Applause

Applause is a 1929 black and white "backstage" musical film, shot during the early years of sound films. Based on a novel by Beth Brown, the film was staged and directed by Rouben Mamoulian. The film stars Helen Morgan, Joan Peers, Fuller Mellish Jr. Mae West was originally considered for the part of Kitty Darling, but the studio decided Morgan's glamorous stage presence would undercut the tackier aspects of the storyline. The National Board of R... more

Applause is a 1929 black and white "backstage" musical film, shot during the early years of sound films. Based on a novel by Beth Brown, the film was staged and directed by Rouben Mamoulian. The film stars Helen Morgan, Joan Peers, Fuller Mellish Jr. Mae West was originally considered for the part of Kitty Darling, but the studio decided Morgan's glamorous stage presence would undercut the tackier aspects of the storyline. The National Board of Review named Applause one of the 10 best films of 1929. In 2006, Applause was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The film tells of Kitty Darling (Helen Morgan), a burlesque star, who sends her young daughter to a convent to get her away from the sleazy burlesque environment she's involved in. Many years later, Kitty is not doing so well and her best days behind her. She's now an alcoholic who lives in the past. She... less