The Broadway Melody (1929) was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, achieving this at the 2nd Academy Awards in 1930. With a modest budget of $379,000, it grossed an impressive $4.4 million at the box office. The film featured an early attempt to use Technicolor, though this sequence only survives in black and white today. Classified as a “backstage musical,” the film delves into the behind-the-scenes drama of performers. Some of its songs, including “You Were Meant for Me,” were later reused in other classic musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952). The production was hastily done under MGM’s head of production, Irving Thalberg, who feared it might not succeed, yet it became a massive hit and set the stage for future musicals.
Tickets available at the door.