No, No, Nanette (1930 film)

For the 1940 film, see No, No, Nanette (1940 film).

No, No, Nanette is a 1930 American pre-Code musical comedy film with Technicolor sequences that was directed by Clarence G. Badger and released by First National Pictures. It was adapted from the play of the same title by Otto A. Harbach and Frank Mandel. No, No, Nanette was a popular show on Broadway, running for 321 performances, and was produced and directed by Harry Frazee.

No, No, Nanette
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Clarence G. Badger
Written by	Howard Emmett Rogers (adaptation) Beatrice Van (dialogue)
Based on	No, No, Nanette (1925 stage musical) by Otto A. Harbach Frank Mandel
Produced by	Ned Marin
Starring	Alexander Gray Bernice Claire Louise Fazenda
Cinematography	Sol Polito (Technicolor)
Music by	(see Songs below)
Production company	First National Pictures
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	January 3, 1930 (1930-01-03) (NYC) February 16, 1930 (1930-02-16) (US) March 14, 1930 (1930-03-14) (LDN) June 28, 1930 (1930-06-28) (AU) August 20, 1930 (1930-08-20) (UK)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$418,000
Box office	$1,451,000

Lobby card featuring "King of the Air"

Plot

Jim Smith, a wealthy publisher who made his fortune printing Bibles, is nevertheless a cheerful and pleasure-loving man whose personal philosophy differs greatly from the strict morality of the books he sells. Warmhearted and indulgent, he delights in surrounding himself with attractive young women and helping aspiring actresses and entertainers.

One day, Jim receives exciting news: Nanette, the beautiful daughter of an old friend, is coming to see him. Nanette dreams of Broadway fame but has yet to achieve success. Her sweetheart, composer Tom Trainor, has written a musical revue specifically for her and loves her deeply. However, Tom refuses to sell the production to established producers because they insist on replacing Nanette with a more experienced star.

Desperate to finance the show themselves, Nanette seeks out Jim Smith, hoping his wealth and affection for her father will persuade him to invest. Jim enthusiastically agrees to back the production and arrange its opening in Atlantic City. Nothing is said about this arrangement to Jim’s conventional and old-fashioned wife, Sue Smith.

Jim’s generosity toward young actresses is not new. He already secretly supports Betty in Chicago and Flora in Boston, and he quickly decides that Nanette will become his newest protégée in New York. To justify his attentions, he persuades Sue to allow Nanette to stay in their home as a guest. Good-natured and domestic by temperament, Sue agrees, though she personally dislikes fashionable society life and all its formal obligations.

Jim entrusts the management of his complicated affairs to his lawyer and friend Bill Earl, who not only handles Jim’s business but also secretly distributes money to Betty and Flora. However, Bill delays paying the girls, causing them to make increasingly frantic long-distance telephone calls demanding support.

Unfortunately for Jim and Bill, these complaints arrive while Sue Smith and Bill’s glamorous and suspicious wife, Lucille Earl, are present. Lucille, sophisticated and sharp-eyed, immediately suspects the men are hiding romantic escapades and encourages Sue to hire detectives and keep watch over their husbands.

The situation grows even more suspicious when Jim announces he must leave for Atlantic City to spend several days at his beach bungalow before the revue’s premiere. At the same time, Nanette is supposedly leaving to visit her grandmother in Newark. Though Sue finds the coincidence questionable, she trusts her husband and kindly sees him off, even asking him to take good care of Nanette during the journey.

In Atlantic City, Jim and Nanette enjoy several carefree days preparing for the show. Jim treats the experience like paradise, basking in the excitement of theatrical life and Nanette’s youthful charm. However, trouble soon follows. Bill arrives with alarming news: Sue has discovered the existence of Betty and Flora and is furious. She is on her way to Atlantic City seeking revenge.

