Second Choice | |
---|---|
Directed by | Howard Bretherton |
Written by | Joseph Jackson |
Based on | Elizabeth Alexander (novel) |
Starring | Dolores Costello Chester Morris |
Cinematography | John Stumar |
Edited by | Robert O. Crandell |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 67 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Second Choice is a 1930 pre-Code black-and-white film released by Warner Bros. and starring Dolores Costello and Chester Morris. [1] [2] The film is notable as being the first (and only film) in which Dolores Costello sang. [3] It is a lost film.[ citation needed ] The film was based on the story by Elizabeth Alexander and was adapted for the screen by Joseph Jackson.
Vallery Grove (Costello) is in love with Don Warren (Morris), but her mother opposes the match because he is poor and has no social standing. Don decides to terminate his engagement to Vallery after attending a party where he meets a spoiled rich girl who is interested in him.
Dolores is later introduced to Owen Mallory (Mulhall) who informs her that Don is now planning to marry the spoiled rich girl. Mallory, who has himself been recently jilted, and Vallery find comfort in each other and eventually Owen proposes to Vallery. She finally accepts, and they elope.
Once she is married, Vallery discovers that Don has broken off his engagement. She becomes uncertain about her love for Mallory and while her husband is away on business, she invites Don, who is drunk, into her house.
The theme song was called "Life Can Be So Lonesome" and was sung by Dolores Costello in the picture. It was composed by Al Dubin, Joe Burke and M.K Jerome. The theme song was recorded by Debroy Somers for Columbia and released as part of series of recordings known as "Talkie Tunes Medley". [4]
The New York Times wrote that the director held audiences' attention but said of the film's cast, "Jack Mulhall is miscast as Mallory and gives a halting performance. Miss Costello moves slowly and speaks the pseudo-smart lines with uncertainty. Chester Morris grimmaces as usual and never forgets he is the 'heavy,' and neither does the onlooker." [5] Pittsburgh Press wrote, "When it doesn't try to take itself too seriously, 'Second Choice' ... is what is known in film trade circle as a fairly good 'program' picture." The newspaper said that some dialogue was sometimes "ridiculous" and sometimes "fairly credible". It complained, "If 'Second Choice' had been made as a straight comedy it would have been a much better picture. The combination of comedy, drama and a tinge of melodrama was a little too much for it to swallow." [6]
Second Choice is now considered a lost film. No prints are known to exist.
The Divorcee is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan, and Zelda Sears, based on the 1929 novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, and won Best Actress for its star Norma Shearer.
The Dove is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film directed by Roland West based on a 1925 Broadway play by Willard Mack and starring Norma Talmadge, Noah Beery, and Gilbert Roland.
Dolores Costello was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen" by her first husband, the actor John Barrymore. She was the mother of John Drew Barrymore and grandmother of actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore.
Leila Hyams was an American actress who came from a show business family. Her relatively short film career began in 1924 during the era of silent films and ended in 1936. The blonde blue-eyed ingenue and leading lady appeared in more than 50 film roles and remained a press favourite, with numerous magazine covers.
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno and Cyd Charisse in supporting roles. It offers a lighthearted depiction of Hollywood in the late 1920s, with the three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies".
Hillary Brooke was an American film actress.
Don Juan is a 1926 synchronized sound American romantic adventure film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length film to utilize the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system with a synchronized musical score and sound effects, though it has no spoken dialogue. The film is inspired by Lord Byron's 1821 epic poem of the same name. The screenplay was written by Bess Meredyth with intertitles by Maude Fulton and Walter Anthony.
It Ain't Hay is a 1943 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.
Charlotte Merriam was an American motion picture actress.
The Sea Beast is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Millard Webb, starring John Barrymore, Dolores Costello and George O'Hara. The film was a major commercial success and one of the biggest pictures of 1926 becoming Warner Brothers' highest grossing film. The Sea Beast is the first adaptation of Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick, a story about a monomaniacal hunt for a great white whale. However, the film alters the novel's plotline by establishing prequel and sequel elements that are not in the original story—such as the romancing of Esther and Ahab's safe return, respectively—and substitutes a happy ending for Melville's original tragic one. Some of the characters in the film do not appear in Melville's original novel. The film was so successful that in 1930 Warner Bros redid it in English and German, under the title Moby Dick, with Joan Bennett taking the role of Ahab's love because Dolores Costello was pregnant at the time.
Tenderloin is a 1928 American sound part-talkie crime film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Dolores Costello. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects, along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. It was produced and released by Warner Bros. Tenderloin is considered a lost film, with no prints currently known to exist.
Glad Rag Doll is a 1929 American sound part-talkie pre-Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Dolores Costello, Ralph Graves, and Audrey Ferris. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film features a synchronized musical score and sound effects, along with English intertitles. The soundtrack was recorded using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. This is one of many lost films of the 1920s, no prints or Vitaphone discs survive, but the trailer survives. The film's working title was Alimony Annie, but was changed match the title of the theme song. The theme song is entitled Glad Rag Doll both played and sung throughout the soundtrack.
Madonna of Avenue A is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. It starred Dolores Costello in one of her first sound films. This is reportedly a lost film.
Old San Francisco is a 1927 American synchronized sound historical drama film starring Dolores Costello and featuring Warner Oland. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process. The film, which was produced and distributed by Warner Bros., was directed by Alan Crosland.
The Little Irish Girl is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros., directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Dolores Costello. Based on the story The Grifters, written by Edith Joan Lyttleton, it is considered to be a lost film.
Mannequin is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. James Cruze directed and Alice Joyce, Warner Baxter, and Dolores Costello were the stars. The film is still extant.
The College Widow is a 1927 American silent comedy film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by Archie Mayo. The film is based on the 1904 Broadway play of the same name by George Ade and was previously adapted to film in 1915 with Ethel Clayton. The 1927 silent film version is a starring vehicle for Dolores Costello.
The Lash is a 1930 American pre-Code Western film produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. It had an alternate title of Adios. The film was directed by Frank Lloyd and stars Richard Barthelmess, Mary Astor, James Rennie and Marian Nixon. The film was issued in two formats: Warner Bros. 65mm Vitascope wide screen and regular 35mm. The Vitaphone sound system was used for recording. Exteriors were filmed at the current Westlake Village, California and Russell Ranch of Thousand Oaks, California areas near Los Angeles. It was adapted for the screen by Bradley King from a story Adios by Fred Bartlett and Virginia Stivers Bartlett.
Lady Be Good is a 1928 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Richard Wallace. The film is based on the 1924 musical of the same name by George Gershwin and starred Jack Mulhall and Dorothy Mackaill.
The Beloved Brat is a 1938 American comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Bonita Granville, Dolores Costello, and Donald Crisp. The screenplay was written by Lawrence Kimble from an original story by Jean Negulesco.