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| Lights Of New York (1928) | |
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| Directed by | Bryan Foy |
| Written by | Murray Roth Hugh Herbert |
| Starring | Helene Costello Cullen Landis Eugene Pallette |
| Music by | Jules Buffano Shelton Brooks |
| Cinematography | Edwin B. DuPar |
| Editing by | Jack Killifer |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | July 28, 1928 |
| Running time | 57 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $23,000 US |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Lights of New York (1928) was the first all-talking feature film. It was released by Warner Brothers (who had introduced the first feature-length part-talkie The Jazz Singer in the previous year) and was directed by Bryan Foy. The film cost only $23,000 to produce, and grossed over $1,000,000. It was also the first film to define the crime genre. The enthusiasm with which audiences greeted the talkies was so great that by the end of 1929, Hollywood was producing sound films exclusively.
Plot
The plot of the film centers around Eddie (Cullen Landis), a young kid from Upstate New York who is conned into fronting for a speakeasy on Broadway. There is the inevitable chorus-girl with a heart of gold (top-billed Helene Costello), a cop-killing gangster boss, Hawk Miller (Wheeler Oakman) and his downtrodden ex-girlfriend (Gladys Brockwell). With the cops closing in on him, Hawk needs a fall guy. Planting contraband in poor Eddie's shop, the gang leader then instructs his henchmen to "take him for a ride" But Eddie escapes his "ride," and there is a final confrontation. Just as all hope seems lost, Hawk is killed by persons unknown. The murder weapon, however, belongs to the chorus girl and she is about to be arrested by Detective Crosby (Robert Elliott), when the real murderer -- his downtrodden ex-girlfriend -- gives herself up.
Songs
- "At Dawning" (Sung by Harry Downing)
- "Kiss and Make Up" (Sung by Harry Downing and danced by Chorus Girls in nightclub sequence)
- "March Dance" (Danced by Chorus Girls in nightclub sequence)
Production
The production was originally intended to be a musical short, but was continually expanded until it became a feature film.
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