Name: Broadway Director: Paul Fejos Studio: Universal Pictures Starring: Glenn Tryon, Evelyn Brent, Merna Kennedy, Paul Porcasi, Thomas E. Jackson Release Date: May 3, 1929 (USA) Runtime: \~104 minutes Format: Black-and-white with Technicolor sequences, sound film Country: United States Language: English Genres: | Musical | Crime | Drama | Romance --- Summary: *Broadway* (1929) is a part-musical, part-crime drama centered around the bustling nightlife of New York City. The story follows dancer Billie Moore (Merna Kennedy) and hoofer Roy Lane (Glenn Tryon), whose dreams of success collide with gangsters and bootleggers operating out of the club where they perform. When Billie becomes entangled with racketeer Steve Crandall (Paul Porcasi), the stage is set for a dangerous confrontation between crime and show business. Lavish dance numbers and elaborate set designs showcase the height of late-1920s spectacle. --- Background: Directed by Paul Fejos, *Broadway* was one of Universal Pictures’ most ambitious productions of the transition-to-sound era. The film was partly shot in an early widescreen format (Magnascope) and featured striking Technicolor sequences, making it a technical showcase for its time. Based on the popular 1926 stage play by George Abbott and Philip Dunning, the film attempted to merge gangster melodrama with the vibrant musical craze of the late 1920s. Unfortunately, much of the original Technicolor footage is now considered lost, with only surviving black-and-white prints available today. --- Trivia: * *Broadway* was Universal’s first talking picture musical and among the earliest films to blend gangster drama with musical spectacle. * The film’s set, designed by Herman Rosse, was one of the largest ever built at Universal Studios, recreating a massive nightclub interior. * Universal reissued *Broadway* in 1937 with new musical sequences, making it one of the rare films to be reworked during the studio era. * Paul Fejos, known for his experimental silent film *Lonesome* (1928), brought an innovative visual flair to the production. --- Hashtags: \#Broadway1929 #PaulFejos #UniversalPictures #ClassicMusical #PreCodeHollywood #Technicolor #FilmHistory #JazzAgeCinema