Showgirl in Hollywood

Showgirl in Hollywood is a 1930 American pre-Code all-talking musical film with Technicolor sequences, produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The film stars Alice White, Jack Mulhall and Blanche Sweet. It was adapted from the 1929 novel Hollywood Girl by J.P. McEvoy.[2]

Showgirl In Hollywood
theatrical release poster
Directed byMervyn LeRoy
Written byAdaptation:
Harvey F. Thew
James A. Starr
'Dialogue:
Harvey F. Thew
Based onHollywood Girl
by J. P. McEvoy
Produced byRobert North
StarringAlice White
CinematographySol Polito
Edited byPete Fritch
Music byJoseph Burke
Ray Henderson
Production
company
Distributed byFirst National Pictures[1]
Release date
  • April 20, 1930 (1930-04-20) (US)
Running time
77 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, Noah Beery, Walter Pidgeon, and Loretta Young make cameo appearances in the final reel, which was photographed in Technicolor. Showgirl in Hollywood is a sequel to the 1928 Warner Bros. silent film Show Girl, which starred Alice White as Dixie Dugan.[2][3]

A French version of the film, titled Le masque d'Hollywood, was directed by Clarence G. Badger and John Daumery.[4]

Plot

When the film begins, a musical show closed down before it has had a chance to open. Jimmie Doyle (Jack Mulhall), who wrote the musical intends to rewrite it, and his girlfriend Dixie Dugan (Alice White), fed up at wasting her time for a show that never opened, is intent on finding a new career. While at a nightclub, Dixie does a musical number and catches the eye of Frank Buelow (John Miljan), a Hollywood director. Buelow persuades Dixie to go to Hollywood, where he will have a part waiting for her in his upcoming films.

Dixie takes the next train to California. When she arrives, she is disappointed to find that Buelow has been fired from the studio and that there is no part for her. Dixie meets Donny Harris (Blanche Sweet), a former star who is out of work because she is considered "as old as the hills" at the age of 32.[5] Soon after, Dixie discovers that Jimmie Doyle is in Hollywood because one of the film studios had bought the film rights to his musical play. Jimmie had insisted that Dixie be given the lead in the film version of his play. The film goes into production, and Dixie manages to get Donny included in the cast.

One day, Dixie meets Frank Buelow at a restaurant and tells her that he is now working for another studio. Through his influence, Buelow manages to change Dixie into a temperamental and conceited actress, and this change leads to complications that almost end her film career.

Cast

Cameos

Songs
  • "I've Got My Eye on You"
  • "Hang onto a Rainbow"
  • "There's a Tear for Every Smile in Hollywood"
  • "Merrily We Roll Along"
  • "Buy, Buy for Baby" (Or "Baby Will Bye Bye You")

Reception

Showgirl in Hollywood received good reviews. Photoplay called the film Alice White's best sound film and described it as "first-rate entertainment, in spite of a soggy spot or two."[6]

Preservation

The film only survives in a black-and-white copy. The last reel was filmed in Technicolor but is considered lost.

Home media

Showgirl in Hollywood was released on DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection in December 2009.[7]

See also

References
  1. Showgirl in Hollywood at the American Film Institute Catalog
  2. Bradley, Edwin M. (2004). The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932. McFarland. p. 230. ISBN 0-786-42029-4.
  3. Parish, James Robert; Pitts, Michael R. & Mank, Gregory W. (1978). Hollywood on Hollywood. Scarecrow Press. p. 315. ISBN 0-810-81164-2.
  4. Liebman, Roy (2003). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland. p. 209. ISBN 0-786-41279-8.
  5. Bradley 2004 p.231
  6. Kreuger, Miles ed. (1974) The Movie Musical from Vitaphone to 42nd Street as Reported in a Great Fan Magazine (New York: Dover Publications) p. 188. ISBN 0-486-23154-2
  7. Kehr, Dave (January 15, 2010). "When Hollywood Learned to Talk, Sing and Dance". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
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