Applause (1929 film)


Applause is a 1929 black-and-white backstage musical talkie directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Helen Morgan, Jack Cameron, and Joan Peers. It was shot at Paramount's Astoria Studios in Astoria, New York, during the early years of sound films. The film is notable as one of the few films of its time to break free from the restrictions of bulky sound technology equipment in order to shoot on location around Manhattan.

Production background

Based on a novel by Beth Brown, the film was staged and directed by Rouben Mamoulian, and stars Helen Morgan, Joan Peers, Jack Cameron, Henry Wadsworth, and Fuller Mellish Jr. Mae West was originally considered for the part of Kitty Darling, but Paramount decided West's glamorous stage presence would undercut the tackier aspects of the storyline.
The National Board of Review named Applause one of the 10 best films of 1929.
This was Morgan's first all-talking film. She had previously appeared in the sound prologue to the part-talkie version of Show Boat, released by Universal Studios. In the same year, Morgan appeared in Applause, and Glorifying the American Girl.
In 2006, Applause was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

The first scene has a marching band playing Theodore Mentz's "A Hot Time in the Old Town".
The film tells of Kitty Darling, a burlesque star. Upon the recommendation of burlesque clown and suitor, Joe King, Kitty sends her young daughter to a convent to get her away from the sleazy burlesque environment she is involved in.
Many years later, Kitty is not doing so well and her best days are behind her. She's now an alcoholic who lives in the past. She lives with a burlesque comic named Hitch. Hitch cheats on her and only cares about spending what little money she has. When he finds out she has been paying for her daughter's convent education for over a decade, he pushes her into bringing April back home.
Her grown, but naive daughter April returns. Kitty is embarrassed by her condition and marries Hitch so that April will not be ashamed of her.
When April arrives, she is disgusted with her mother and her sad life. Hitch tries to force her into show business and repeatedly gropes her, at one point forcing a kiss on her.
April roams the city and meets a lonely young sailor named Tony. They fall in love and agree to marry and April will move to his home in Wisconsin. When April goes to tell her mother about their plans she overhears Hitch belittling Kitty, calling her a "has-been."
April is upset and calls off her wedding. She decides to join the chorus line of a burlesque show. She says a reluctant goodbye to Tony at the subway. Meanwhile, Kitty takes an overdose of sleeping pills. The bottle clearly says "For insomnia one tablet only". She goes downstairs to the show and collapses on a couch.
Knowing that Kitty cannot perform in the show, the producer berates her, mistaking her reaction to the overdose for delirium tremens. April, also not realizing what is happening, and over Kitty's objections, says she will take Kitty's place. She tells Kitty she will take care of her now, like Kitty always did for April. As April goes onstage, Kitty passes away, her head hanging over the edge of the couch.
April is disgusted at herself and cannot complete the show. As she runs off the stage, none other than Tony is there to greet her. He says he had a feeling she did not mean what she was saying. She hugs him close and says she wants to go far away. Not realizing Kitty is dead, she says they will need to take care of her mother too, and Tony agrees.
The final shot is a close-up of the Kitty Darling poster on the wall, behind Tony and April.

Cast

The censor boards approved of the message and production values of the film, but were concerned about a scene in which Kitty told April that two of the chorus girls in the show were Catholic, "as good Catholics as anybody even if they do shake for a living." The line was changed to "Christians".
Censors in Ohio, British Columbia, and Worcester, Massachusetts, banned the film outright. Many cuts were made for showings in cities such as Chicago, Illinois, Providence, Rhode Island, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Critical reception

The film opened to mixed reviews from film critics.
Critic Mordaunt Hall, writing for The New York Times, liked the acting but was troubled by some of Rouben Mamoulian's direction. He said, "The opening chapters are none too interesting and subsequently one anticipates pretty much what's going to happen...however, Mr. Mamoulian commits the unpardonable sin of being far too extravagant. He becomes tedious in his scenes of the convent and there is nothing but viciousness in his stage passages."
Photoplay described the film as "a curious one," however recommendable for the performances by Morgan and Joan Peers. The anonymous reviewer, however, thought the two leads, "and some nice camera work, help save a confusing job."
The Library of Congress says the following about the film:
A recent review by Manuel Cintra Ferreira highlights the innovative direction and influence on the productions to come:

Premiere and boxoffice reception

The film opened strongly on October 7, 1929, at New York City's Criterion Theatre, which was celebrating its 35th anniversary. Also on hand was a short film in which Charles K. Harris sang his classic song "After the Ball".
A combination of mixed reviews, misleading advertising, downbeat subject matter, and the Stock Market Crash caused the movie to taper off significantly as soon as it left the Criterion.

Revival, restoration, and home video release