EARLY DAYS PRODUCTIONS
Early Days Productions: Top 5 Films of 1930 02/22/2012
"Whoopee" is a 1930 "All-Talking All-Color" musical comedy film photographed in two-color Technicolor. The plot of the film closely followed the stage show produced by Florenz Ziegfeld in 1928. The film was produced by Florenz Ziegfeld and Samuel Goldwyn and directed by Thornton Freeland. "Whoopee" made a movie star of Eddie Cantor, already one of the leading stars of Broadway revues and musical comedies as well as being a popular recording artist in the United States. Future stars Betty Grable, Ann Sothern, and Virginia Bruce appeared uncredited as "Goldwyn Girls". The film also launched the Hollywood career of Busby Berkeley. Edited from Wikipedia.
"Common Clay" is a 1930 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Constance Bennett and Lew Ayres, based on the play of the same name by Cleves Kinkead. The film was about a young servant who is seduced by the master of the house but he won't have anything to do with her other than sex because of her low status. She ultimately falls pregnant with his child which he doesn't want and when she tries to gain recognition for the baby, his family treats her as if she was a common blackmailer. Common Clay was one of the highest grossing films of 1930 and it made Constance Bennett into a Hollywood star. Edited from Wikipedia.
"All Quiet on the Western Front" is an epic 1930 American war film based on the Erich Maria Remarque novel of the same name. It was directed by Lewis Milestone, and stars Louis Wolheim, Lew Ayres, John Wray, Arnold Lucy and Ben Alexander. All Quiet on the Western Front is considered a realistic and harrowing account of warfare in World War I. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards and won the award for Best Picture and Best Director. In the film, Paul is shot while trying to grab a butterfly. This scene is different from the book, and was inspired by an early scene showing a butterfly collection in Paul's home. The scene was shot during the editing phase, so the actors were no longer available and Milestone had to use his own hand as Paul's. Edited from Wikipedia.
"The Divorcee" is a 1930 American drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director . The film stars Chester Morris and Norma Shearer who won the Academy Award for Best Actress. Also starring in the film are Robert Montgomery, Conrad Nagel, and Florence Eldridge. According to popular film lore, Shearer was originally never in the running for the lead role in The Divorcee because it was believed that she didn't have enough sex appeal; it was only after Shearer arranged a special photo session with studio portrait photographer George Hurrell and her husband saw the result, that he relented and gave her the role. The original choice was Joan Crawford, who allegedly never forgave Shearer for usurping the role. Edited from Wikipedia.
"Hell's Angels" is a 1930 American war film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall. The film, which was produced by Hughes and written by Harry Behn and Howard Estabrook, centers on the combat pilots of World War I. Originally, the film was to star Norwegian silent film star Greta Nissen as Helen, the female lead. Midway through production, the advent of the sound motion picture came with the arrival of "The Jazz Singer". Hughes incorporated the new technology into the half-finished film, but the first casualty of the sound age became Greta Nissen due to her pronounced Norwegian accent. The role was soon filled with a teenage up-and-coming star found by Hughes himself, Jean Harlow. Edited from Wikipedia.