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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 670

The Broadway Melody

1929100 minUnited States
MusicalRomance
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
English
This copy runs
101:03
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Harry Beaumont · Public domain

Synopsis

Two sisters arrive in New York hoping to turn their vaudeville partnership into Broadway success. An audition changes their prospects, but it also exposes a rivalry between talent, beauty and the attention of powerful men. When the older sister's fiancé falls for the younger one, their ambitions onstage become entangled with loyalties backstage.

Cast

DirectorsHarry Beaumont

Historical context

This early MGM musical was the first sound film to win the Academy's top picture award. Its production reflects a period when studios were still adapting performance and recording methods to talking pictures.

Behind the scenes

A musical number originally appeared in Technicolor, but that sequence survives in black and white. The original release format therefore should not be used to label the surviving copy as a colour film.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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