Arriving in New York City with $200 and a pair of rose-colored glasses, sweet little Colleen Moore (as Mary Ellis) dreams of becoming a Broadway star. She moves in with experienced chorus girl Alice Lake (as "Bubbles" Revere) and starts making the rounds. Her amateur experience and avoidance of the "casting couch" makes it difficult for Ms. Moore. Moore would prefer to spend romantic time with struggling songwriter Johnnie Walker (as George Colton), who lives in the room upstairs. Tired of being poor, Moore tries to be personable with successful men in show business, but it isn't in her nature and leads to a tragic incident...
This typical story is a nice vehicle for the increasingly charming Colleen Moore, who would become a film superstar by the end of the decade...
She is certainly the star of the film, but Moore is also obviously not in sync with director Irving Cummings, who seems to favor the drama's more exuberant supporting players. Also, Mr. Cummings and the title card editor sometimes cut away from Moore in the midst of conveying something important. You really shouldn't cut away from Moore, until she's done. A fine scene with Moore silhouetted in a doorway, accompanied by a close-up, is an obvious highlight. The framing is nicely done, but horse cab driver Tully Marshall and luckless playwright Creighton Hale have no real emotional connection to main characters or story.
**** Broken Hearts of Broadway (7/23) Irving Cummings ~ Colleen Moore, Johnnie Walker, Alice Lake, Kate Price
This typical story is a nice vehicle for the increasingly charming Colleen Moore, who would become a film superstar by the end of the decade...
She is certainly the star of the film, but Moore is also obviously not in sync with director Irving Cummings, who seems to favor the drama's more exuberant supporting players. Also, Mr. Cummings and the title card editor sometimes cut away from Moore in the midst of conveying something important. You really shouldn't cut away from Moore, until she's done. A fine scene with Moore silhouetted in a doorway, accompanied by a close-up, is an obvious highlight. The framing is nicely done, but horse cab driver Tully Marshall and luckless playwright Creighton Hale have no real emotional connection to main characters or story.
**** Broken Hearts of Broadway (7/23) Irving Cummings ~ Colleen Moore, Johnnie Walker, Alice Lake, Kate Price