With my growing interest in Anita Page, I was quite tempted to watch a movie of hers after hearing of her passing at the age of 98. I automatically recorded "Our Dancing Daughters", "Our Modern Maidens" and "The Broadway Melody". I had previously seen Dancing Daughters and Modern Maidens on TCM a year earlier, when I was in my Joan Crawford mood.
I guess I had forgotten just how corny those two movies were but I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous they are especially when Joan is dancing. The funniest thing about that movie was Douglas Fairbanks Jr doing his impersonations of John Barrymore.
I somewhat delayed watching "The Broadway Melody'' after the corniness, I had to endure thanks to those movies. As I looked up more about Broadway Melody, I found out that this was the first talking musical and that it won best picture of the year. The film stars Anita Page and Bessie Love as sisters, who hope to become famous Broadway stars. The two come to New York, hoping to find stardom around the corner for both.
Anita really steals the show from everyone and quite impressed me. At just 19 years of age, Anita was just wonderful to watch. She is willing to be unhappy, so that her sister is happy. What she doesn't realize though is, that in reality she is hurting her sister. They both crave for the other to be happy but both are deeply in love with the same man. Bessie hates to see her sister in pain, so she gives up her happiness in order to accommodate her sister's.
"The Broadway Melody" is a great early talkie and musical. Go on and check it out! ;)
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