“HEAR NANCY CARROLL SING and THE WHOLE CAST TALK!”
All-talking musical sound film — 70 mins.
Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. / Dir. John Cromwell
Production: December 22, 1928 or January 5, 1929 (David Stenn’s Bombshell lists a start date of December 22, but AFI cites January 5) — January 14, 1929
Release date: April 13, 1929
Survival/release status: Extant, but unreleased; 19 mins are available to watch online.
Cast: Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers (Al West), Nancy Carroll (Marjorie Merwin), Harry Green (Max Mindel), Jack Oakie (Ben Barney), Richard ‘Skeets’ Gallagher (Johnny Bay), Jean Harlow (uncredited bit part).
Summary (from AFI): Marjorie, a song-and-dance girl in the stage show of a palatial movie theater, becomes interested in Al West, a warehouse clerk who has put together an unusual jazz band in which he can play every instrument, and uses her influence to get him a place on one of the programs. Max Mindel, the house manager, has a yen for Marjorie and, discovering that she is in love with Al, gives the band notice and hires harmony singers Barney & Bey as a replacement. Marjorie makes up to both men and soon breaks up the team. Al learns of her scheme, however, and makes her confess to the singers. Barney and Bey make up, and Max gives Al and his band one more chance. Al is a sensation, and Max offers him a contract for $1,000 a week.
Trivia:
- Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers socialized with Harlow’s mother during the production of Close Harmony, who he found “very, very attractive”. Nancy Carroll noticed Harlow was “sweet and seemingly shy” but “exuded an extreme sexuality”. (from David Stenn’s Bombshell). Some cast lists refer to Harlow as an uncredited ‘chorus girl’, but on top of not being a trained dancer, she is not visible in the chorus line in the available footage.
Stills and ad art:
Harlow Heaven 