Children of Pleasure

Early talkie. Danny and Emma ( (Lawrence Gray and Wynne Gibson) are in show biz, and trying to make a go of it. Blackface minstrel show. Producing various shows. Lots of long lines of dancers, uniform formations and outfits. He seems to be torn between to birds... emma and pat. He teeters back and forth between them. What's a guy to do? Such problems. Lots of snap crackle pop on the sound track, but the picture quality is pretty good! Original play from Crane Wilbur; was caught up in the production of Tomorrow's Children, a discussion of sterilization and birth conrol, which was a huge no-no at the time. Directed by Harry Beaumont, who had JUST been nominated for Broadway Melody. It's okay.

"Children of Pleasure" is a 1930 curio turning up on TCM. The film is a very minor early MGM musical you can label low budget B picture. However, any MGM B looks first class compared to Poverty Row cheapies. "Children of Pleasure" arrived during the first wave of sound musicals and isn't as stodgy and crude as other musicals of the time period. In fact, there's a slight hint of how musicals would evolve in a few years hence under Busby Berkeley.

The film is pre-code but the only risqué thing is the title. Story is simple and basic. Songs are forgettable. The actors are long forgotten names never achieving any kind of notable stardom. Songwriters and choreographer don't ring a bell. Director Harry Beaumont was a prominent name in silents and directed MGM's first sound musical "The Broadway Melody" (1929) winning a Best Picture Oscar.

Danny (Lawrence Gray) is a hot shot songwriter. Partner Emma (Wynne Gibson) loves Danny who only has eyes for spoiled heiress Pat (Helen Johnson). Will Danny end up with Pat or Emma? That's a pretty thin storyline serving as framework for several production numbers, Gray at the piano singing songs and Jewish schtick by comedian Benny Rubin.

There are delights to be found in "Children of Pleasure." Yes, that's a not yet really famous Jack Benny in a cameo. Also Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. The music has the real deal syncopation bounce never successfully imitated in later films set in this era. Some nice chorus girl line tapping. The politically correct police will demand the film be destroyed for its black face line of tappers.

The pleasure in viewing even a film this obscure lies in details. The sleek women with marcelled hair wearing great fashion. Gibson wears a dress that flows with her movement during her number. Set decoration is littered with art deco design showing on chairs and piano and distinct art deco objects.

Released in 1930--soon after the advent of talkies--"Children of Pleasure" must have been one of the earliest musicals. But it is not a musical as we know them now, where characters break out in song to express their emotions. Reveling in the possibilities of sound, the talkies were often stories about stage productions or nightclub venues, allowing production numbers, which pretty much stop the storyline. This film has those staged numbers, but since the main character, Danny Regan (Lawrence Gray) is a songwriter, and a guy who communicates better with his girlfriend when he sings to her, various songs become expressions of his love.

The object of his affection is Patricia Thayer (Judith Wood), a socialite backed by family money. She uses and throws away boyfriends like chewing gum. When Emma (Wynne Gibson), Danny's friend and coworker sees him falling for Pat, she is concerned for him, but wants him to be happy.

Pat eventually agrees to marry Danny. On the night of the wedding rehearsal, Danny overhears something that makes him second guess his decision to marry Pat.

The sound quality of the film is sometimes fuzzy, sometimes excellent--what you might expect of a film from 1930. The storyline is fairly good until the ending, when instead of showing us what transpires, the film has a character tell us what happened. This also results in a jarring close to the film.

The musical (and dance) numbers are typical for the era. Lots of "gee whiz" lyrics and shuffling. But the songs are not bad. One song Danny sings, titled "The Whole Darn Thing's For You" is charming.

The entire cast feels like it was picked right out of vaudeville and the borscht circuit. So some of the humor is clever, some feels amateurish by today's standards. But I liked most of the characters. I particularly liked the acting/singing/comedy of Wynne Gibson.

Snappy musical of songwriter (Lawrence Gray) who falls for a society girl (Helen Johnson) much to the chagrin of his faithful secretary (Wynne Gibson). Gray sings a few songs and there are some productions numbers from Broadway shows that feature May Boley, Benny Rubin, and Gibson.

Supposedly loosely based on the life of Irving Berlin, this is an interesting early musical, one of many that Gray starred in. The songs are pretty much integrated into the plot and chart the course of love as Gray writes songs for Johnson (also known as Judith Wood) and then creates dark lyrics when he learns she's only out for a lark.

I suspect some material has been cut and long lost since the film clocks in at a little over an hour.

Gray is a pleasant leading man, Gibson a surprise in her singing number, Boley a powerhouse (despite the hideous costumes) as the "red hot mama," and Rubin always good for a laugh. Cameos by Jack Benny and Cliff Edwards don't add much. Co-stars include Kenneth Thomson, Ann Dvorak (chorus girl), Mary Carlisle, Lee Kohlmar, and Doris McMahon, the girl from Buster Keaton's FREE AND EASY who wants to sing a funny song.

Early sound films were often problematic because Hollywood was still trying to perfect the sound process. A particular problem was getting the volume correct. And, to do so, in many early movies actors were huddled near hidden microphones and this allowed them to move about very little and the films seemed pretty stilted. This is definitely the case for "Children of Pleasure"...a stilted film that isn't bad for 1930 but which seems dated today.

The story is a musical...and the sound issues seriously impact this. In particular, many of the songs are MUCH quieter than the dialog portions...and the singing is rather tinny to say the least. As for the story, it's only okay as it involves a guy who is in love with the wrong girl and the audience can clearly see that by the end he'll end up with his platonic female friend. No suspense here.

So is the film still worth seeing? Well, it does feature a couple interesting cameos, with Jack Benny and Cliff Edwards playing themselves. It also features one of Benny Rubin's best appearances as the funny and sexually harassed piano player. But the film is slow, predictable, has poor sound and, on top of it all, features a jaw-dropping minstrel act!