Post by Coopsgirl on Mar 8, 2011 19:32:57 GMT -6
Paramount on Parade was released on April 19, 1930 following Only the Brave by just a little over a month. This film is a like a variety show in that it is made up of various segments showcasing the talent under contract at the Paramount studio. This type of film was not unique to Paramount. Many other studios also released these variety show type films during the early 1930s to showcase their talent. It was a good way for audiences to see all the major players at a studio and then decide if they wanted to see more or not.
Paramount on Parade featured stars including Clara Bow, Maurice Chevalier, Richard Arlen, Jean Arthur, William Austin, George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent, Mary Brian, Clive Brook, Nancy Carroll, Ruth Chatterton, Leon Errol, Stuart Erwin, Kay Francis, Skeets Gallagher, Harry Green, Mitzi Green, James Hall, Helen Kane, Dennis King, Abe Lyman, Frederic March, Nino Martini, Mitzi Mayfair, Jack Oakie, Warner Oland, Zelma O’Neal, Eugene Pallette, William Powell, Buddy Rogers, Lillian Roth, Stanley Smith, Fay Wray, Mischa Auer, and of course Gary Cooper. Many of these actors had successfully transitioned from the silent era and were also still quite young.
Each segment was a musical number which definitely would have gotten audience’s attention as only a handful of the actors had a musical background including Maurice Chevalier, Abe Lyman, and Helen Kane. Clara Bow did occasionally sing in her early talkies and her part is my favorite as she sings True to the Navy Now, a song from her latest film by the same name. This was a chance for people to see stars who normally performed in dramas or comedies do something different and every studio was fiercely fighting to stand out and win the adoration (and money) of the American public.
Clara Bow sings!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzo5FWAbyRw
Gary Cooper and Mary Brian, Richard Arlen and Fay Wray, and James Hall and Jean Arthur were paired up and appeared in the Dream Girl segment. In the picture below there are two other couples shown but they are not listed in the credits and I can’t identify them so it’s possible they were just extras.
Jack Oakie, Mary Brian, Gary Cooper
Their segment begins with Gary, Mary Brian, and Jean Arthur walking into a room where Jack Oakie, who acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the film, is playing a piano. They speak for a bit and then it transitions into a dream sequence where the men are dressed in formal hunting gear and the women are wearing mid-1800 era gowns. They sing a song titled, “Let’s Drink to the Girl of My Dreams”. This dream portion was filmed in color but unfortunately it has been lost and only the brief black and white scene has survived.
The Texan was released next on May 10, 1930. Gary turned 29 three days before this film was released so he was 28 when it was filmed. At this point he has already starred in 16 films and had supporting or bit parts in dozens of others. This film has survived but has never been released on home video or shown on television, at least it hasn’t been shown since the advent of home video recording devices as there are no bootleg copies available. Here's the AFI catalog description of the film.
It is quite unfortunate there are no copies of this one available not just because it’s one of his films and we rabid Gary fans want to see all we can get of him, but also because he wears a very tight pair of pants throughout the film showing off his long, lean legs.
How did audiences make it through this one without fainting in the aisles?
Paramount on Parade featured stars including Clara Bow, Maurice Chevalier, Richard Arlen, Jean Arthur, William Austin, George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent, Mary Brian, Clive Brook, Nancy Carroll, Ruth Chatterton, Leon Errol, Stuart Erwin, Kay Francis, Skeets Gallagher, Harry Green, Mitzi Green, James Hall, Helen Kane, Dennis King, Abe Lyman, Frederic March, Nino Martini, Mitzi Mayfair, Jack Oakie, Warner Oland, Zelma O’Neal, Eugene Pallette, William Powell, Buddy Rogers, Lillian Roth, Stanley Smith, Fay Wray, Mischa Auer, and of course Gary Cooper. Many of these actors had successfully transitioned from the silent era and were also still quite young.
Each segment was a musical number which definitely would have gotten audience’s attention as only a handful of the actors had a musical background including Maurice Chevalier, Abe Lyman, and Helen Kane. Clara Bow did occasionally sing in her early talkies and her part is my favorite as she sings True to the Navy Now, a song from her latest film by the same name. This was a chance for people to see stars who normally performed in dramas or comedies do something different and every studio was fiercely fighting to stand out and win the adoration (and money) of the American public.
Clara Bow sings!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzo5FWAbyRw
Gary Cooper and Mary Brian, Richard Arlen and Fay Wray, and James Hall and Jean Arthur were paired up and appeared in the Dream Girl segment. In the picture below there are two other couples shown but they are not listed in the credits and I can’t identify them so it’s possible they were just extras.
Jack Oakie, Mary Brian, Gary Cooper
Their segment begins with Gary, Mary Brian, and Jean Arthur walking into a room where Jack Oakie, who acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the film, is playing a piano. They speak for a bit and then it transitions into a dream sequence where the men are dressed in formal hunting gear and the women are wearing mid-1800 era gowns. They sing a song titled, “Let’s Drink to the Girl of My Dreams”. This dream portion was filmed in color but unfortunately it has been lost and only the brief black and white scene has survived.
The Texan was released next on May 10, 1930. Gary turned 29 three days before this film was released so he was 28 when it was filmed. At this point he has already starred in 16 films and had supporting or bit parts in dozens of others. This film has survived but has never been released on home video or shown on television, at least it hasn’t been shown since the advent of home video recording devices as there are no bootleg copies available. Here's the AFI catalog description of the film.
It is quite unfortunate there are no copies of this one available not just because it’s one of his films and we rabid Gary fans want to see all we can get of him, but also because he wears a very tight pair of pants throughout the film showing off his long, lean legs.
How did audiences make it through this one without fainting in the aisles?