The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Director: Charles Reisner Producer: Harry Rapf (for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Master of Ceremonies: Conrad Nagel, Jack Benny Starring: Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Buster Keaton, Marion Davies, Laurel and Hardy, Cliff Edwards, Anita Page, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, and many more Cinematography: Max Fabian Music: Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Release Date: June 27, 1929 Runtime: 125 minutes Format: Black & White (some sequences in Two-Color Technicolor) | Sound (Vitaphone) | Musical Revue Country: United States Language: English Genre: Musical | Comedy | Variety --- Summary: The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is one of MGM’s earliest full-length sound musicals — a dazzling showcase designed to flaunt the studio’s biggest stars and celebrate the arrival of synchronized sound. Rather than tell a single story, the film presents a series of musical numbers, comedy sketches, and novelty acts performed by some of the most famous names of the late 1920s. Hosts Conrad Nagel and Jack Benny guide audiences through this spectacle of singing, dancing, and humor, while MGM stars like Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and John Gilbert perform in a variety of scenes ranging from slapstick to song-and-dance. Highlights include: Joan Crawford singing and dancing in one of her earliest musical appearances. Laurel and Hardy’s comedy skit with disastrous stage props. The spectacular finale “Singin’ in the Rain,” performed by the entire ensemble — the first on-screen version of the now-iconic song. --- Background: Produced during Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies, The Hollywood Revue of 1929 was MGM’s way of showing that it could thrive in the new sound era. The film had no plot — it was instead a massive studio variety show intended to delight audiences with the novelty of sound and the spectacle of color. It was both a critical and commercial success, helping to save MGM from early sound-era losses and setting the standard for later all-star revues like Paramount on Parade (1930) and King of Jazz (1930). --- Trivia: The “Singin’ in the Rain” number became so famous that it inspired the 1952 classic musical of the same name. This was one of MGM’s first productions to include Technicolor sequences, although much of the color footage is now lost. It marked the sound film debut for many silent stars, including John Gilbert and Buster Keaton. The production used over 500 performers and required several soundstages to film concurrently. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 2nd Academy Awards (1930). --- Hashtags: #TheHollywoodRevue1929 #MGM #CharlesReisner #JackBenny #ConradNagel #JoanCrawford #BusterKeaton #NormaShearer #LaurelandHardy #PreCodeMusical #ClassicHollywood #Technicolor #SinginInTheRain #1920sCinema #Vitaphone #MusicalRevue #OldHollywood