Sono Art-World Wide Pictures, 1929
Starring Erich Von Stronheim, Betty Compson, Donald Douglas, and Marjorie Kane
Directed by James Cruze
Music and Lyrics by various
Cruze was a major director in the 1920's, helming silent epics like Old Ironsides and The Covered Wagon. By the time sound was on its way in, he'd left Paramount and joined Sono Art with the desire to make independent films that could be as big as those from the major studios. Von Stronheim was going through a tough time himself, having been fired as a director from the Gloria Swanson drama Queen Kelly. Cruze thought his Teutonic rigidity perfect for the ventriloquist who can only share his gentler emotions through his dummy. It's a great idea for a thoughtful musical drama, but...well, let's go to a small-time vaudeville theater and see how far a great idea can go astray...
The Story: Gabbo (Von Stronheim) is a great ventriloquist, but his assistant Mary (Compson) is fed up with his egotism and his berating her. He's kinder to her through his beloved Otto than he is as himself. She finally leaves, with Gabbo reminding himself through Otto of all the terrible things he did to her.
Two years later, his act is now world-renown. He's popular for his talent, but most people think he's a ridiculous eccentric. He takes Otto with him wherever he goes, even out to eat. He eventually encounters Mary again at a nightclub while the two are dining out. She has a new partner, Frank (Douglas), whom she's in love with. Gabbo still has feelings about her and is delighted when they appear in a show together. He claims to still love her, but learns how much his outbursts years earlier upset her when he learns which side of him she really cares about.
The Song and Dance: This wound up being a bit of a surprise. Compson and Von Stronheim are excellent as the talented but egotistical ventriloquist driven mad by his love for her and the lady who wishes he'd admit his feelings through something that isn't made of wood. The first 20 minutes in particular before they end up in the theater are genuinely dark and thoughtful, especially for the early talkie era. Kane gets to toss in a few zingers of her own as one of the dancers who keeps ending up in the room next to Gabbo and ends up hearing the brunt of his weirdness.
Favorite Number: Otto has two cute solos, "I'm Laughing" early-on when Gabbo's demonstrating what his wooden friend can do, and the stranger "Icky" at the nightclub. The numbers get bigger - and wilder - once we move to the theater. "I'm In Love With You" is probably the best of them, with attractive costumes and Compson getting to do some prancing with chorus boys before the larger chorus takes over. "The Web of Love" is goofy to the extreme, with chorus girls in fly costumes falling all over a giant web in the background while spider Douglas and fly Compson dance and argue over Gabbo. The whole thing is far more silly than dramatic, although the dance itself isn't bad when you can get over the obvious doubles used.
Trivia: The musical numbers were originally in Multicolor (a cheaper alternative to Technicolor), but current copies are only in black-and-white.
There was originally another big musical number, "The Ga-Ga Bird," but it was cut after the initial showing and has since been lost. Bits of it survive in Gabbo's insanity montage towards the end of the film.
What I Don't Like: If "Ga-Ga Bird" was as weird as some of the other numbers, I'm almost glad it doesn't survive. This movie didn't need to be a huge musical, and likely is only because huge musicals were the trend in 1929 sound films. "Web of Love" and Otto's songs are the only ones that move the plot along. The others are just there to show off the color or dancers. In fact, they get in the way of the far more interesting drama going on with Gabbo, Mary, and his attempt to bring her back. Otto can occasionally be a lot more creepy than cute, too, especially when he and Gabbo are together in the dressing room.
The Big Finale: Truly unique early musical with fine performances and some insane numbers. Worth checking out if you have any interest in Von Stronheim or the era, or you've seen later movies about ventriloquists like Magic.
Home Media: It's in the public domain, so there's a lot of inferior copies out there. The Kino Lorber DVD that pairs it with the silent Von Stronheim-directed Blind Husbands is the one you'll want to look out for.
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