Lucky Boy
| Lucky Boy | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card using the working title The Ghetto | |
| Directed by |
Norman Taurog Charles C. Wilson |
| Screenplay by |
Isadore Bernstein George Jessel Harry Braxton |
| Based on |
"Lucky Boy" by Viola Brothers Shore |
| Starring | George Jessel |
| Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld |
| Cinematography | Harry Jackson |
| Edited by |
Desmond O’Brien Russell Shields |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Tiffany-Stahl Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 10 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent (English intertitles) Synchronized music, sound effects, and dialogue |
Lucky Boy is a 1929 American musical drama film directed by Norman Taurog and Charles C. Wilson and starring George Jessel.[1] The film was mainly a silent film with synchronized music and sound effects, as well as some talking sequences.[2] The film's plot bore strong similarities to that of the hit 1927 film The Jazz Singer, which had originally been intended to star Jessel before Al Jolson took over the role.[3]
Plot
A young Jewish man works in his father's jewelry business, but he does not like it at all—he wants to be an entertainer, something he knows that his father would never approve of. He comes up with a scheme to put on his own show in a theater and show his father that he can be a success, but things do not work out quite as well as he planned.
Cast
- George Jessel as Georgie Jessel
- Gwen Lee as Mrs. Ellis
- Richard Tucker as Mr. Ellis
- Gayne Whitman as Mr. Trent
- Margaret Quimby as Eleanor
- Rosa Rosanova as Mamma Jessel
- William H. Strauss as Papa Jessel
- Mary Doran as Becky
- 'Patty and Fields' (amateur night act)
- Joe Sevely as Amateur night act
- Glenda Farrell as Bit Part (uncredited)
- William Gargan as Bit Part (uncredited)
- Sig Ruman as Bit Part (uncredited)
- Charles C. Wilson as Bit Part (uncredited)
Production
The film had the working title The Ghetto.
Preservation
Comnsidered to be lost for many years, Lucky Boy is still in existence with a copy of the film held in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
References
- ↑ "Lucky Boy Sentimental; Hero, Played by George Jessel, Has Rough Road Attaining Stardom. Other Photoplays". The New York Times. February 25, 1929.
- ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: Lucky Boy at silentera.com
- ↑ Barrios p.145
Bibliography
- Richard Barrios. A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film. Oxford University Press, 1995.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lucky Boy. |
- Lucky Boy on IMDb
- Synopsis at AllMovie
- Lobby cards at Vitaphone Varieties (blog)