Come on Along

The Broadway Melody of 1929 was one of the first sound musicals (yes, there were silent musicals), but it has a modern feel for me. It has a great opening number - a song pluggers office, with a dozen acts all trying out their songs at the same time. Charles King breaks out of the pack to demo his number "Broadway Melody". Soon, his girlfriend Hank - great name - played by Bessie Love - ooh great name and her sister Queenie (Anita Page) are in town from the sticks, trying out for a role in his musical.

Hank is a sharp little brunette and Queenie is a big blonde. Hank sums it up as "with my talent and your looks, we can't lose". They don't have much luck with their sister act but Queenie is hired on to pose naked in the background and is a big hit.

Note for "pre-code" fans: There's quite a bit of our girls in their underthings and posing nude (tastefully draped). That's one thing that gives this a modern feel. Another is the forthright sordidness - Queenie starts hanging out with producers, and it's plain they aren't interested in her talent.

But at heart, it's an old-fashioned melodrama: you see, King and Queenie have fallen in love, although they can't admit it. They can't hurt Hank, you see. It ends up the same way Glorifying the American Girl does: One girl gets a career in showbiz, the other gets the guy.

The songs are a little rough, and so are the dance numbers. I like that, though. They seem more real and less polished. Love has one little uninhibited jazz dance that is truly the bee's knees. And she plays an ukulele!