By Richard Harland Smith
Comet over Broadway
Brief Synopsis
A stage star's rampant ambition leads to murder.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Busby Berkeley
Director
Kay Francis
Eve Appleton
Ian Hunter
Bert Ballin
John Litel
Bill Appleton
Donald Crisp
[Joe] Grant
Minna Gombel
Tim Adams
Film Details
Also Known As
Curtain Call
Genre
Drama
Musical
Release Date
Dec
3,
1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the story "Comet Over Broadway" by Faith Baldwin in Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan (Mar 1937).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
While married to Bill Appleton, Eve visits a famous actor in his cottage and is discovered by Bill, who misunderstands Eve's adoration for the performer and, in a fight, accidentally kills him. Bill is sentenced to life imprisonment, and Eve goes into burlesque to support herself and her small daughter, Jackie. Eve's friend, burlesque prima donna Tim Adams, convinces Eve to give Jackie to her so that she can pursue a legitimate stage career on Broadway. Tim rears Jackie as her own, while Eve climbs to stardom and falls in love with theatrical producer Bert Ballin. Eve tries to escape her love for Bert by traveling to London, where she becomes an enormous success. Finally, she confesses to Bert that although she loves him, she has promised to free her husband Bill. With Bert's help, Bill is paroled. Tim tells Jackie who her real mother is in time for the girl to join Eve at the prison gates and await Bill's release.
Director
Busby Berkeley
Director
Cast
Kay Francis
Eve Appleton
Ian Hunter
Bert Ballin
John Litel
Bill Appleton
Donald Crisp
[Joe] Grant
Minna Gombel
Tim Adams
Sybil Jason
Jackie [Jacqueline Appleton]
Melville Cooper
Emerson
Ian Keith
Wilton Banks
Leona Marical
Janet Eaton
Ray Mayer
[Tim] Brogan
Vera Lewis
Mrs. Appleton
Nat Carr
Haines [Burlesque manager]
Chester Clute
Willis
Edward Mcwade
Harvey
Clem Bevans
[Lem] Benson
Linda Winters
Miss McDermott
Jack Mower
Hotel manager
Jack Wise
Stage manager
Edgar Edwards
Walter
Lester Dorr
Performer
Alice Connor
Amateur actor
Fern Barry
Amateur actor
Susan Hayward
Amateur actor
Owen King
First actor
Jan Holm
Ticket booth girl
Jerry Fletcher
Bellhop
Ed Stanley
Doctor
Emmett Vogan
Prosecutor
Raymond Brown
Judge
Howard Mitchell
Court officer
Mitchell Ingraham
Court clerk
Charles Seel
Jury foreman
Frank O'connor
Officer
Dudley Dickerson
Porter
Kay Gordon
First chorus girl
Jessie May Jackson
Second chorus girl
Jimmy Conlin
Comic
Sidney Bracy
English porter
Allan Cavan
Official
Frank Orth
Cab driver
Henry Otho
Baggage man
Victoria Elizabeth Scott
Jackie, age 1 1/2
Loia Cheaney
Janet Shaw
Crew
Robert Buckner
Screenwriter
Frank Cavett
Contr to Screenplay
Bob Cowan
Makeup
Fritz Falkenstein
Contr to trmt
John Farrow
Fill-In Director
Ruby Felker
Hair
Leo F. Forbstein
Music Director
Bryan Foy
Associate Producer
Bud Friend
Props
James Gibbon
Film Editor
Mark Hellinger
Screenwriter
James Wong Howe
Photography
Madison Lacy
Still Photographer
Charles Lang
Sound
N. Brewster Morse
Contr to trmt
Charles Novi
Art Director
Orry-kelly
Gowns
H. Roemheld
Music
Russ Saunders
Assistant Director
Jack L. Warner
Executive Producer
Warren Yaple
Grip
Film Details
Also Known As
Curtain Call
Genre
Drama
Musical
Release Date
Dec
3,
1938
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the story "Comet Over Broadway" by Faith Baldwin in Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan (Mar 1937).
