Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many s... Read allStarting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.Starting in 1913 movie director Connors discovers singer Molly Adair. As she becomes a star she marries an actor, so Connors fires them. She asks for him as director of her next film. Many silent stars shown making the transition to sound.
- Al Jolson - Recreation of 'The Jazz Singer' Scene
- (as Mr. Al Jolson)
- Directors
- Irving Cummings
- Buster Keaton(uncredited)
- Malcolm St. Clair(silent film sequences) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough a Twentieth Century-Fox picture, this is one of the few Hollywood-made films in which one studio (Fox) acknowledges and names the existence of another (Warner Bros.) and credits them with the introduction of talking pictures. Don Ameche is shown watching a scene from Warner's The Jazz Singer (1927), probably the only instance in Hollywood history where one studio shows another studio's work within a film. (Additionally, many other studios are mentioned in the dialogue, including Pathe, Vitagraph, Famous Players [later Paramount], Metro [later MGM] and United Artists.) Another rarity is that the head of the studio (J. Edward Bromberg) is openly portrayed as being Jewish. In later years, Bromberg was blacklisted and sadly died from a heart attack while performing in a stage play in London, where he sought to restart his career. Fans of W.C. Fields will recognize Russell Hicks who plays the stone-hearted money-man Roberts in this film--as fast-talking con man J. Frothingham Waterbury, who sold Fields shares in the Beefstake Mine in the classic comedy The Bank Dick (1940).
- GoofsThis is another film that perpetuates the myth that studios abandoned silents almost immediately after "The Jazz Singer" opened. In fact, it WAS regarded as a fluke. It would be many months before studios realized that talkies weren't going away, and it wasn't until 1930 that production of silents finally ceased, save an occasional outlier like "City Lights" and "Tabu.
- Quotes
Dave Spingold: [to Molly] It'll be chiseled on my tombstone - Dave Spingold - Schlemiel.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Take It or Leave It (1944)
As for the fictional account to an existing era, the plot begins in 1913 where Michael Linnett Connors (Don Ameche) and his partner, Dave Spingold (J. Edward Bromberg) come to New York City where they attend a stage production of "The Man Who Came Back" featuring Molly Adair (Alice Faye), an understudy filling in for Trixie Farrell, whose come up with laryngitis. Although Molly's performance comes across as bad, it does attract some attention by Connors, who offers her a studio contract in "pictures" for $100 a week. At first she declines, but after much persuasion, she takes him up on his offer and heads for Hollywood. Molly's screen test for Globe Pictures makes an impression, especially in a slapstick comedy starring Buster Keaton where she accidentally gets a pie in her face that has audiences roaring in laughter. Pie throwing comedies become a sensation, but eventually fade for more sophisticated productions. As years pass, Mike attempts new ideas, making Molly as top star in dramatic roles. While Molly has fallen in love with Michael, his mind is mostly on his work, creativity and his own movie studio bearing his name. He realizes his error too late when Molly marries Nicky Hayden (Alan Curtis), her leading man (who was discovered working in a gas station). Having lost Molly, whose career is at its peak, Michael falls to hard times, with no movie offers due to his big budget costs and bad temperament towards his actors and crew. With the 1927 premiere of "The Jazz Singer" that becomes the talk of Hollywood, putting an end to the silent era, closing a chapter to old careers and opening the door for the new, the studio is faced with the dilemma as to what to do with Molly's unfinished silent production of "Common Clay" with Michael now back in the director's chair.
A great idea to an old story, "Hollywood Cavalcade" is a fun film to sit through, full of nostalgia and re-enactment of how silent movies, especially comedies, were made. Guest appearances by silent comics now past their prime including Buster Keaton, Ben Turpin and Chester Conklin are a plus; Eddie Collins, Hank Mann, Heinie Conklin, Snub Pollard and James Finlayson adding to the enjoyment as The Keystone Kops; with added bonuses of comedy director Mack Sennett delivering a testimonial at the Cocoanut Grove; Lee Duncan, the man who discovered Rin-Tin-Tin, the first dog superstar, as played by Rinty Jr.; as well as the legendary Al Jolson appearing briefly in the Sabbath prayer sequence of "Kol Nidre" from "The Jazz Singer" during the latter part of the story. Up to then, the fun has dimmed due to melodramatics and tragic circumstances that take up the second half with harsh realities taking place during the close of an age of silent movie making.
In the supporting cast, look for the familiar faces of Stuart Erwin as Pete Tinney, the cameraman; Donald Meek as Lyle P. Stout; Jed Prouty, Chick Chandler, Irving Bacon, Willie Fung, and much more.
Because Alice Faye was a specialized singer, it's a wonder why the screenwriters didn't think of having her perform in an early sound musical? A missed opportunity put to better advantage years with MGM's "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. As for "Hollywood Cavalcade," it's sadly forgotten due to lack of revivals, even with Technicolor, though it would have been more authentic with black and white photography. Out of circulation for many years, it did have some repeated showings on American Movie Classicscable channel in 2001, followed by the Fox Movie Channel where it can currently be seen and studied by film enthusiasts. Thanks to its authentic recreation of a bygone era and a grand first hour or so, "Hollywood Cavalcade" is recommended viewing. (***)
- lugonian
- Sep 7, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Holivudska kavalkada
- Filming locations
- West First Street, Los Angeles, California, USA(Photographs)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 37 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1