Broadway Melody: 1928/1929

Expecting a full-on musical, Broadway Melody came as a bit of a surprise for me. When I watch a musical, I   think that the performers should be singing frequently, expressing their thoughts through song. But according to Encyclopedia Britannica, a musical is "motion picture consisting of a plot integrating musical numbers", which suggests that any movie with music within the plot is a musical. Broadway Melody includes some musical numbers, but the actors do not use song to express their thoughts. Instead, the music is part of the show within the show.

In Broadway Melody, the story focuses on Eddie and the Mahoney Sisters and their roles in a variety show being performed on Broadway. Eddie writes a song called "Broadway Melody", making a name for himself in the Broadway community. The film starts with Eddie performing this song in a room of musicians and writers; Eddie's new song captures everyone's attention. He is, in a sense, a new star, and with that new-found fame, Eddie tries to influence the producer of the variety show that focuses on his song. Eddie encourages the show's producer to see the Mahoney Sisters and cast them in the show. The Mahoney Sisters, Hank and Queenie, fail their audition but manage to acquire the role through Queenie's looks. The film becomes fairly stereotypical at this point, with the plain, outspoken sister Hank struggling in her place in the show while Queenie begins to rise to stardom with her looks (although Queenie is reluctant to take on this role as a star).

As the show progresses, the film's story becomes more predictable. Eddie, who is engaged to Hank, begins to fall for Queenie. Another producer of the variety show, Jacques Wariner, woos Queenie and eventually wants something from her in return--scandal alert! While the love triangle became more intense, I became less interested in the film. At one point, I wondered aloud what else was up for an Oscar in 1928/1929 since this film didn't seem nearly as Oscar-worthy as Wings (or, more recently, 2010's The King's Speech).

The film itself was just okay. I don't really have a better word for it. I enjoyed the behind the scenes aspect of Broadway showcased in the film--bickering between actors and stagehands--but as for the characters and story, the film was lacking. Hank is endearing in her own way; she's determined to do what's right for Queenie and Eddie, putting their needs before her own, but her extreme love seems too exaggerated, too intense, to be real. Although the film was only 100 minutes, I found myself at 50 minutes in wondering just how  much was really left.