Melody Lane (1929 film)
| Melody Lane | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert F. Hill |
| Written by | J.G. Hawks Robert F. Hill Tom Reed |
| Based on | The Understander by Jo Swerling |
| Starring | Eddie Leonard Josephine Dunn Rose Coe |
| Cinematography | Joseph Brotherton |
| Edited by | Daniel Mandell |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30,000 |
Melody Lane is a 1929 black and white American musical film directed by Robert F. Hill. It is an adaption to the play The Understander written by Jo Swerling.[1][2]
Cast
- Eddie Leonard as Des Dupree
- Josephine Dunn as Dolores Dupree
- Rose Coe as Constance Dupree
- George E. Stone as Danny
- Huntley Gordon as Rinaldi
- Jane La Verne as Constance Dupree
- Blanche Carter as Nurse
- Jake Kern as Orchestra Leader
- Monte Carter as Stage Manager
Soundtrack
- "ROLY BOLY EYES"
- Written by Eddie Leonard
- Performed by Eddie Leonard
- "THE SONG OF THE ISLANDS"
- Written by Charles E. King
- "Here I Am"
- Words and Music by Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, and Jack Stern
- Copyright 1929 by Irving Berlin Inc.
- "There's Sugar-Cane Around My Door"
- Words and Music by Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, and Jack Stern
- Copyright 1929 by Irving Berlin Inc.
- "The Bogey-Man Is Here"
- Words and Music by Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, and Jack Stern
- Copyright 1929 by Irving Berlin Inc.
- "Beautiful"
- Words and Music by Eddie Leonard, Grace Stern, and Jack Stern
- Copyright 1929 by Irving Berlin Inc.
Production
Eddie Leonard's character when onstage is in blackface. The use of white actors in blackface for black character roles in Hollywood films did not begin to decline until the late 1930s, and is now considered highly offensive, disrespectful, and racist.[3]
Preservation
The film is now incomplete, with a 16mm copy of the last reel of the sound version, an incomplete print of the silent version (5 of the 6 reels) is also in the Library of Congress. An incomplete soundtrack (reels 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of 8) also survives in the hands of a private collector.
See also
References
- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Melody Lane
- ^ Progressive Silent Film List: Melody Lane at silentera.com
- ^ Clark, Alexis. "How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism". A&E Television Networks, LLC. 2019.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melody Lane.
- Melody Lane at IMDb