The Melody Man | |
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Directed by | Roy William Neill |
Written by | Howard J. Green |
Based on | play The Melody Man by Herbert Fields |
Produced by | Harry Cohn |
Starring | John St. Polis Alice Day William Collier, Jr. |
Cinematography | Ted Tetzlaff |
Edited by | Leonard Wheeler |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 68 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Melody Man is a 1930 American Pre-Code drama musical film produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was directed by Roy William Neill and starred John St. Polis, Alice Day and William Collier, Jr. The story is based on a Broadway play by Herbert Fields. [1]
The film is preserved in the Library of Congress. [2]
Earl von Kemper is a famous Austrian composer who fled to the United States: in Vienna, during his concert in the presence of the emperor, Kemper surprised his beloved woman locked in a boudoir with Frederick, the crown prince. Mad with jealousy, the musician killed the prince, then fleeing with his daughter.
Fifteen years have passed. Kemper earns his living playing the violin in a New York club with two other musicians. His daughter Elsa meets Al Tyler, a jazz musician. The latter overhears Kemper's rhapsody, the one that had been played at the concert for the emperor; he likes music, arranges it, making it a very successful jazz piece. But the music is recognized by Baden, the Austrian police minister, who then prepares to arrest Kemper. The musician then pretends with his daughter that he has obtained an engagement in Europe, leaving the two young lovers in America. [3]
Roy Mitchell Kinnear was an English character actor and comedian. He was known for his acting roles in movies such as Henry Salt in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Algernon in The Beatles' Help! (1965), Clapper in How I Won the War (1967), and Planchet in The Three Musketeers (1973). He reprised the role of Planchet in the 1974 and 1989 sequels, and died following an accident during filming of the latter.
Tom Tyler was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 serial film The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Tyler also played Kharis in 1940's The Mummy's Hand, a popular Universal Studios monster film.
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John M. St. Polis was an American actor.
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