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The Gallery
takes a walk
along the
Great White Way
 "Give My Regards to Broadway" Al Jolson |
When Hollywood movies began to talk and sing, radio took up the beat, recordings passed it on and, regrettably, vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley soon disappeared. Film studios turned to Broadway for talent and stage actors with voice training and seasoned in singing and dancing replaced silent stars with voices not compatible with the new sound system. The first “talkie”, Warner’s “The Jazz Singer” in 1927, was mostly silent except for Al Jolson’s famous ad lib “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet” before bursting into song. But it played to packed houses.
Over at MGM Louis B. Mayer hired young engineer Douglas Shearer (Norma’s brother) to design a better sound system than Warner’s Vitaphone. Shearer and his team invented two important technologies for MGM…sound editing and pre-recorded soundtracks. Then Irving Thalberg took them and made a silent movie “Broadway Melody” into the first “All-Talking, All-Singing, All-Dancing” feature film! It became the first sound film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture and one of the first musicals to feature a Technicolor sequence (The Wedding of the Painted Doll). Sadly only the black and white copy remains.
 Broadway in the 1920s |
Broadway Melody of 1929…. |
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The music was composed by Nacio Herb Brown with lyrics by Arthur Freed (the team from “Singing in the Rain”) with a little help from George M. Cohan. It was the beginning of a series of musicals only related through the music and each with its own storyline. Here we have the story of a vaudeville sister act looking for their big break on Broadway only to find their success threatened when both sisters fall in love with the show’s song and dance man. A silent version of this film was also released because many theaters were not yet equipped with sound systems. |
 The Wedding of the Painted Doll |
Charles King…
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Born: October 31, 1889 in New York City, N.Y. Died: January 11, 1944 in London, England at 54 Cause of death: Pneumonia Marriages: One to Lila Rhodes that ended in divorce. No children. Remarks: King was a vaudeville entertainer who later starred in Broadway musicals and the Ziegfeld Follies. He was the first Broadway song and dance man to make it big in Hollywood. The brother of actresses Mollie and Nellie King, Charles contracted pneumonia while entertaining troops in London during WWII. He only made 8 films during his brief film career. |
Born: September 10, 1898 in Midland, Texas Died: April 26, 1986 in London, England at 87 Cause of death: natural causes Real name: Juanita Horton Marriages: One to William Hawks (brother of director/producer Howard Hawks). It lasted 6 years before ending in divorce. They had 1 daughter. Remarks: Bessie had a roller-coaster Hollywood career before moving to England where she became very popular on stage and in radio and films. D.W. Griffith gave Bessie her start and her new name but it was her performance in Cecil B. De Mille’s “Dress Parade” that made her a star. She received an Oscar nomination for her role in this film. |
Bessie Love… |
Anita Page….
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Born: August 4, 1910 in Flushing, New York Remarks: Anita became so popular that her fan mail was second only to Greta Garbo in volume. She was one of Hollywood’s busiest actresses and her leading men included Ramon Novarro, Clark Gable, Robert Montgomery and Buster Keaton. One of Anita’s best performances was that of prostitute Jenny Le Grand in “Skyscraper Souls” (1932) with Warren Williams. Anita page made 39 films before her surprise retirement at 23. |
 Broadway in the 1930s |
Broadway Melody of 1936… |
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…. takes the same musical genius of Brown and Freed then adds the dancing talents of Eleanor Powell and the Ebsens (Buddy and Vilma). The storyline involves a young dancer looking for a part in a Broadway show. She finds herself in competition with the prospective backer, a rich young widow who wants the part and the dancer’s man as well. | |
 Broadway Rhythm by Frances Langford |
Eleanor Powell… |
