Children of Pleasure

Children of Pleasure
Poster
Directed by	Harry Beaumont
Written by	Richard Schayer Crane Wilbur
Based on	The Song Writer 1928 play by Crane Wilbur
Starring	Lawrence Gray Wynne Gibson
Cinematography	Percy Hilburn (fr) Technicolor sequences
Edited by	Blanche Sewell
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	April 26, 1930 (1930-04-26)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Children of Pleasure is a 1930 American pre-Code MGM musical comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont, originally released with Technicolor sequences. It was adapted from Crane Wilbur's 1929 play, The Song Writer.

Plot

Danny, an acclaimed singer and songwriter, falls in love with a socialite girl who he then overhears admitting that she is stringing him along just in time to avoid marriage. Danny is notably Jewish, and among the issues the film raises is his temptation to assimilate into the larger culture.

The film is an adaptation of a play that riffed on the real-life relationship between songwriter Irving Berlin and Long Island socialite Ellin Mackay, which was all over the gossip columns in the late 1920s. Mackay's millionaire father cut her off and did not speak to her for years because, after a long courtship, she married Berlin, who was Jewish. (Unlike the fickle debutante in the film, Mackay stayed with Berlin, and their marriage lasted over sixty years.)

The film is played against a theatrical backdrop, and contains many songs and production numbers.

Cast

• Lawrence Gray as Danny Regan
• Wynne Gibson as Emma 'Em' Gray
• Judith Wood as Patricia 'Pat' Thayer (as Helen Johnson)
• Kenneth Thomson as Rod Peck (as Kenneth Thompson)
• Lee Kohlmar as Bernie (as Lee Kolmar)
• May Boley as Fanny Kaye
• Benny Rubin as Andy Little
• Jack Benny as himself, Cameo Appearance (uncredited)
• Sidney Bracey as Miles (butler) (uncredited)
• Mary Carlisle as Secretary (uncredited)
• Carrie Daumery as Dowager (uncredited)
• Ann Dvorak as Chorus girl (uncredited)
• Jay Eaton as Eddie Brown (uncredited)

Production

The film was originally premiered and released with Technicolor sequences in the summer of 1930. Several film reviewers refer to these Technicolor sequences.

One reviewer noted that "the revue scenes filmed in Technicolor being particularly lavish." These color sequences were later replaced with a black-and-white version that had been filmed simultaneously because the backlash against musicals (which occurred in the autumn of 1930) made the expense of printing color prints superfluous and frivolous. Only this black-and-white general release version currently exists except for a portion of the Technicolor "Dust" number that was re-used in the short film Roast-Beef and Movies in 1934, and can also be seen in That's Entertainment! III (1994). This color clip is currently viewable on YouTube.

Soundtrack

Lawrence Gray recorded two of his songs from the picture for Brunswick Records. His rendition of the songs Leave It That Way and The Whole Darned Thing's For You were released on Brunswick's popular ten-inch series on record number 4775.

See also

• List of American films of 1930
• List of early color feature films

External links

• Children of Pleasure at IMDb
• Children of Pleasure at AllMovie
• Children of Pleasure at the TCM Movie Database
• Children of Pleasure at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films