Hollywood Cavalcade

I spotted this on Reel Classics late one evening and although I had never heard of it, I thought "Alice Faye-Don Ameche" it must have something. My instincts were correct. This early look at silent Hollywood is very enjoyable. Appearances by the already aging silent stars, especially Buster Keaton, added immeasurably to the charm of this 1939 gem. The silent comedy sequences were well played and quite funny. Alice Faye deserves extra credit for the pratfalls, pies in the face, soaking in shallow ponds over and above and her usual beautiful smile. Classic Reel must be commended for bringing this film out of obscurity. The Technicolor print used is beautiful. It's well worth your time.

As most moviegoers know, 1939 was a year of some very great movies, but "Hollywood Cavalcade" was not one of them. It probably was a big hit at the time, as it adventurously combined Technicolor and Black & White photography, but it has not stood the passing of time nearly as well as many of those made in the same year. One expects with the casting Of Alice Faye and Don Ameche it would be a musical - this is not the case although there were many opportunities for some songs of the era. The story is a pretty hackneyed one of girl meets boy, girl loses boy and finally girl gets boy, so there is no need to dwell on that. The inclusion of some of the stars of the silent era (including the Keystone Kops) is the most interesting feature, but the sequence with Al Jolson was a bit much!!! J. Edward Bromberg made a very interesting character adding some zing to the story. If you see it on Video or DVD, it is interesting enough to pass a 100 minutes or so.

This is a movie about the old silent movie days in Hollywood and I think one of the best movies about the subject. Don Ameche and Alice Faye are terrific. But in my opinion the real treat is watching Buster Keaton perform his unforgettable slapstick for the first scene in the movie studio, and the recreation of an old Mack Sennett style comedy. (Which was supervised by Mack himself.) This is a great movie for silent film buffs... and anyone for that matter. But unfortunately you can't get it on video, but it's on T.V every once in a while so try and catch it. Chio!

What makes this one better than most "movie movies" is that it doesn't feel phony. The film the story of the hot-headed director and his rise and fall and rise, by using real recognizable names and events during the silent and early sound eras. Instead of the generic "sound will put us out of business" business, they actually SHOW Jolson and "The Jazz Singer". The acting is really quite good, with believeable performances from Don Ameche, Alice Faye and J. Edward Bromberg in particular.