Are You There?

Are You There? (1930)

Passed 30 Nov 1930 • Action, Comedy, Music • 1h 0m
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According to Miles Kreuger,this production began in April 1930 as a large-scale 90 minute musical comedy announced for a mid-summer opening.About the same time the public's enthusiasm for musicals had dried up. FOX decided to cut four of the eight musical numbers and offer it to the public as a 60 minute straight comedy with songs. When it was finally previewed in November 1930 to the trade publications, it was widely ridiculed. FOX then slipped it into second-run and neighborhood theatres rather than premier it. VARIETY helped seal it fate with a devasting review in July 1931, declaring it a ridiculous farce.Reportedly the film was revived at the New York Film Festival in 1969 andshown at MOMA in the 1970s to an appreciative audience. The famous fox hunt scene in AUNTIE MAME must have been lifted from this film. Also, LADY TUBBS (1935) copied it. Ricard Barrios' "A Song in the Dark" describes the film at length and comments on the contrasting performances of Lillie and Baclanova.In conclusion, it would seem that a headstrong international cast grabbed the reins from a novice director and proceded to have a field day. I enjoy screening my 16mm - 23 minute excerpt of ARE YOU THERE? which included three songs and alot of very bizarre comedy. One only could hope that the 60 minute version had more public exposure and that the missing four musical production numbers and 30 minutes of footage would miraculously be found.

Harlan Thompson
Writer
Beatrice Lillie, John Garrick, Olga Baclanova
Starring

Language: English
Awards:
Country: United States
Metacritic Score:
DVD Release Date:
Box Office Total:

6.7

IMDb (18 votes)
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