Title: Glorifying the American Girl Year: 1929 Directors: Millard Webb, John W. Harkrider Producer: Florenz Ziegfeld Production Company: Paramount Pictures Runtime: 96 minutes Country: United States Language: English Format: Black-and-White with Technicolor sequences, Sound Genres: Musical, Comedy, Drama --- Synopsis: Glorifying the American Girl follows the story of Gloria Hughes, a young woman from a small town who dreams of becoming a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Working in a department store's sheet music department, she sings the latest hits accompanied by her childhood friend Buddy, who harbors feelings for her. When vaudeville performer Danny Miller offers her a chance to join him as his new partner, Gloria sees it as an opportunity to make her dream come true. However, upon arriving in New York City, she discovers that Danny's intentions are less than honorable. Eventually, Gloria is discovered by a representative of Ziegfeld, leading to her triumphant debut on stage . --- Cast: Mary Eaton as Gloria Hughes Edward Crandall as Buddy Dan Healy as Danny Miller Gloria Shea as Barbara Olive Shea as Barbara Eddie Cantor as Himself (Cameo) Helen Morgan as Herself (Cameo) Rudy Vallee as Himself (Cameo) Johnny Weissmuller as Himself (Cameo) --- Production Notes: Produced by Broadway impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, Glorifying the American Girl was one of the early sound musicals and featured both black-and-white and Technicolor sequences. The film aimed to capitalize on the popularity of the Ziegfeld Follies and included appearances by real-life entertainers of the era. Notably, the final third of the film was shot in early Technicolor, showcasing a lavish Follies production number . --- Legacy: While not a major box office success, the film is notable for its early use of Technicolor and as a historical document of the Ziegfeld Follies' influence on American entertainment. It provides a glimpse into the transition from silent films to talkies and the evolving landscape of musical cinema. The film is also significant for featuring early appearances by notable performers such as Eddie Cantor, Helen Morgan, and Rudy Vallee . --- Trivia: The film includes one of the earliest Technicolor sequences in a feature-length film. Eddie Cantor's appearance marks one of his first in a sound film. The movie features cameos by several prominent entertainers of the 1920s, including Irving Berlin and Rudy Vallee. Johnny Weissmuller, who would later gain fame as Tarzan, appears as himself. The film is in the public domain, and many prints exhibited on television are in black-and-white only, excluding some pre-Code material such as nudity . --- Curated Hashtags: #GlorifyingTheAmericanGirl #MaryEaton #EddieCantor #ZiegfeldFollies #1929Cinema #EarlyMusicals #Technicolor #ClassicHollywood #BroadwayToHollywood #VintageMusical #FilmHistory #JazzAgeCinema #ParamountPictures #OldHollywood #ShowbizDreams