Manhattan Parade
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| Manhattan Parade (1931) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lloyd Bacon |
| Written by | Houston Branch, Robert Lord based on the play by Samuel Shipman. |
| Starring | Winnie Lightner, Charles Butterworth, Joe Smith, Charles Dale |
| Cinematography | Devereaux Jennings (Technicolor) |
| Edited by | William Holmes |
| Music by | Harold Arlen, Harry Ruby |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates | December 24, 1931 |
Running time | 78 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Manhattan Parade is a 1931 musical comedy film photographed entirely in Technicolor.[1] It was originally intended to be released, in the United States, early in 1931, but was shelved due to public apathy towards musicals. Despite waiting a number of months, the public proved obstinate and the Warner Bros. reluctantly released the film in December of 1931 after removing all the music. The film was released outside the United States (since there was no backlash against musicals outside the United States) as a full musical comedy in 1931.
Production
The film was the first Warner Bros. film to be filmed in the improved Technicolor process which removed grain and improved both the color and clarity of the film. This improved process had first been used on The Runaround (1931) and resulted in a attempt at a color revival by the studios late in 1931.[2]
Synopsis
Winnie Lightner plays Doris, the wife and business partner of Herbert (Charles Butterworth), owner of a theatrical costume store. When Herbert scampers off to parts unknown in the company of flashy blonde Charlotte (Greta Granstedt), Doris takes over the management of their store. She has a pretty rough time of it until European impresario Vassiloff (Luis Alberni) rents every costume in the store for a lavish stage spectacular. Alas, the show folds after one night, but Herbert saves the day by returning in the nick of time with a big moneymaking scheme. Child actor Dickie Moore has a cute bit in which he lulls Winnie Lightner to sleep with a bedtime story.
Comic relief is provided by the Jewish-dialect patter of comedians Smith & Dale.
Pre-Code Sequences
- Bobby Watson plays the part of a gay fashion designer named Paisley.
- In one sequence, Paisley protests that "I can cheapen myself and prostitute my art for just so long" when his boss Doris Roberts (Winnie Lightner) insists that he follow a customer's directions.
- Herbert (Charles Butterworth) says to Paisley: "What were we talking about, Madam?"
- John Roberts (Walter Miller), who is married to Doris, has an affair with a seventeen year old named Charlotte Evans (Greta Granstedt).
Music
Three songs were written for the film by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler:
- "I Love a Parade" (Production Number sung by Chorus)
- "Temporarily Blue" (Sung by Winnie Lightner)
- "I'm Happy When You're Jealous" (Sung by Winnie Lightner)
Trivia
- It will seem odd, to modern audiences, that when Charlotte Evans (the seventeen year old girl) finds out that John Roberts is cheating on her, that she threatens him with a "breath of contract" suit and not with the fact that she is seventeen. Relationships such as these were common in those days and apparently not viewed with the disdain that they are today. For example, the 26 year old movie star Grant Withers married the 17 year old Loretta Young in 1930. Such a thing, of course, would be impossible today without charges being filed against the older party.
- I'm Happy When You're Jealous was recorded by Isham Jones and his Orchestra for Brunswick Records (Record Number 6204).[1]
- This was the first of two films which the comedy team of "Smith and Dale" starred in for Warner Bros. (the second being The Heart of New York). The team failed to be the success which Warner Bros. had hoped for and their contract was not renewed.
- The film pokes fun at Al Jolson, who had reached a downturn in his career due to the public aversion to musical pictures. He had been released from his contract to Warner Bros. late in 1930.
Preservation
Only a black and white copy of the cut print released in 1931 in the United States seems to have survived. The complete film was released intact in countries outside the United States where a backlash against musicals never occurred. It is unknown whether a copy of this full version still exists.