that was also compact enough to move around the set, enabling a sense of space. In a sense, The Broadway Melody was an experimental film: sound technology improved during the shooting period and it has been noted that the quality of sound recording is much better in the later scenes filmed. Irving Thalberg actually drew attention to the studio’s concern that audiences might be confused by a character bursting into song, accompanied by an unseen orchestra–bewilderingly, a stumbling-block to enjoyment of musicals that continues to this day.
