One of the greatest areas of intrigue surrounding early Hollywood is lost motion pictures. Films disappeared for a variety of reasons, but most were either deliberately destroyed because they were deemed financially worthless (thus the tragic fate of many silent films), or they fell victim to the highly volatile cellulose nitrate film stock that was used up until 1950, which could ignite through spontaneous combustion or decompose into foul-smelling sludge or crumbly powder.
One of the most interesting lost films is Gold Diggers of Broadway, produced in 1929 by Warner Brothers. This film is the second of four 1929 Warner Brothers "talking pictures" (On With The Show, Gold Diggers of Broadway, Sally, and The Show Of Shows) filmed entirely in two-tone Technicolor. Unfortunately, the expense of the Technicolor process ruled out the continuation of Technicolor features after the start of the Great Depression.
Gold Diggers of Broadway was based on a 1923 Broadway stage production of the same name. The film featured a new musical score, witty dialogue, appealing performances, and lavish color sets. It became a runaway hit, with worldwide ticket sales totaling ten times the original cost of production. The film held the record for gross box office receipts until Gone With The Wind was released in 1939.
The film propelled guitar-playing crooner Nick Lucas to superstardom, and his version of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips," introduced in the film, became the number one record of 1929. Singer/dancer Nancy Welford and comedienne Winnie Lightner also became huge stars after being featured in this film.
The wild success of the Al Dubin-Joseph Burke songs from the film meant that recordings of those songs flourished. In the Columbia studios, Ben Selvin's Knickerbockers waxed "Painting The Clouds With Sunshine" on Oct. 26, 1929. And over at Victor, the popular cabaret star Johnny Marvin recorded his own version of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" on September 5.
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Here is the original performance of "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" by Nick Lucas, from the next-to-last reel of the film:
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