Broken Hearts of Broadway

Here's Colleen Moore in one of her first starring roles, as a girl lured by the bright lights and glamour of a Broadway career. As you can guess from the title, things don't go well for her at first, and there are plenty of temptations for a good girl to go wrong. But since this is a Colleen Moore silent, instead of a Warner Bros. Pre-Code talkie, there's sure to be a happy ending!

Colleen was just on the verge of stardom herself at this point; her breakthrough in "Flaming Youth" was less than six months away. But even at this point, she plainly has the talent and charm that would serve her well as a top Hollywood star. Organ score by Bob Vaughn.

Supplemental material: Monty Banks finds love and mischief at the amusement park, in the two-reel comedy "Hot Sands" (1924). Plus: a photo gallery of Colleen Moore portraits and memorabilia.

Show Business' Cinderella

Colleen Moore stars in this pretty-standard Cinderella story about a girl making it on Broadway the hard way. Despite encouragement from her gold digger room mate, she just can't bring herself to betray her friends and seek fortune through the eyes of older, wealthy men. Instead, she finds herself penniless and falling in love in the shadow of her room mate's rapid rise in show business. Of course, we know how it will end. If you can't figure it out, the opener will tell you; this story is told in flashback.

This is definitely a nice release because so few of Moore's films are available, but one wonders why a more famous and more enjoyable film was not chosen instead, something like Ella Cinders. However, the existence of this one is great for collectors who are out for anything they can get their hands on. For a general audience, this might not be the best choice. June 1, 2007

Predictable theme but a surprisingly good story

Colleen Moore was one of the most popular stars of the 1920s, starring in about 40 films in that decade, yet her name has slipped into obscurity over the years, but thanks to Unknown Video we are able to get an idea of Colleen and her films with "Broken Hearts of Broadway". As the title already suggests, the story is the common theme of young people with stars in their eyes leaving home to make it big on Broadway (or Hollywood, for that matter) only to find that things are very different and tough in real life. Yet despite this predictable theme the story and its characters make it enjoyable and entertaining viewing. Colleen plays the role of Mary, newly arrived in New York with morals still intact, while her roommate, Bubbles, who already has three years hard experience, knows the ropes. When the girls meet two influential show producers, Bubbles takes full advantage of the men's interest to further her career, while Mary remains loyal to her new-found love: a struggling musician and playwright who also lives in the same boarding house. Also in the same house is an Italian artist who wants to marry Bubbles, but she places fame and fortune above personal relationships. I found these four main characters and their interactions to be the best and most interesting aspect of this film, especially when their lives go in different directions and - just when you've become lulled by the nice, easy pace of the story - events culminate in a case of murder! The surprising climax happens quickly, and makes the final point that often you have to hit rock bottom before you find enough inspiration and motivation to create something great which will give you that big break in showbiz.

Some nice extras on this DVD are the slide show of 75 charming photos and publicity shots of Colleen with some nice early 1920s Jazz accompaniment to send you back in time; and a comedy short with Monty Banks called "Hot Sands". While not as popular as Colleen Moore, Monty Banks was also at his best in the 1920s, and this short comedy is a nice little treat. Although we've all seen some of the slapstick gags often before, this comedy redeems itself with a nice romantic story set at the seaside and amusement park where Monty has all kinds of misadventures until he finally gets the girl. The picture quality is very good, while "Broken Hearts of Broadway" has some specks and scratches, but not enough to distract the viewer. The musical score on electric organ for both films is always suitable and never dull. Overall, it gave me a nice feeling of the 1920s, and the story of "Broken Hearts" also left a good, satisfying feeling.
June 4, 2005

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