Gold Diggers of Broadway
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The Gold Diggers of Broadway 1929 is an All-Talking musical comedy that was photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was the second All-Color talkie (the first was On with the Show 1929). This film was so popular that it quickly became the top grossing film of all time in 1929 and held this record until 1939. It was chosen as one of the ten best films of 1929 by Film Daily. Unfortunately the entire film is no longer extant. It is known to have played in theatres as late as 1939, but seems to have disappeared shortly thereafter. Today, only two reels are known to exist, along with a small fragment that was recently found. The soundtrack was recorded on Vitaphone disks and thus survuves intact. In the surviving soundtrack portion of the film, we meet a group of man hungry Gold-Digging showgirls: the sly (Nancy Welford), the snob (Lillian Tashman), the screwy (Gertrude Short) and the comedic show-off (Winnie Lightner). Add to this a wealthy lawyer (Albert Gran), and an angry Uncle (Conway Tearle) and his Nephew (William Bakewell) who has an eye for a blonde showgirl. Nick Lucas sings two songs that became huge hits in 1929: "Painting the Clouds with Sunshine" and "Tiptoe Thru the Tulips."
This film was so popular at the time that it was one of the first films to gain revenue from people coming back for a second screening. Its impact at the time can be judged by the American gross of 3.5 Million Dollars (unadjusted to today's inflation!). It is a loss to film history that there is no complete print in existence, but what does survive sparkles far in advance of many other films in the dawn of sound.
Cast
As Listed in the Credits of the Film
- Nancy Welford - Jerry
- Conway Tearle - Stephen Lee
- Winnie Lightner - Mabel
- Ann Pennington - Ann Collins
- Lilyan Tashman - Eleanor
- William Bakewell - Wally
- Nick Lucas - Nick
- Helen Foster - Violet
- Albert Gran - Blake
- Julia Swayne Gordon - Cissy Gray
- Lee Moran - Dance Director
- Armand Kaliz - Barney Barnett
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