AutCuddly Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

thefinalcredits 'The more Keystone comedies I make, the more convinced I become that comedy is an art, and a high one at that. If those who are inclined to scoff at me will try their hand at directing just one of those comedies they designate as anything but art, I am pretty certain they will concede me my point.' Mack SennettAn overlooked homage to silent cinema, this film charts the rise and fall of a self-made director whose ambition blinds him to the emotional attachment he has to the actress whose star he plots from theatrical obscurity to leading lady of the silver screen. Often regarded as a fictionalised account of the life of the 'King of Comedy', this long-term pet project of Darryl Zanuck serves as more of a composite portrait of several silent screen moguls, including the aforementioned founder of Twentieth Century Fox himself. There can be no doubt that Don Ameche's protagonist, Michael Connors, shares much of Mack Sennett's creative drive in creating his own movie company, and introducing audiences to both slapstick comedy and bathing beauties. Moreover, aside from appearing briefly on screen as himself, Sennett casts his influence over the production through connections to both cast and crew. Firstly, there are the swansong appearances by several members of his stable of silent comedy stars, such as Ben Turpin and Chester Conklin, together with the band of Keystone Cops. In addition, the director of the black and white chase sequences, Malcolm St Clair, had learned his trade under the auspices of Sennett, as had former screenwriter, Zanuck. Yet, although the screenplay is often regarded as a fictionalised account of the stormy relationship between Sennett and Mabel Normand, the reality is that Normand was already an established movie actress when they met, and her career would be mired in far greater scandal and end more tragically. The other notable influence is that of Buster Keaton, for whom this production served as a brief return to the limelight, having had his career blighted by alcoholism and having been reduced to employment as a gag writer for the Marx Brothers. Keaton's rehabilitation is at the hands of principal director, Irving Cummings, a former actor whose own big break had come in Keaton's debut feature, 'The Saphead'. In the intervening years Cummings had established himself as a director of flashy musicals starring the likes of Alice Faye, and here provided he latter, one of the ten biggest box-office draws in Hollywood at the time, with her first foray in a non-musical role. Faye not only convinces as a melodramatic actress, but also as a worthy successor to the likes of Normand in silent comedy. Despite the fact that another of his performances from that same year captured public attention, her erstwhile co-star, Don Ameche, captivates every scene in which he appears as the driven and innovative young director. Serving as Twentieth Century Fox's answer to Selznick's Oscar- garlanded 'A Star is Born' from the previous year, this production is rare in crediting another studio with its contribution to cinema. However, this apparent generosity of spirit somewhat masks the underlying self- aggrandisement of the film's producer. Firstly, as illustration of Connors' loss of instinct as to what equates box office gold, he rejects Rin Tin Tin. The rise of this canine was one of Warner Brothers' major successes, and Zanuck himself had risen to prominence as head of production within this rival studio for overseeing this four-legged star's trajectory. Moreover, in this same role Zanuck played an influential part in fashioning Warner Brothers' output including 'The Jazz Singer' which is heralded by Ameche's character as signalling the end of the silent era. One final ironic footnote revolving around this production's story-line concerns Zanuck's relationship with his movie's female lead. As Ameche noted Zanuck like many others in the studio pursued her, and Faye would ultimately turn the tables on his disloyalty like no other female star has done before or since.

tavm After about a year of this being on the "long wait" list on Netflix, the DVD was finally delivered a couple of days ago and I finally got to see this after about a couple of decades being curious about it because I read about Buster Keaton throwing a pie in the face of Alice Faye in his bio in an encyclopedia of movie comics called "Funsters". Seeing Keaton years after he seemed to have fallen on hard times due to his alcoholism was refreshing when he performs his silent antics especially when he does those pie scenes. Oh, and Ms. Faye does a nice tribute to Anita Garvin in The Battle of the Century when she falls on a pie. Don Ameche isn't bad as her director who guides her through slapstick comedies and then dramas but can't see the forest for the trees, if you know what I mean. Obviously, if you're familiar with silent movie history, you can see that Ms. Faye and Ameche are a mix of various celebrities from then but also Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand. Sennett himself cameos in a party scene making a speech on the fictional stars depicted. I did not notice James Finlayson-best known to me for his work with Laurel & Hardy-as one of the Keystone Cops. The silent comedy sequences were really well done. The dramatic scenes were okay. I'm guessing Al Jolson didn't recreate his blackface numbers from The Jazz Singer and instead did his stint as a cantor from that was because he already did those in a previous Faye picture called Rose of Washington Square. I'm obviously babbling now so on that note, I recommend Hollywood Cavalcade.

dougandwin As most moviegoers know, 1939 was a year of some very great movies, but "Hollywood Cavalcade" was not one of them. It probably was a big hit at the time, as it adventurously combined Technicolor and Black & White photography, but it has not stood the passing of time nearly as well as many of those made in the same year. One expects with the casting Of Alice Faye and Don Ameche it would be a musical - this is not the case although there were many opportunities for some songs of the era. The story is a pretty hackneyed one of girl meets boy, girl loses boy and finally girl gets boy, so there is no need to dwell on that. The inclusion of some of the stars of the silent era (including the Keystone Kops) is the most interesting feature, but the sequence with Al Jolson was a bit much!!! J. Edward Bromberg made a very interesting character adding some zing to the story. If you see it on Video or DVD, it is interesting enough to pass a 100 minutes or so.

bobc-5 It's 1913. A studio prop boy spies the actress who is going to become Hollywood's next great movie star and he's the director that's going to make it happen. After inventing pie throwing and the keystone cops, his dream comes true. Being completely absorbed in his film-making, however, he fails to notice that he is losing his leading lady to another man. Several over-budget flops later, he is known as nothing more than the director who turned down Rin-tin-tin. Fortunately for him, the loyal and compassionate residents of Hollywood are untainted by ambition and ego. He'll be okay as long as he still has his friends.This movie starts out as a mad-cap comedy typical of the time period, and in the opening scenes it holds its own with the best of them. It has a playful lack of self-consciousness which is sorely missing in most of today's comedies. Shortly into the film, however, it moves away from this mode of comedy and instead attempts to entertain us using the films within the film. These are silent slapstick comedies, well done but nothing out of the ordinary, and they go on for much longer than is necessary for any audience which has seen the originals. Upon returning, the film takes a dramatic turn. It's well written and the cast does an excellent job of making the transition, but the movie really should have decided from the beginning what it was going to be.By the end of the film, it has transformed once again - this time into a paean to the glitter of Hollywood. The small town of Los Angeles has grown up into the city which makes the movies that entertain the whole world.In spite of its promising beginnings, this film has not aged particularly well. Nevertheless, it does have some strong scenes, a certain nostalgic appeal, and an entertaining sub-text about the people who made it and the audiences it was made for.