The Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 (partially found Pre-Code musical film; 1929)

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Lobby card for the film.

Status: Partially Found

The Fox Movietone Follies of 1929 is an American Pre-Code musical romantic comedy, directed by David Butler & Marcel Silver, starring John Breeden, Lola Lane, and featuring performers Dixie Lee, Sue Carol & Sharon Lyn^[1].

It is mostly notable today for its early color sequences (in the multicolor film process) and being Fox's first all-talking musical film. The film originally ran around 80 minutes & received fairly positive reviews from critics^[2].

Plot

Lila Beaumont, a Broadway musical understudy, finds herself in a predicament when her boyfriend, George Shelby, comes to New York with the intention of persuading her to return home and marry him. In a surprising turn of events, George decides to purchase a controlling stake in the show, intending to dismiss Lila when she refuses to leave the production. However, fate takes an unexpected twist when Lila is given the opportunity to replace the temperamental star, and she astounds everyone with her remarkable performance. As a result, George manages to sell the show back to its initial investors, ultimately making a substantial profit^[3].

Preservation

Very little of the film is known to survive. The soundtrack to the 6th and 7th reels remain^[4]. Short fragments of the film are known to survive in the Library of Congress film archive, being footage cut due to censorship^[5]. The extant 1929 Fox short film, "The Belle of Samoa", contains a cut sequence from the film, according to the Ralph Celentano Collection^[6]. Some songs from the film were recorded and released on vinyl^[7].