The Melody Man is a 1930 American pre-Code all-talking drama musical sound film produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. This film is important historically as being Columbia's first sound feature to feature color. The first reel of the film was photographed in the Technicolor process. It was directed by Roy William Neill and starred John St. Polis, Alice Day and William Collier, Jr. The story is based on a Broadway play by Herbert Fields.[1]
| The Melody Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Written by | Howard J. Green |
| Based on | play The Melody Man by Herbert Fields |
| Produced by | Harry Cohn |
| Starring | John St. Polis Alice Day William Collier, Jr. |
| Cinematography | Ted Tetzlaff |
| Edited by | Leonard Wheeler |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is preserved in the Library of Congress.[2]
Plot
editEarl von Kemper is a famous Austrian composer who fled to the United States: in Vienna, during his concert in the presence of the emperor, Kemper surprised his beloved woman locked in a boudoir with Frederick, the crown prince. Mad with jealousy, the musician killed the prince, then fleeing with his daughter.
Fifteen years have passed. Kemper earns his living playing the violin in a New York club with two other musicians. His daughter Elsa meets Al Tyler, a jazz musician. The latter overhears Kemper's rhapsody, the one that had been played at the concert for the emperor; he likes music, arranges it, making it a very successful jazz piece. But the music is recognized by Baden, the Austrian police minister, who then prepares to arrest Kemper. The musician then pretends with his daughter that he has obtained an engagement in Europe, leaving the two young lovers in America.[3]
Cast
edit- Alice Day - Elsa
- William Collier, Jr. - Al Tyler (*billed as Buster Collier)
- Johnnie Walker - Joe Yates
- John St. Polis - Von Kemper
- Mildred Harris - Martha
- Albert Conti - Prince Friedrich
- Anton Vaverka - Franz Josef
- Tenen Holtz - Gustav (uncredited)
- Lee Kohlmar - Adolph (uncredited)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Melody Man
- ^ Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress, p.114, c. 1978, American Film Institute.
- ^ Neill, Roy William (January 15, 1930), The Melody Man (Crime, Drama, Music), William Collier Jr, Alice Day, John St Polis, Columbia Pictures, retrieved December 3, 2023
External links
edit- The Melody Man at IMDb
- The Melody Man, Allmovie.com
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