Born: November 21, 1910 in Springfield, Massachusetts Died: February 11, 1982 in Beverly Hills, California at 69 Cause of death: cancer Real name: Eleanor Torrey Powell Marriages: One to actor Glenn Ford that lasted 16 years before ending in divorce. They had one son, actor-singer Peter Ford. Remarks: She was dubbed “The World’s Greatest Tap Dancer” because of her fast footwork but she made MGM pay an unusually high price for her services. This was her first film and she literally kept MGM out of bankruptcy during the next decade. After her divorce from Ford in 1959 she switched to nightclubs and television, working into the 1960s. |
| Born: August 5, 1911 in Filley, Nebraska Died: June 8, 1969 in Santa Monica, California at 57 Cause of death: lung cancer Real Name: Spangler Arlington Brugh Marriages: Two. The first to actress Barbara Stanwyck lasted 12 years before ending in divorce with no children. The second to actress Ursula Theiss. This lasted until his death. They had 2 children. Remarks: Taylor’s first contract with MGM was for 7 years at $35 a week plus a new name. But his career really started with his first leading role opposite Irene Dunne in the 1937 hit “Magnificent Obsession”. But his“pretty boy” label was becoming tedious and by 1941 Taylor got his wish for darker, more dramatic roles with the role of “Billy The Kid” and “Johnny Eager”. Another power role was that of Marcus Vinicius in “Quo Vadis” (1950), a film that grossed over $11 million making it a super hit for that time. |
Robert Taylor… …as promoter Robert Gordon caught between a rock and two brown eyes.  |
| Born: February 14, 1894 in Waukegan, Illinois Died: December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California at 80 Cause of death; pancreatic cancer Real name: Benjamin Kubelsky Marriages: One to Sadie Marks (Mary Livingstone) that lasted until his death. They adopted a daughter, Joan. Remarks: Benny wanted to be a violinist and became a very accomplished one. But his career took a different turn and being a “bad’ violinist became one of his trademarks. He quit school and went into vaudeville and radio with his comedy act. “The Jack Benny Show” became one of the few radio shows to successfully transfer to television. He was the original “Old Blue Eyes” and his feud with Fred Allen remains a classic. Jack Benny made over 30 films. |
Jack Benny…. |
 Broadway in the 1940s |
Broadway Melody of 1938… |
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…..Again we have the music of Brown and Freed now infused with bits from Bizet, Brooks, Rossini, Sterbina and Robert Burns. We also find a familiar trio (Powell, Taylor and Ebsen) in different roles but still with that “Broadway, here we come” attitude. A songwriter who wants to produce a Broadway show runs into complications when the backer withdraws his funds. However, the new star of the show thinks a little horse sense may be just the answer for his problems. |
 Judy Garland and Buddy Ebsen "Dear Mr. Gable" by Judy Garland |
Buddy Ebsen as hoofer Peter Trott |
Born: April 2, 1908 in Belleville, Illinois Died: July 6th, 2003 in Torrance, California at 95 Cause of death: complications from pneumonia Real name: Christian Rudolph Ebsen, Jr. Marriages: Three, two ending in divorce. The first to Ruth Cambridge (1936-194?) gave him 2 daughters and the second to Nancy Wolcott (1944-1985) gave him 5 more children. The third to Dorothy Knott lasted 18 years until his death leaving 1 child. Remarks: Buddy and his sister Vilma, both dancers, appeared in vaudeville and on Broadway. His unique singing and dancing style won him his first movie role in “Broadway Melody of 1936” and he followed that up by dancing with Shirley Temple in “Captain January”. He took the role of the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz” but almost died from an allergic reaction to the silver paint and the role was taken over by Jack Haley. For more on Buddy Ebsen, see Issue #21. |
| Born: June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota Died: June 22, 1969 in Chelsea, London, England at 47 Cause of death: accidental barbiturate poisoning Real name: Frances Ethel Gumm Marriages: Five, four ending in divorce. One daughter was born to her second marriage (Vincente Minnelli) and a son and daughter to her third (Sid Luft). She married her fifth husband, disco manager Mickey Deans 4 months before her death. Remarks: Judy made $200 a week for this, her second feature film. Ten years later she was making $3000 a week for “The Harvey Girls”. But critics say her greatest performance was as Vicki Lester opposite James Mason in the 1954 hit “A Star Is Born”. For more on Judy, see Issue #9. |