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
Comet Over Broadway (1938) -
As the vogue in Hollywood for musicals waxed and waned, choreographer turned director Busby Berkley tailored his talents to the material offered. Adapted from Bryan Foy's unpublished story "Curtain Call," Comet Over Broadway (1938) is the tuneless tale of Eve Appleton (Kay Francis, in a role turned down by Bette Davis), a small town housewife who dreams of becoming an actress. When a visiting celebrity (Ian Keith) sees promise in Eve and arranges a private meeting, Eve's jealous husband (John Litel) lashes out, causing the actor's death. With her man in prison, Eve parks her daughter with a friend and sets off on the life of an actress, hoping to raise the funds required for a new trial. During shooting of Comet Over Broadway in July of 1938, Berkeley and star Francis alleviated the sobriety of the subject matter by staging a mock fight for the benefit of out-of-town visitors, a behind-the-scenes set-to that climaxed with Francis fleeing to her dressing room and pretending to rip up her wardrobe. Near the end of principal photography, John Farrow was called in to sub for Berkeley, who had been named as a defendant in a "$250,000 Love Theft Suit" brought by the estranged husband of Berkeley's 19 year-old protégé Carole Landis. The suit was soon dropped and Berkeley resumed his career with one of his favorite films, They Made Me a Criminal (1939), starring John Garfield in his first leading role.
By Richard Harland Smith
By Richard Harland Smith
Comet Over Broadway (1938) -
As the vogue in Hollywood for musicals waxed and waned, choreographer turned director Busby Berkley tailored his talents to the material offered. Adapted from Bryan Foy's unpublished story "Curtain Call," Comet Over Broadway (1938) is the tuneless tale of Eve Appleton (Kay Francis, in a role turned down by Bette Davis), a small town housewife who dreams of becoming an actress. When a visiting celebrity (Ian Keith) sees promise in Eve and arranges a private meeting, Eve's jealous husband (John Litel) lashes out, causing the actor's death. With her man in prison, Eve parks her daughter with a friend and sets off on the life of an actress, hoping to raise the funds required for a new trial. During shooting of Comet Over Broadway in July of 1938, Berkeley and star Francis alleviated the sobriety of the subject matter by staging a mock fight for the benefit of out-of-town visitors, a behind-the-scenes set-to that climaxed with Francis fleeing to her dressing room and pretending to rip up her wardrobe. Near the end of principal photography, John Farrow was called in to sub for Berkeley, who had been named as a defendant in a "$250,000 Love Theft Suit" brought by the estranged husband of Berkeley's 19 year-old protégé Carole Landis. The suit was soon dropped and Berkeley resumed his career with one of his favorite films, They Made Me a Criminal (1939), starring John Garfield in his first leading role.
By Richard Harland Smith
Quotes
Trivia
John Farrow took over directing duties when Busby Berkeley was hospitalized.
Used stock footage from I Found Stella Parish (1935).
Both William Keighley and Edmund Goulding turned down the job of directing this movie, and Bette Davis refused to play the lead. Miriam Hopkins was originally cast in the lead, but was replaced by Kay Francis when she became ill. Janet Chapman was originally cast as "Jackie" but was replaced by Sybil Jason.
Henry Otho and Loia Cheaney are listed in studio records as actors in this film, but were not seen in the print.
Notes
The studio used stock footage from Kay Francis' 1935 film I Found Stella Parish. Warner Bros. records indicate that Comet Over Broadway began as an "A" picture, but when directors William Keighley and Edmund Goulding turned it down, the project was shelved. Then Bryan Foy took over the production in the "B" unit. Warner Bros. again shelved plans for production of the film when Bette Davis refused to play the lead. Miriam Hopkins was cast as the lead, but when she became ill, Kay Francis replaced her. Sybil Jason replaced Janet Chapman and John Farrow filled-in for Busby Berkeley while the latter was in the hospital. Screen credits list Faith Baldwin's story as the screenplay source. Studio correspondence, on the other hand, indicates that although the original script was based on Baldwin's story, Foy later abandoned that script and wrote an original story which he entitled Curtain Call, which was also the working title of the film. The producers returned to Baldwin's original title when the film was released.
