Are You There? (1930)

movie

(19)

Country: N/A
Genres: Action, Comedy, Music
Release: 1930-11-30
Director: Hamilton MacFadden
Writers: Harlan Thompson
Language: English
Stars: Beatrice Lillie , John Garrick , Olga Baclanova , George Grossmith , Roger Davis , Jillian Sand , Gustav von Seyffertitz , Nicholas Soussanin , Richard Alexander (I) (1902–1989) , Henry Victor
Runtime: 60 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: 腕はたしかか (Japan) , Are You There? (United States of America) , Are You There? , Exit Laughing (United States of America)
Plot: According to Miles Kreuger,this production began in April 1930 as a large-scale 90 minute musical comedy announced for a mid-summer opening.About the same time the public's enthusiasm for musicals had dried up. FOX decided to cut four of the eight musical numbers and offer it to the public as a 60 minute straight comedy with songs. When it was finally previewed in November 1930 to the trade publications, it was widely ridiculed. FOX then slipped it into second-run and neighborhood theatres rather than premier it. VARIETY helped seal it fate with a devasting review in July 1931, declaring it a ridiculous farce.Reportedly the film was revived at the New York Film Festival in 1969 andshown at MOMA in the 1970s to an appreciative audience. The famous fox hunt scene in AUNTIE MAME must have been lifted from this film. Also, LADY TUBBS (1935) copied it. Ricard Barrios' "A Song in the Dark" describes the film at length and comments on the contrasting performances of Lillie and Baclanova.In conclusion, it would seem that a headstrong international cast grabbed the reins from a novice director and proceded to have a field day. I enjoy screening my 16mm - 23 minute excerpt of ARE YOU THERE? which included three songs and alot of very bizarre comedy. One only could hope that the 60 minute version had more public exposure and that the missing four musical production numbers and 30 minutes of footage would miraculously be found.
IMDB:tt0020648