The Broadway Melody: 1929 Best Picture

This MGM musical starred Eddie Kearns and Anita Page, known as “The Girl with the Most Beautiful Face in Hollywood,” and Bessie Love, who was nominated for Best Actress for her work in the film. Also nominated for Best Actress: Mary Pickford as Norma Besant in “Coquette”; Ruth Chatterton as Jacqueline Floriot in “Madame X”; Betty Compson as Carrie in “The Barker” Corinne Griffith as Emma, Lady Hamilton in “Carrie” and Jeanne Eagels, nominated posthumously for her role as Leslie Crosbie in “The Letter”. Mary Pickford won.

Director Harry Beaumont was nominated for Best Director, along with Lionel Barrymore for “Madame X”, “Irving Cummings for “In Old Arizona”; Frank Lloyd for “Drag”, “Weary River” “The Divine Lady.” Lloyd won for “The Divine Lady.” (Yes, Frank Lloyd is the only director ever nominated for 3 films in the same year).

This was MGM’s first all-talking picture, the first sound film to win Best Picture and a very popular film in 1929. Perhaps your great-grandparents stepped out to see the sound version, if they were lucky to live by a theater that had the capability to show it. MGM also released a silent version of the film to theaters that did not.

Perhaps they also saw “Gold Diggers of Broadway,” another big musical hit in 1929. If not, they certainly heard “Tiptoe through the Tulips” from that film when it became a No. 1 hit.

We couldn’t find any Jeopardy clues on The Broadway Melody at at all. But we did find these clues for other 1929 films:

FILMS OF THE 1920s $400: This comedy team made their feature film debut in 1929’s “The Cocoanuts”, which was based on their stage play
*YOU DESERVE A PRIZE $200: When Janet Gaynor won the first one of these for an actress in 1929, it was actually for 3 film roles
NOT SO LIL’ WAYNES $600: He billed himself as Duke Morrison for the 1929 film “Words and Music”
TULIPS $600: This tune featured in the 1929 film “Gold Diggers of Broadway” was famously revived in 1968
AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS $1000: The only film they starred in together was 1929’s “The Taming of the Shrew”
EARLY BRITISH CINEMA $200: Hitchcock’s “Blackmail” of 1929 was Britain’s first feature film of this type
FILM DIRECTORS: In his 1929 film “Die Frau im Mond”, or “Woman in the Moon”, he originated the rocket countdown.

*this was at the first Academy Awards ceremony. The 2nd Academy Awards ceremony for 1929 films was held on April 3, 1930.

List of Best Picture Oscars (20s-40s)

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