This is an overview of 1929 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.
That's Entertainment! is a 1974 American compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate the studio's 50th anniversary. The success of the retrospective prompted a 1976 sequel, the related 1985 film That's Dancing!, and a third installment in 1994.
Nancy Hanks Lincoln was the mother of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Her marriage to Thomas Lincoln also produced a daughter, Sarah, and a son, Thomas Jr. When Nancy and Thomas had been married for just over 10 years, the family moved from Kentucky to western Perry County, Indiana, in 1816. When Spencer County was formed in 1818, the Lincoln Homestead lay within its current boundaries. Nancy Lincoln died from milk sickness or consumption in 1818 at the Little Pigeon Creek Community in Spencer County when Abraham was nine years old.
Me and My Gal is a 1932 American pre-Code crime romantic comedy-drama film starring Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, directed by Raoul Walsh and released by the Fox Film Corporation. The film tells the story of jaunty young policeman Danny Dolan (Tracy), who falls in love with waterfront cafe waitress Helen Riley (Bennett). It is admired as a pre-Code classic today. According to TCM, it did well with critics and audiences, featuring fine performances from its two stars, "displaying the superb chemistry" that can be seen in their other pictures together.
Charles David Farrell was an American film actor whose height was in the 1920s and 1930s and the Mayor of Palm Springs from 1947 to 1955. Farrell was known for his onscreen romances with actress Janet Gaynor in more than a dozen films, including 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Lucky Star. Later in life, he starred on TV in the 1950s sitcoms My Little Margie and played himself in The Charles Farrell Show. He was also among the early developers of Palm Springs.
Virginia Valli was an American stage and film actress whose motion picture career started in the silent film era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film era of the 1930s.
John Farrell MacDonald was an American character actor and director. He played supporting roles and occasional leads. He appeared in over 325 films over a four-decade career from 1911 to 1951, and directed forty-four silent films from 1912 to 1917.
The Man Who Came Back is a 1931 American Pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The movie was adapted to screen by Edwin J. Burke from the play by Jules Eckert Goodman.
The Fighting Heart is a lost 1925 American silent drama film directed by John Ford.
The Brat is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy film directed by John Ford, starring Sally O'Neil, and featuring Virginia Cherrill. The film is based on the 1917 play by Maude Fulton. A previous silent film had been made in 1919 with Alla Nazimova. This 1931 screen version has been updated to then contemporary standards i.e. clothing, speech, topics in the news.
I Loved a Woman is a 1933 American pre-Code drama directed by Alfred E. Green, starring Kay Francis, Edward G. Robinson, and Genevieve Tobin. According to producer Hal Wallis' autobiography, Robinson and Francis "were oddly matched. Kay was so tall that we had to put Eddie [Robinson] on a box in some scenes to bring him level with her and, understandably he was humiliated. Irritable and self-conscious, he argued with Kay frequently. But he [...] gave credit to her fine acting." However, it was Wallis and other executives who also made the choice to cut three of Kay's scenes, leaving her presence in the film really as a supporting actress.
East Side, West Side is a 1927 American drama film directed by Allan Dwan and starring George O'Brien, Virginia Valli, and June Collyer. The supporting cast includes J. Farrell MacDonald and Holmes Herbert. The epic film was shot extensively on various locations in New York City and includes a sinking ship loosely based upon the RMS Titanic.
Prairie Law is a 1940 American Western film directed by David Howard from a screenplay by Doris Schroeder and Arthur V. Jones, based on a story by Bernard McConville. Released on June 14, 1940, the film was produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and stars George O'Brien, Virginia Vale, and Dick Hogan.
Racing Hearts is a 1923 American silent comedy drama film directed by Paul Powell and written by Byron Morgan and Will M. Ritchey. The film stars Agnes Ayres, Richard Dix, Theodore Roberts, Robert Cain, Warren Rogers, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Ed Brady. The film was released on July 15, 1923, by Paramount Pictures.
The Signal Tower is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. It stars Virginia Valli, Rockliffe Fellowes and Wallace Beery.
Ankles Preferred is a 1927 American silent comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and written by James Shelley Hamilton. The film stars Madge Bellamy, Lawrence Gray, Barry Norton, Allan Forrest, Marjorie Beebe and Joyce Compton. The film was released on February 27, 1927, by Fox Film Corporation.
The Spirit of Notre Dame is a 1931 American drama film directed by Russell Mack, written by Walter DeLeon, Robert Keith, Richard Schayer and Dale Van Every, and starring Lew Ayres, Sally Blane, William Bakewell, Andy Devine, Harry Barris and J. Farrell MacDonald. It was released on October 13, 1931, by Universal Pictures.
Marriage is a lost 1927 American silent drama film directed by Roy William Neill and written by Gertrude Orr and Elizabeth Pickett Chevalier. It is based on the 1912 novel Marriage by H. G. Wells. The film stars Virginia Valli, Allan Durant, Gladys McConnell, Lawford Davidson, Donald Stuart, and Frank Dunn. The film was released on February 13, 1927, by Fox Film Corporation.
The Family Upstairs is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Virginia Valli, Allan Simpson, and J. Farrell MacDonald. It was based on the 1925 Broadway play of the same name by Harry Delf.
