Lights of Old Broadway


Lights of Old Broadway is a drama film directed by Monta Bell, produced by William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan Productions, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film stars Marion Davies and Conrad Nagel, and is an adaptation of the play The Merry Wives of Gotham by Laurence Eyre. The film has color sequences using tinting, Technicolor, and the Handschiegl color process.
The play was produced on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre from January 16, 1924 to April 1924. Davies' part was played on the stage by actress Mary Ellis.

Plot

Marion Davies plays twins separated at birth: Anne becomes a society girl in New York and Fely becomes an Irish poor girl turning to the musical world. Dirk, Anne's half brother, falls in love with the poor sister, with the added inconvenience that Anne's family owns the slum in which the Irish families live. A subplot involves the coming of electricity to New York City.

Cast

In her 21st film, Marion Davies starred as twins separated at birth. The dark-haired girl is brought up in a wealthy home, while the blonde is brought up in the tenement slums and becomes a musical-comedy star. This MGM production saw Davies in the first of three teamings with Conrad Nagel and was also the first Davies production in which Louis B, Mayer and Irving Thalberg became involved. This was the first Davies film to use 2-strip Technicolor. The finale also includes the same hand-coloring technique that had been used in When Knighthood Was in Flower. The film was a big hit and resulted in a long-term contract with MGM.

Preservation status