Convention City

Last updated

Convention City
Convention City FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Archie Mayo
Screenplay by Robert Lord
Story by Peter Milne
Produced by Henry Blanke
Starring Joan Blondell
Guy Kibbee
Dick Powell
Mary Astor
Adolphe Menjou
Cinematography William Rees
Edited by Owen Marks
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Release date
  • December 14, 1933 (1933-12-14)
Running time
69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$239,000

Convention City is a 1933 American pre-Code sex comedy film directed by Archie Mayo, and starring Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Dick Powell, Mary Astor and Adolphe Menjou. The film was produced by Henry Blanke and First National Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. [1]

Contents

Due to its racy content, Convention City was held from circulation after the Motion Picture Production Code was enacted in 1934. Prints were subsequently ordered to be destroyed by studio head Jack L. Warner. The film is considered lost and has become one of the more coveted lost films because of its reported racy content. [2] [3]

Plot

The plot revolves around the convention of the Honeywell Rubber Company in Atlantic City. Throughout the film, the employees of Honeywell Rubber are mainly concerned with drinking and sex. President J.B. Honeywell (Grant Mitchell) is to choose a new company salesmanager. T.R. Kent (Adolphe Menjou) and George Ellerbe (Guy Kibbee) are two salesmen who both want the job. However, they both get into trouble: T.R. is discredited when jealous saleswoman Arlene Dale (Mary Astor) interferes with his attempted seduction of Honeywell's daughter Claire (Patricia Ellis) and George attempts to seduce Nancy Lorraine (Joan Blondell). The position of sales manager is bestowed upon a drunken employee as a bribe after he catches J.B. about to visit "Daisy La Rue, Exterminator". [4]

Cast

Production

During production, the film faced censorship problems from Motion Picture Association of America (MPPDA) due to its risque content and dialogue. Joan Blondell later said, "We were forever doing things among ourselves with double meanings. Finally, they would have people in the front office just watch for what we'd say off-color." [5] Several lines were ordered to be removed by the MPPDA censors including:

No, but it won't be marriage. I'll guarantee you that. A traveling salesman needs a wife like a baby needs a box of matches.

Now you take off that dress and I'll take off my toupee, huh!

Girl's voice: 'Listen, sister, if they tire you, you better leave town before the Hercules Tool Company gets here. [6]

In a studio memo, Jack L. Warner warned producer Hal Wallis that he may be going too far in the costuming:

We must put brassieres on Joan Blondell and make her cover up her breasts because, otherwise, we are going to have these pictures stopped in a lot of places. I believe in showing their forms but, for Lord's sake, don't let those bulbs stick out. [7]

Script changes, suggested by the chair of the Motion Picture Division of the State of New York Department of Education Dr. James Wingate and Jason S. Joy, director of the Studio Relations Committee, and production head Hal Wallis were nominally incorporated into the script. [8]

Pre-Code era scenes

Reception

Critical reviews

Dr. James Wingate, chair of the Motion Picture Division of the State of New York Department of Education — which oversaw the state's censorship board — described it as "a pretty rowdy picture, dealing largely with drunkenness, blackmail, and lechery, and without any particularly sympathetic characters or elements." [9]

Time magazine said that, "Convention City is a glib, disorganized batch of footnotes on a familiar aspect of U.S. business." and that "Convention City is adumbrated with many a drinking scene, a company song ("Oh, Honeywell" to the tune of "My Maryland"), and some quips which may cause some cinemagoers to wonder what Will Hays is doing." [4]

The New York Times said that, "Several of the jokes need a subterranean mind to be correctly understood. An accurate appraisal of Convention City should include the information that the Strand's audiences laughed long and loud." The Times also praised Adolphe Menjou's performance while finding Joan Blondell's performances to be getting tiresome as she was playing the same irreverent character in her films. [10]

Box office

Convention City cost $239,000 to produce, and earned $384,000 in domestic revenue and $138,000 from foreign release, for an eventual profit of $53,000. [11]

Preservation status

Due to the lewdness of the film and lack of influence of the Studio Relations Committee, which was supposed to control objectionable content, Convention City and films like it led to the enforcement of the Production Code, overseen by Joseph Breen. [9] The film's producer, Henry Blanke, later said, "...Single-handedly I brought on the whole Code. Yeah. Ask Joe Breen. He'll tell you. Ask him about Convention City." [5] The Code had been created in 1930 at the beginning of the Depression, but was rarely enforced as financially strapped studios often overlooked its authority in the desire to make more risque pictures that were good box office. [9]

As a result of the Code, the film was taken out of circulation when its theatre run ended. [9] The controversy surrounding the film prompted exhibitors and theatre convention organizers to request the film. [5]

In 1936, Warners attempted to re-release Convention City in a censored form, but Breen deemed it beyond redemption and would not grant it the seal of approval needed for it to be shown in theatres. Warners then reportedly ordered that the film be destroyed. [9] However, Ron Hutchinson, the editor of the newsletter The Vitaphone Project, discovered that a print of the film was screened in 1937, nearly three years after the ban had been enacted, indicating that at least one print had not been taken out of circulation. [12] Further evidence that not all prints had been seized and destroyed was found in the August 29, 1942, edition of the Spanish newspaper ABC . According to an advertisement, the film (known as ¡Que Semana! in Spanish) was being screened at the Muñoz Seca Theater in Madrid. [13]

In the late 1940s and 1950s, Warner Bros. destroyed many of its negatives due to nitrate film decomposition. Studio records indicate that the negative of Convention City and filmography pre-1931 was marked "Junked 12/27/48" (December 27, 1948). [11] No prints of the film are known to currently exist, though rumors that private collectors own foreign prints have continued to surface as late as 1999. However, it was also re-copyrighted by United Artists Associated in 1963. [12] [14]

The original screenplay still survives in the Warner Bros. script archives. In March 1994, a pre-Code film festival was held in South Village. Along with the films screened, there was a dramatic reading of the screenplay for Convention City. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Footlight Parade</i> 1933 film by Lloyd Bacon

Footlight Parade is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, with songs written by Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin (lyrics), Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starred James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell, with featured appearances by Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert, and Ruth Donnelly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hays Code</span> U.S. film studio self-censorship rules (1930–1967)

The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) from 1922 to 1945. Under Hays's leadership, the MPPDA, later the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), adopted the Production Code in 1930 and began rigidly enforcing it in 1934. The Production Code spelled out acceptable and unacceptable content for motion pictures produced for a public audience in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Blondell</span> American actress (1906–1979)

Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitaphone</span> Sound system for film

Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone is the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one that was widely used and commercially successful. The soundtrack is not printed on the film, but issued separately on phonograph records. The discs, recorded at 33+1⁄3 rpm and typically 16 inches (41 cm) in diameter, are played on a turntable physically coupled to the projector motor while the film is projected. Its frequency response is 4300 Hz. Many early talkies, such as The Jazz Singer (1927), used the Vitaphone system. The name "Vitaphone" derived from the Latin and Greek words, respectively, for "living" and "sound".

<i>Dames</i> (film) 1934 film by Busby Berkeley, Ray Enright

Dames is a 1934 Warner Bros. musical comedy film directed by Ray Enright with dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley. The film stars Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, ZaSu Pitts, and Hugh Herbert. Production numbers and songs include "When You Were a Smile on Your Mother's Lips ", "The Girl at the Ironing Board", "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Dames" and "Try to See It My Way".

The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictures on behalf of Catholic audiences. Members were asked to pledge to patronize only those motion pictures which did not "offend decency and Christian morality". The concept soon gained support from other churches.

<i>Gold Diggers of 1933</i> 1933 film by Mervyn LeRoy, Busby Berkeley

Gold Diggers of 1933 is an American pre-Code musical film directed by Mervyn LeRoy with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It starred Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell. It featured appearances by Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks and Ginger Rogers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-Code Hollywood</span> U.S. cinema before the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code (1929–1934)

Pre-Code Hollywood (1927–1934) was an era in the American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929 and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines in 1934. Although the Hays Code was adopted in 1930, oversight was poor, and it did not become rigorously enforced until July 1, 1934 with the establishment of the Production Code Administration. Before that date, film content was restricted more by local laws, negotiations between the Studio Relations Committee (SRC) and the major studios, and popular opinion than by strict adherence to the Hays Code, which was often ignored by Hollywood filmmakers.

<i>Blonde Crazy</i> 1931 film

Blonde Crazy is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Noel Francis, Louis Calhern, Ray Milland, and Guy Kibbee. The film is notable for one of Cagney's lines, a phrase often repeated by celebrity impersonators: "That dirty, double-crossin' rat!"

<i>Goodbye Again</i> (1933 film) 1933 film

Goodbye Again is a 1933 pre-Code romantic comedy film made by First National Pictures and Warner Bros.

Joseph Ignatius Breen was an American film censor with the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America who applied the Hays Code to film production.

<i>A Farewell to Arms</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

A Farewell to Arms is a 1932 American pre-Code romance drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, and Adolphe Menjou. Based on the 1929 semi-autobiographical novel A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, with a screenplay by Oliver H. P. Garrett and Benjamin Glazer, the film is about a tragic romantic love affair between an American ambulance driver and an English nurse in Italy during World War I. The film received Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Sound, and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Art Direction.

<i>Havana Widows</i> 1933 film

Havana Widows is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Ray Enright, starring Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. It was released by Warner Bros. on November 18, 1933. Two chorus girls travel to Havana in search of rich husbands. Their target is Deacon Jones, a self-appointed moralist who cannot drink without getting drunk.

<i>Big City Blues</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Big City Blues is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and distributed by Warner Bros. The film is based on the play New York Town by Ward Morehouse and stars Joan Blondell and Eric Linden, with uncredited early appearances by Humphrey Bogart and Lyle Talbot.

<i>Union Depot</i> (film) 1932 film

Union Depot is a 1932 American pre-Code melodrama film directed by Alfred E. Green for Warner Bros., starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Blondell, and based on an unpublished play by Joe Laurie Jr., Gene Fowler, and Douglas Durkin. The film, an ensemble piece for the studio's contract players, also features performances by Guy Kibbee, Alan Hale, Frank McHugh, David Landau, and George Rosener. In the United Kingdom it was released under the title Gentleman for a Day.

<i>The Crowd Roars</i> (1932 film) 1932 American film

The Crowd Roars is a 1932 American pre-Code film directed by Howard Hawks starring James Cagney and featuring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden, Guy Kibbee, and Frank McHugh. A film of the same name was made in 1938 with a different story, starring Robert Taylor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion Picture Association</span> Trade organization representing major American film studios

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 until September 2019, its original goal was to ensure the viability of the American film industry. In addition, the MPA established guidelines for film content which resulted in the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930. This code, also known as the Hays Code, was replaced by a voluntary film rating system in 1968, which is managed by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA).

<i>Other Mens Women</i> 1931 film

Other Men's Women is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by William A. Wellman and written by Maude Fulton. The film stars Grant Withers, Regis Toomey, Mary Astor, James Cagney and Joan Blondell. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros.

Broadway Gondolier (1935) is a musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film was released by Warner Bros., and featured Dick Powell, Joan Blondell and Adolphe Menjou.

Vitaphone Varieties is a series title used for all of Warner Bros.', earliest short film "talkies" of the 1920s, initially made using the Vitaphone sound on disc process before a switch to the sound-on-film format early in the 1930s. These were the first major film studio-backed sound films, initially showcased with the 1926 synchronized scored features Don Juan and The Better 'Ole. Although independent producers like Lee de Forest's Phonofilm were successfully making sound film shorts as early as 1922, they were very limited in their distribution and their audio was generally not as loud and clear in theaters as Vitaphone's. The success of the early Vitaphone shorts, initially filmed only in New York, helped launch the sound revolution in Hollywood.

References

  1. ↑ Parish, James Robert (1992). Prostitution in Hollywood Films: Plots, Critiques, Casts, and Credits For 389 Theatrical and Made-For-Television Releases. McFarland. p. 88. ISBN   0-899-50677-1.
  2. ↑ Barrios, Richard (1995). A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film . Oxford University Press. p.  453. ISBN   0-195-08811-5.
  3. ↑ Bubbeo, Daniel (2001). The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland. p. 6. ISBN   0-786-41137-6.
  4. 1 2 "Cinema: Lowell v. Block Booking". time.com. January 1, 1934. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Kennedy, Matthew (2007). Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 60. ISBN   978-1-604-73300-6.
  6. ↑ Schumach, Murray (1964). The Face on the Cutting Room Floor: The Story of Movie and Television Censorship (1 ed.). Morrow. p.  220.
  7. ↑ Behlmer, Rudy (1987). Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951). Simon & Schuster. p. 15. ISBN   0-671-63135-7.
  8. ↑ ( Vieira 2003 , p. 151)
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Vieira, Mark A. (2003). Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood. Harry N. Abrams. p. 151. ISBN   0-810-98228-5.
  10. ↑ "Convention City (1933): A Rowdy Sales Convention". nytimes.com. December 25, 1933.
  11. 1 2 McElwee, John (March 20, 2008). "Musicals and Comedies Go Pre-Code". greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com.
  12. 1 2 Hutchinson, Ron (2003). "Lost Or Just Hiding?". The Vitaphone Project. 6 (4).
  13. ↑ "Guia Del Espectador". ABC (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain. August 29, 1942. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries 1961 Motion Pictures Jan-Dec 3D Ser Vol 15 Pts 12-13: Convention City
  15. ↑ Maslin, Janet (February 4, 1994). "Critic's Notebook; When Hollywood Could Be Naughty". nytimes.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.