Lights of New York (1928 film)
Encyclopedia
Lights of New York was the first all-talking
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...

 feature film, released by Warner Brothers (who had introduced the first feature-length part-talkie The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...

in the previous year) and directed by Bryan Foy. The film, which cost only $23,000 to produce, grossed over $1,000,000. It was also the first film to define the crime genre. The enthusiasm with which audiences greeted the talkies was so great that by the end of 1929, Hollywood was producing sound films exclusively.

Plot

The plot of the film centers around Eddie (Cullen Landis), a young kid from upstate New York who is conned into fronting for a speakeasy on Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...

. There is a chorus-girl with a heart of gold (top-billed Helene Costello
Helene Costello
Helene Costello was an American motion picture actress, most notably of the silent film era.Lou Costello took his professional name from the actress.- Biography :...

), a cop-killing gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....

 boss, Hawk Miller (Wheeler Oakman) and his downtrodden ex-girlfriend (Gladys Brockwell
Gladys Brockwell
Gladys Brockwell was an American actress whose career began during the silent film era.-Early life:Born Gladys Lindeman in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of a chorus girl who put her on stage at a very early age. By the time she reached her middle teens, she was already a veteran and...

). With the cops closing in on him, Hawk needs a fall guy. Planting contraband in poor Eddie's shop, the gang leader then instructs his henchmen to "take him for a ride" But Eddie escapes his "ride," and there is a final confrontation. Just as all hope seems lost, Hawk is killed by persons unknown. The murder weapon, however, belongs to the chorus girl and she is about to be arrested by Detective Crosby (Robert Elliott), when the real murderer—Miller's downtrodden ex-girlfriend—gives herself up.

Cast

  • Helene Costello
    Helene Costello
    Helene Costello was an American motion picture actress, most notably of the silent film era.Lou Costello took his professional name from the actress.- Biography :...

     - Kitty Lewis
  • Cullen Landis
    Cullen Landis
    Cullen Landis was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era.-Biography:...

     - Eddie Morgan
  • Mary Carr
    Mary Carr
    Mary Carr was an American film actress and was married to the actor William Carr . She appeared in 144 films between 1915 and 1956...

     - Mrs. Morgan
  • Wheeler Oakman
    Wheeler Oakman
    Wheeler Oakman was an American film actor.Usually appearing as a henchman in films, rarely a leading role, he appeared in over 280 films between 1912 and 1948....

     - 'Hawk' Miller
  • Gladys Brockwell
    Gladys Brockwell
    Gladys Brockwell was an American actress whose career began during the silent film era.-Early life:Born Gladys Lindeman in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of a chorus girl who put her on stage at a very early age. By the time she reached her middle teens, she was already a veteran and...

     - Molly Thompson
  • Robert Elliott - Detective Crosby
  • Eugene Pallette
    Eugene Pallette
    Eugene William Pallette was an American actor. He appeared in over 240 silent era and sound era motion pictures between 1913 and 1946....

     - Gene
  • Tom Dugan - Sam
  • Tom McGuire - Collins
  • Walter Percival - Jake Jackson
  • Guy D'Ennery - Tommy
  • Jere Delaney - Dan Dickson

Songs

  • "At Dawning" (Sung by Harry Downing)
  • "Kiss and Make Up" (Sung by Harry Downing and danced by Chorus Girls in nightclub sequence)
  • "March Dance" (Danced by Chorus Girls in nightclub sequence)

Production

Directed by Foy from a script written by Murray Roth and comedian Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert
Hugh Herbert was a motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville, and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches.-Career:...

, Lights of New York was originally intended to be a two-reel film with a budget of $12,000, as the studio had not yet committed to regular production of full-length talking films. However, with studio heads Harry and Jack Warner out of the country to oversee the European premiere of The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...

, the crew gradually elaborated the plot as the seven-day shooting schedule progressed. Louis Halper, who was in charge of the studio while the Warners were away, eventually wired Jack Warner for the additional money needed to finish the film.

Upon discovering that Foy had shot four reels more than promised, Jack Warner ordered him to cut the film back to the original two. Foy later said that the Warners' initial rejection was possibly based on their plans to make the first all-talkie a prestige picture. In an effort to keep the movie off the shelf, Foy screened the picture for an exhibitor friend, who immediately offered to buy it outright for $25,000. Upon hearing this, the Warners asked Albert Warner to view the film, and his praise of Lights convinced Jack and Harry that their decision was premature, securing the film's release.

Reception

Contemporary critical reception of Lights of New York was decidedly cool. A New York Times review, while acknowledging the film's place as "the alpha of what may develop as the new language of the screen," called the plot "crude in the extreme" and the direction wooden, only singling out the musical interludes for praise. Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...

was even more harsh in its dismissal, labeling the production "hokumed junk." "In a year from now everyone concerned [...] will run for the river before looking at it again"

The criticism did not keep audiences away, although demand may have been driven more by the novelty of the first "all-talking" feature film than the film's dramatic qualities. A preview engagement in Pasadena, California, resulted in lines around the block, and the first week's gross at New York City's Mark Strand Theater amounted to $47,000. Upon nationwide release, the film grossed $1.3 million.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK