Song of the West

Song of the West is a 1930 musical operetta film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was based on the 1928 musical play Rainbow by Oscar Hammerstein II and Laurence Stallings and was the first all-color all-talking feature to be filmed entirely outdoors. The film starred John Boles, Joe E. Brown and Vivienne Segal. The story takes place in 1849. John Boles plays Captain Stanton, a young Army scout who kills an officer in self-defense and esc... more

Song of the West is a 1930 musical operetta film photographed entirely in Technicolor. It was based on the 1928 musical play Rainbow by Oscar Hammerstein II and Laurence Stallings and was the first all-color all-talking feature to be filmed entirely outdoors. The film starred John Boles, Joe E. Brown and Vivienne Segal. The story takes place in 1849. John Boles plays Captain Stanton, a young Army scout who kills an officer in self-defense and escapes. He heads out West to California as part of the Gold Rush, opens a gambling hall in San Francisco, and falls in love with Virginia, the daughter of his former commander, played by Vivienne Segal. Some members of the military eventually find him, leading John Boles to make a hard decision. Joe E. Brown, in the part of Hasty, Boles' doomed sidekick, provided the comedy for the film. This was John Boles's follow-up to his successful role in The Desert Song (1929). The film was finished in June 1929. Following a number of dismal previews,... less