Dixiana | 1930 | Musical, Comedy

Title: Dixiana | 1930 | Musical, Comedy Director: Luther Reed Studio: RKO Radio Pictures Starring: Bebe Daniels, Everett Marshall, Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Joseph Cawthorn, Jobyna Howland, Ralf Harolde, Dorothy Lee, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Based on: Story by Anne Caldwell Release Date: August 1, 1930 Runtime: 100 Format: Black-and-white with Technicolor sequences; RCA Photophone sound Country: United States Language: English Genres: Musical, Comedy --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Circus performance and courtship 00:20:00 Visit to the Van Horn plantation 00:45:00 Scandal at the ball 01:10:00 Gambling house scheme 01:30:00 Mardi Gras coronation and duel --- Summary: In antebellum New Orleans, singer and dancer Dixiana Caldwell leaves the circus to marry Carl Van Horn, heir to a wealthy plantation family. Welcomed at first, she is soon spurned when her background is revealed, straining the engagement and sending her back to the city with her loyal friends Peewee and Ginger. Drawn into the orbit of gambler Royal Montague, Dixiana becomes the centerpiece of a plot to ruin Carl. As Mardi Gras crowns her queen, Montague’s machinations culminate in an attempted abduction and a challenge to a duel, forcing Dixiana to act decisively to expose the villain and reunite with her true love. --- Background: Produced by RKO during the early talkie musical cycle, Dixiana reunited director Luther Reed with talent from Rio Rita and featured a finale photographed in Technicolor. Opera baritone Everett Marshall made his feature-film debut, and composer Max Steiner received his first screen credit for orchestration. RKO invested heavily in period set dressing and explored wide-film technology during production. --- Trivia: Bill “Bojangles” Robinson made his feature-film debut, performing a showcase tap routine. The Los Angeles premiere took place on July 22, 1930, ahead of the general release. The final portion of the film was shot in Technicolor, a highlight long considered lost until rediscovered in the 1980s. RKO planned another Technicolor musical follow-up after strong previews, but the project was shelved as audience appetite for musicals cooled later in 1930. Everett Marshall’s only other feature appearance after this debut was in I Live for Love . --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: August 1, 1930 Original Studio / Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: No --- Hashtags: Dixiana PublicDomain RKOPictures PreCode 1930sCinema Musical WheelerAndWoolsey BebeDaniels Technicolor ClassicFilm Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dixiana_(1930).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Dixiana_%281930%29.webm