Follow Thru

Plot

Lora Moore, a competitive champion at the exclusive Sunningdale Golf Club, finds her pride wounded after losing a high-stakes match to a rival from another club. Seeking to reclaim her title and refine her game, she hires the dashing golf professional Jerry Downs to coach her, specifically focusing on her problematic putting. As Jerry begins his lessons, a romantic spark ignites between the two, but Lora soon finds herself competing for his attention against a bevy of other smitten women at the club. Meanwhile, Lora's spirited friend Angie Howard embarks on a relentless and comedic pursuit of Jerry's eccentric friend, Jack Martin. The narrative culminates in a series of farcical misunderstandings and vibrant musical numbers, set against the lush, Technicolor backdrop of the country club lifestyle.

Historical Background

Released in 1930, Follow Thru arrived at the peak of the 'all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing' musical boom that followed the success of The Jazz Singer (1927). It was a time of rapid technological transition where studios were experimenting with color to differentiate their prestige features. Historically, the film reflects the late-1920s obsession with country club culture and the sport of golf, which was seen as a symbol of upper-class leisure. However, by the time of its release, the Great Depression was beginning to deepen, and the public's appetite for lavish, escapist musicals was starting to wane, leading to a sharp decline in musical production by 1931.

Making Of

The production of Follow Thru was a logistical challenge due to the limitations of early sound recording and color cinematography. The Technicolor Process 3 camera was so noisy that it had to be housed in a soundproof 'blimp' or booth, which severely restricted camera movement. To compensate for the lack of mobility, the directors used multiple camera setups to capture different angles of the musical numbers simultaneously. The lighting required for the two-color process was so bright that actors often suffered from 'Klieg eye' (eye strain or burns). Additionally, the film's golf sequences were meticulously choreographed to ensure the bright green of the 'grass' (often enhanced with dyes for the camera) popped against the red-toned costumes of the players.

Visual Style

The cinematography by Henry W. Gerrard and Charles P. Boyle is notable for its use of Technicolor Process 3. This process did not use blue light, resulting in a unique color palette where skies often appeared greenish or grey, and reds leaned toward orange. The filmmakers used this to their advantage by designing sets and costumes in high-contrast shades that the two-color system could handle effectively. The exterior shots at the Lakeside Golf Club are among the earliest examples of color location shooting in a sound feature.

Innovations

Follow Thru was a pioneer in the integration of color and sound. It successfully demonstrated that a full-length musical comedy could be shot entirely on location and in the studio using the cumbersome Technicolor equipment without sacrificing audio quality. The film's restoration by UCLA is also considered a technical achievement in film preservation, as they had to re-register the red and green records from the original nitrate negatives to create a stable modern print.

Music

The soundtrack features songs primarily by the legendary team of DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson. Key tracks include 'Button Up Your Overcoat,' 'I Want to Be Bad,' and 'Then I'll Have Time for You.' Interestingly, Rodgers and Hart were commissioned to write additional songs for the film, but only one of theirs, 'I'm Hard to Please,' made the final cut. The music was recorded using the Western Electric Sound System, which was the industry standard for sound-on-film at the time.

Memorable Scenes

• The 'I Want to Be Bad' musical number performed by Zelma O'Neal, which features energetic choreography and scandalous lyrics for the time.
• The ladies' locker room sequence where Jack Haley and Eugene Pallette hide in drag to escape a predicament, leading to high-pitched comedic interactions.
• The final golf tournament climax, where the vibrant Technicolor greens and the tension of the final putt bring the romantic and athletic plots together.

What Critics Said

At the time of its release, critics praised the film for its vibrant color and the charm of its leads, though some noted that the plot was thin compared to the stage version. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times called it 'a bright and tuneful piece of work.' Modern critics view it as a fascinating, if occasionally creaky, time capsule. It is often cited by film historians for its technical ambition and its unapologetic, racy humor which characterizes the brief window of creative freedom in Hollywood before 1934.

What Audiences Thought

The film was a significant box office success upon its initial release, drawing large crowds eager to see their favorite stars in 'natural color.' Audiences particularly responded to the comedic chemistry between Jack Haley and Zelma O'Neal. However, like many musicals of 1930, its popularity faded quickly as the market became oversaturated with similar stage-to-screen adaptations, leading to a temporary 'musical burnout' among the general public.

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