The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Charles Reisner |
Produced by |
Irving Thalberg Harry Rapf |
Written by |
Al Boasberg Robert E. Hopkins Joseph W. Farnham |
Starring |
Conrad Nagel Jack Benny Joan Crawford Marion Davies John Gilbert Norma Shearer Anita Page Marie Dressler William Haines Buster Keaton Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Gus Edwards |
Music by |
Gus Edwards Arthur Freed ("Singin' in the Rain") Nacio Herb Brown ("Singin' in the Rain") |
Cinematography |
John Arnold Max Fabian Irving G. Ries John M. Nickolaus |
Edited by |
William S. Gray Cameron K. Wood |
Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date
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June 20, 1929 (Los Angeles) |
Running time
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116 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | US$426,000 |
Box office | $1,561,000 |
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is an American Pre-Code musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of their earliest sound films. Produced by Harry Rapf and Irving Thalberg and directed by Charles Reisner, it features nearly all of MGM's stars in a two-hour revue that includes three segments in Technicolor. The masters of ceremonies are Conrad Nagel and Jack Benny.
Unlike M-G-M's imposing feature films, which always boasted strong story values, The Hollywood Revue of 1929 was a plotless parade of variety acts. Conrad Nagel, interviewed for the book The Real Tinsel, recalled, "Everybody thought Harry Rapf was crazy for making it." Billed as an "All-Star Musical Extravaganza", the film includes performances by once and future stars, including Joan Crawford singing and dancing on stage. (She later remarked, "Revue was one of those let's-throw-everyone-on-the-lot-into-a musical things, but I did a good song-and-dance number."). Other segments feature Lionel Barrymore, Marion Davies, Gus Edwards, John Gilbert, Buster Keaton, Marie Dressler, Anita Page, Norma Shearer, and the comedy team of Karl Dane and George K. Arthur.