Lights of New York ** (1928, Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, Wheeler Oakman, Eugene Pallette) – Classic Movie Review 13,070

Warner Bros’ 1928 crime drama film Lights of New York is the first ever full-length all-talking picture, and stars Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, Wheeler Oakman and Eugene Pallette. But, if pictures could talk, should they be talking like this? 

Director Bryan Foy’s 1928 Warner Bros American crime drama thriller film Lights of New York is celebrated as the first ever full-length all-talking picture, and stars Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, Wheeler Oakman, and Eugene Pallette. But, if pictures could talk, should they be talking like this?

The little-known first all-talking full-length feature film Lights of New York is of course a very dated, slow-moving, all-talking look at the adventures of a showgirl (Helene Costello) getting mixed up with hoodlums, bootleggers and cops.

Lights of New York is of great historical interest, obviously, though now there may be found only considerable cause for wry smiles at its expense, for sadly there is little else here in this antique to hold the attention. Certainly not the hesitant, shaky performance of star Helene Costello, though Cullen Landis and Eugene Pallette are on the money as out-of-town barbers also embroiled in the lowlife shenanigans. Also on the plus side, there are a couple of songs: cabaret entertainer Harry Downing sings the jazzy ‘At Dawnin” (not at all bad actually) and chorus girls dance ‘March Dance’ in the nightclub sequence.

The screenplay is by Murray Roth and comedian Hugh Herbert. In their story, Eddie Morgan (Cullen Landis) is conned into fronting a speakeasy on Broadway in New York during prohibition, where characters include chorus girl Kitty Lewis (Costello), a cop-killing gangster boss Hawk Miller (Wheeler Oakman), who frames the two bootleggers (Cullen Landis and Eugene Pallette) for the shooting, and the gangster’s ex-girlfriend Molly Thompson (Gladys Brockwell).

Film pioneer Bryan Foy plotted against the studio to get it made and fights a brave battle against the technical deficiencies of the early-sound systems.

The story of Bryan Foy plot against the studio is more interesting than the film.

Warners planned it as a two-reel film with a budget of $12,000 but, while studio heads Harry Warner and Jack Warner were out of the US overseeing the European premiere of The Jazz Singer, the crew elaborated and expanded the film’s story during the seven-day shoot. Jack Warner, who surprisingly agreed to another $11,000 to finish the film, later found Foy had shot an extra four reels and ordered him to cut it back to two.

Foy then screened the six-reel film to an exhibitor friend, who offered to buy it for $25,000. But Albert Warner then viewed and liked the film, and, again surprisingly, talked Jack and Harry into releasing the full film. The film was a huge box-office success and Bryan Foy kept his job.

Full-length feature film it may be, but it runs only 57 minutes.

It is filmed in the Vitaphone sound-on-disc sound system by pioneering Warner Bros, who made the first feature-length film with synchronised sound, Don Juan, in 1926 and the first with spoken dialogue, The Jazz Singer, in 1927. The film, which cost $23,000 to produce grossed $1,160,000 in the US and $92,000 elsewhere, a sensational success almost entirely due to the novelty value of being the first all-talking feature film.

Lights of New York still survives complete and is now widely available online after entering the public domain on January 1, 2024.

The cast are Helene Costello as Kitty Lewis, Cullen Landis as Eddie Morgan, Eugene Pallette as Gene, Mary Carr as Mrs Morgan, Wheeler Oakman as Hawk Miller, Gladys Brockwell as Molly Thompson, Robert Elliott as Detective Crosby, Tom McGuire as Detective Collins, Tom Dugan as henchman, Guy D’Ennery as henchman, Walter Percival as Jake Jackson, Jere Delaney as Dan Dickson, and Harry Downing as cabaret entertainer.

Lights of New York is directed by Bryan Foy, runs 57 minutes, is made and released by Warner Bros, is written by Murray Roth and Hugh Herbert, is produced by Darryl F Zanuck and Bryan Foy, is shot by Edwin B DuPar, and is scored by Louis Silvers.

Release dates: July 6, 1928 and July 21, 1928.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,070

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