Applause
About Applause
Burlesque star Kitty Darling sends her daughter April to a convent, then years later is drinking while the comic Hitch Nelson spends her money. He brings April home, paws at her, and pushes her toward the chorus. She loves the sailor Tony, gives him up when Hitch calls Kitty a has-been, and goes on after Kitty takes sleeping pills. Kitty dies offstage, and April leaves with Tony without knowing.
Cast & crew
More about Applause
Rouben Mamoulian made his feature debut at Paramount's Astoria studio and on Manhattan streets, from Beth Brown's 1928 novel, with Garrett Fort the writer named on Wikidata. Monta Bell and Jesse L. Lasky produced. The New York premiere was 7 October 1929, and the general United States release was 4 January 1930.
Themes
In film history
The Library of Congress placed it on the National Film Registry in 2006.
Reviews
Mordaunt Hall in the New York Times liked the acting and objected to the convent and stage passages as extravagant. Photoplay called the film curious and pointed to Morgan, Joan Peers, and the camera work.
Audiences
The picture failed at the box office. Wikipedia ties that to the downbeat story, the ads, and the stock-market crash.
Look
George J. Folsey shot at Astoria and on location in Manhattan, moving the camera through dressing rooms instead of locking it for the microphones.
Technique
Mamoulian took early sound equipment onto Manhattan streets, away from a fixed studio stage.
Preservation
UCLA restored the film. Kino Video issued a DVD in 2003 under license from Universal.
Notes
- Helen Morgan plays Kitty. Joan Peers is April. Fuller Mellish Jr. is Hitch Nelson. Henry Wadsworth is Tony. Dorothy Cumming is the mother superior.
- Jack Cameron plays Joe King.
- Advertising sold glamour stills of Morgan. The story is a decline, and the film lost money.
- The copyright ended on 1 January 2025.
Scenes
- Hitch calls Kitty a has-been where April can hear him.
- April takes the stage while Kitty collapses.
- The last image is the Kitty Darling poster.
Influenced by
- Beth Brown's 1928 novel Applause
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (Applause (1929).webm)
- Kino Video DVD (2003)