Judy Garland as Betty Clayton… |
George Murphy as Sonny, Pete’s hoofer pal |
Born: July 4, 1902 in New Haven, Connecticut Died: May 3, 1992 in Palm Beach, Florida at 89 Cause of death: leukemia Real name: George Lloyd Murphy Marriages: Two. The first to Juliette Henkel (Julie Johnson) lasted 47 years until her death. They had 2 children. The second to Betty Blandi lasted 10 years until his death. Remarks: George left college to pursue a dancing career with his partner/wife Julie in 1927 and,when Julie retired in the early 1930s to start a family,George went on the road solo. His film debut came in 1934 in“Kid Millions” with Eddie Cantor. In 1940 he turned up playing Judy Garland’s father in Little Nelly Kelly and a guy who loved her in vain in For Me and My Gal in 1942. George made 46 films, became president of the Screen Actors Guild, and, in 1964, a US Senator from California until 1971. It was during this time that he lost part of his larynx to cancer and was never again able to speak above a whisper. |
| Born: January 13, 1884 in Russia. Died: February 9, 1966 in New York City, New York at 82 Cause of death: lung and kidney disease. Real name: Sophie Kalish Marriages: Three, all ending in divorce. She had one son Bert to her first marriage. Remarks: Called the “Last of the Red-Hot Mamas”, the stage was Sophie’s favorite forum. There she had the audience in the palm of her hand. She began her career as a little girl performing for the diners in her parents’ restaurant. When her first marriage failed, she left Bert with her folks, went on the road and never looked back. Florenz Ziegfeld caught her act and made her a headliner. But before long she was headlining her own shows. She once greeted the King of England with a “Hi Ya, King”. Today the legacy she left us is considered a national treasure. |
Sophie Tucker as Alice Clayton….
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 The Broadway of today! |
Broadway Melody of 1940…. |
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….here the music changes and we get Cole Porter all the way including his big hit “Begin the Beguine”. Eleanor Powell is back and this time she is paired with the dancing talents of both Fred Astaire and George Murphy (held over from the last edition). They are jobless hoofers looking for a show when a befuddled producer picks one for a spot then mixes up their names. To make it worse a budding romance turns friends into foes. This is the first and only time Astaire and Powell are teamed onscreen although they are considered the finest dancers of their time. |
 "Begin the Beguine" by Lois Hodnett |
Fred Astaire as Johnny Brett….
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Born: May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska Died: June 22, 1987 in Los Angeles, California at 88 Cause of death: pneumonia Real name: Frederic Austerlitz, Jr. Marriages: Two. The first to Phyllis Livingston Potter lasted 21 years until her death. They had 2 children. The second to Robin Smith lasted 7 years until his death. Remarks: Fred and his older sister, Adele, were vaudeville and Broadway dance partners when he was only 5. Adele left the business in 1932 and Fred headed west. He signed with RKO but made his film debut on loan out to MGM for “Dancing Lady” with Joan Crawford. But it was his dancing with Ginger Rogers in RKO’s “Flying Down to Rio” that set his star in motion. He tried retirement in 1945 but found himself back at work less than 3 years later. After a straight drama part in “The Towering Inferno” (1974) he tried it again in his last film “Ghost Story” in 1981 when he was 82. |
| Born: June 1, 1890 in New York City, New York, Died: September 18, 1949 in Beverly Hills, California at 59 Cause of death: heart attack Real name: Francis Philip Wuppermann Marriages: One to Alma Muller that lasted 35 years until his death. They had one child. Remarks: One of 11 children, Frank followed his older brother Ralph into show business first on the stage and then into films. He made his screen debut in the 1916 silent film “The Suspect” but he is probably most remembered as the Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz”(1939). For more on Frank Morgan, see Issue #11. |
Frank Morgan as Bob Casey |
Artist….Alavenia LLOL