The Swell Head (also known as The Swelled Head and Eddie Foy, Jr., with Bessie Love in The Swelled Head)[4][5][6] is a 1928 American romantic musical[7] short starring Eddie Foy Jr. and Bessie Love, directed by Foy's brother Bryan. Variety mused that "this may be the first backstage sound short."[2]
| The Swell Head | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bryan Foy[1] |
| Screenplay by | Hugh Hubert[2][3] |
| Starring | Eddie Foy Jr. Bessie Love |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 18 minutes;[2] 2 reels[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.[4]
Plot
editA young man (Foy) and woman (Love) perform a vaudeville act multiple times a day. The young man's ego makes their collaboration difficult. When he is made aware of this, he changes his ways, and the pair fall in love.[2][3]
Cast
edit- Eddie Foy Jr.
- Bessie Love
- Eugene Pallette
- Claude Sanders
- James T. Mack[1][8]
Soundtrack
edit- "Cielito Lindo"
- "The Skaters' Waltz"
- "Turkey in the Straw"
- "Espanito"
- "Spring Song"[6][8]
Production
editA plagiarism lawsuit was filed against the studio.[6]
Release and reception
editThough it was a short film, because it was a sound film, it headlined at some theaters.[9] The film had its New York premiere at the Strand Theatre.[2]
Foy and Love received high praise for their performances,[2][3] and the film left open the possibility for sequel shorts.[2]
References
edit- Citations
- ^ a b c Love 1977, p. 153
- ^ a b c d e f g "Film Reviews: Talking Shorts". Variety. August 1, 1928. p. 12.
- ^ a b c d "Short Subject Reviews". The Film Daily. August 5, 1928. p. 7.
- ^ a b c "Eddie Foy, Jr., with Bessie Love in The swell head / the Vitaphone Corp ; Hugh Herbert ; Murray Roth ; director, Brian Foy?". UCLA Library Film & Television Archive.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries, Cumulative Series: Motion Pictures 1912–1939. Copyright Office, The Library of Congress. 1951. p. 214.
- ^ a b c Liebman, Roy (May 20, 2015). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0936-2.
- ^ Love 1977, p. 111
- ^ a b Bradley, Edwin M. (June 14, 2015). "Warner Bros. / Vitaphone". The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931. McFarland. p. 435. ISBN 978-1-4766-0684-2.
- ^ "Key City Reports". Motion Picture News. September 8, 1928. p. 798.
- Works cited