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The Broadway Melody main poster

The Broadway Melody

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5.2/10 • 153

1929-02-081h 41m

MusicRomanceDrama

All talking. All singing. All dancing.

The vaudeville act of Harriet and Queenie Mahoney comes to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns needs them for his number in one of Francis Zanfield's shows. When Eddie meets Queenie, he soon falls in love with her—but she is already being courted by Jock Warriner, a member of New York high society. Queenie eventually recognizes that, to Jock, she is nothing more than a toy, and that Eddie is in love with her.

Directors
Harry Beaumont
Writters
Edmund Goulding
Editors
Edmund Goulding, Sam Zimbalist

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Charles King

    Charles King

    Eddie Kearns

  2. Anita Page

    Anita Page

    Queenie Mahoney

  3. Bessie Love

    Bessie Love

    Hank Mahoney

  4. Betty Arthur

    Betty Arthur

    Chorus Dancer (uncredited)

  5. J. Emmett Beck

    J. Emmett Beck

    Babe Hatrick (uncredited)

  6. Nacio Herb Brown

    Nacio Herb Brown

    Pianist (uncredited)

  7. James Burrows

    James Burrows

    Singer (uncredited)

  8. Eddie Bush

    Eddie Bush

    Quartet Guitarist and Singer (uncredited)

  9. Ray Cooke

    Ray Cooke

    Bellhop (uncredited)

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 27, 2025

6/10

“Eddie” (Charles King) invites his girlfriend “Hank” (Bessie Love) and her sister “Queenie” (Anita Page) to join a show being staged by legendary producer “Zanfeld” (Eddie Kane) on Broadway. That’s about as simple as the plot gets because quite swiftly he switches his allegiance to the other sister but she’s a decent sort of gal and tries to return the attentions of socialite “Jock” (Kenneth Thomson). Those attentions are really only skin deep, though, and as we watch we all too readily realise where the real love story lies. Whilst all of this melodrama is playing out, director Harry Beaumont makes best use of his theatrical setting to intersperse this game of who is dating who with some quite well choreographed and scored song and dance routines in the best traditions of (sometimes quite risqué vaudeville. It’s an early talkie and it looks it. None of the cast look particularly comfortable with their lines, but they do look much more natural when the gals are on the stage or frenetically lurching from heartbreak to lovestruck - usually very loudly, backstage too! Love is a class act and she certainly steals the show here but that’s maybe it’s problem. It is a film about a show, whereas it might have been better had it just been a show, and cut out the romancing elements that do create their own suds just once too often. It is a lively enterprise, though, and looks as if those behind the camera knew just how to show how manic, haphazard and hectic life behind the curtain could be, and that’s without any love triangles! It hasn’t really stood the test of time, but I do wonder how many films made now will still have any entertainment value in a century?

Media

  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster
  • The Broadway Melody poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$379,000.00
Revenue
$4,358,000.00
Keywords
new york citydancinglove trianglerevue girlsshow businessmusicaltap dancingsingersingingblack and whiteundressingbroadwaypre-codevaudevilledressing roomwisecrack humorshowbizchorus girlgirl fightcroonerbroadway showearly sound filmdance actsisterhoodpartially lost filmsister actshow girlsstage show performersister sister relationshipvaudeville troupesisters lovemany beautiful girlsdancing girlssisters love same man