Hollywood Revue of 1929 (DVD)

Everybody sing. Everybody dance. Or, failing that, everybody step in place during the famed Singin' in the Rain finale. A torrent of talent takes the screen in the first all-star Talkie Era showcase of heretofore silent-screen players. Much of The Hollywood Revue of 1929 was filmed in the graveyard shift so that the stars' daytime shooting schedules would not be disrupted. Fans in Los Angeles and New York City were treated to movie marquees that included live showgirls. Once in the theater, they were treated to the on-screen delights of Joan Crawford singing and Charlestoning, Laurel and Hardy clowning, Norma Shearer and John Gilbert spoofing the Bard (in color!), Buster Keaton stonefacing and much more in a historic menagerie of fun.

• musical