Tweet LORD BYRON OF BROADWAY (1930)

Watched this one again tonight after a decade or so. Charles Kaley and Ethelind Terry (Broadway's Rio Rita) are simply atrocious. Marion Shilling is fine and Cliff Edwards surprisingly dramatic. Gwen Lee and Benny Rubin also on hand. The color sequences are beautiful, and there's a hit song with "Should I?"

Barrios says the original stars were to be William Haines and Bessie Love (as Nancy I imagine) but the story was then whittled down to pap and Kaley and Terry got the leads. Just as well.

And did I imagine it or did Kaley called Eddie Kane (as music publisher) Eddie while Rubin called him Abe?

Guess this one can be scratched from my "must see" list. That Terry's next (& last) picture, 7 yrs later, was a B-Western, suggests her performance in this one didn't wow too many others. A shame all those Brown & Freed tunes weren't provided to those who could make more effective use of them.

Ethelind Terry was just weird. Charles Kaley was okay; he wasn't anything special. The others did a good job but the story was done way too much.

It was almost as if Terry was trying to be god-awful. Her singing voice seemed ok, but her acting was in a class by itself. What accent was she trying for and why? And she kept doing those silent movie vamp movements and arch reactions. Even on stage, she would have been bad.

Well, if you don't watch the whole movie, you really shouldn't miss this number. It's a lot of fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJOCkbGJokQ" target="_blank

Truly bizarre number that somehow seems like a copy of "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" in tune and in choreography. Miss Terry spent most of the number doing scales while she walked up and down the steps for no reason at all.

Well, if you don't watch the whole movie, you really shouldn't miss this number. It's a lot of fun!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJOCkbGJokQ" target="_blank" target="_blank

God, I love it! More, even, than the Painted Doll number in B&W. That's Terry singing in pink? Naughty of those blackbirds to be doing the Black Bottom!

I love the Woman in the Shoe number, notice that all of her kids disappear after she turns into a flapper.

That's June Purcell whose only other film was singing "Low Down Rhythm" in Hollywood Revue of 1929. I think she was credited as "June Pursell."

That's June Purcell whose only other film was singing "Low Down Rhythm" in Hollywood Revue of 1929. I think she was credited as "June Pursell."

Are you saying that it is June Pursell doing the vocals for Ethelind Terry in the "Woman in the Shoe" number?
Or, I think that's Pursell singing in the first part of the number (sitting in front of the old shoe).
I don't think I'd seen June Pursell documented anywhere before as being in this film.
Thanks for the new info!

WHOOPS... got my films mixed. Purcell was the stage singer in Viennese Nights.

Truly bizarre number that somehow seems like a copy of "The Wedding of the Painted Doll" in tune and in choreography. Miss Terry spent most of the number doing scales while she walked up and down the steps for no reason at all.

That walking up and down steps routine seems to have been pretty typical stage choreography - check out the "Lady Luck" finale of Show of Shows. The other alternative was walking back and forth across the stage. If you try to dance and sing at the same time the results are awkward- listen to the chorus boys in the "Wild Rose" number from SALLY.

It seems more like a show girl move (up the down staircase) than for the star who then has her back to the audience while she's singing....

It was almost as if Terry was trying to be god-awful. Her singing voice seemed ok, but her acting was in a class by itself.

Just saw it. Actually, Terry had to share that class with Kaley--they constituted a perfectly matched pair of dopes. If Ziegfield tolerated her for more than one performance, she must have been an entirely different performer on stage. Thank goodness always-delightful Gwen Lee and (my favorite) naughty Mary Doran were included! Have to admit, however, the "Old Shoe" number atones for a multitude of sins.

I liked Marion Shilling.