Meanwhile, Tom overhears chorus girls gossiping that Jim is Nanette’s “sweet daddy.” Jealous and hurt, he quarrels with Nanette, believing she may be compromising herself for success. Nanette, angered by his mistrust, continues to enjoy herself in Atlantic City as planned.

Realizing disaster is approaching, Jim quickly moves Nanette from his bungalow to a hotel. Yet no sooner does he believe himself safe than Betty and Flora unexpectedly arrive, furious and demanding attention. Tom also appears, determined to confront Jim and discover the truth about Nanette. Once again, Bill Earl manages to smooth over the situation temporarily.

Then Lucille arrives with another warning: Sue Smith is only moments away.

At the same time, Sue and Lucille discover even more about the chorus girls involved in the production and arrange for them to come to Jim’s beach house. They also find tickets Jim accidentally dropped for the theater premiere and decide to use them themselves to investigate their husbands’ behavior.

What follows is a whirlwind of misunderstandings, frantic hiding, jealous confrontations, and comic confusion at the Atlantic City bungalow. Jim barely escapes several compromising situations as characters continually arrive at the wrong moments.

That evening, during the revue’s opening performance, Jim enters his theater box only to discover Sue and Lucille already seated there, having used the misplaced tickets. More chaos erupts when the wives catch Jim surrounded by Nanette, Betty, and Flora in seemingly incriminating circumstances. Furious, the women chase their husbands backstage, where Jim and Bill hide in the manager’s office.

Eventually, however, the misunderstandings begin to unravel. Sue and Lucille discover that Nanette and Tom are actually the stars of the show and realize that Nanette is sincere and talented. Sue quickly forgives Nanette once she understands the young woman is genuinely devoted to her career and to Tom.

Bill then cleverly explains that Betty and Flora are not romantic companions at all but contestants from beauty pageants in Boston and Chicago whom Jim had recruited as potential talent for the production, imitating the talent-scouting methods of famous theatrical producer Florenz Ziegfeld. Jim supports the story by producing the evening’s impressive box-office receipts, while Bill’s wife softens when she learns of the large legal fee Bill will receive from the venture.

Satisfied with these explanations, Sue apologizes for her suspicions. Tom, now understanding Jim’s genuine support of Nanette’s career, gratefully thanks him for helping launch the show. Reconciled and happy, Tom and Nanette go back on stage for the finale of the revue and embrace as the curtain falls, looking forward to both theatrical success and marriage.

Cast

Theatrical release poster style B

• Bernice Claire as Nanette
• Alexander Gray as Tom Trainor
• Lucien Littlefield as Jim Smith
• Louise Fazenda as Sue Smith
• Lilyan Tashman as Lucille
• Bert Roach as Bill Early
• ZaSu Pitts as Pauline
• Mildred Harris as Betty
• Henry Stockbridge as Brady
• Jocelyn Lee as Flora

Songs

• "Tea for Two" – words by Irving Caesar, music by Vincent Youmans
• "I Want to Be Happy" – words by Irving Caesar, music by Vincent Youmans
• "King of the Air" – words and music by Al Bryan and Ed Ward
• "As Long As I'm With You" – words and music by Grant Clarke and Harry Akst
• "The Dance of the Wooden Shoes" – words and music by Ned Washington, Herb Magidson and Michael Cleary
• "Dancing on Mars" – words and music by Al Bryan and Ed Ward
• "The Spirit of the Chimes" (also known as the Japanese Ballet)– words and music by Al Bryan and Ed Ward
• "Were You Just Pretending?" – words and music by Herman Ruby and M. K. Jerome

Production

Originally, Nancy Welford, who had recently come from stardom in Gold Diggers of Broadway and had played the role of Nanette in a 1925 version of the musical on the west coast, was asked to play the role of Nanette, but was ultimately dropped. The replacement for Welford was actress Alice White, but was also dropped because she asked for a very expensive wage and First National Pictures wanted a stage actress.

Preservation

According to the George Eastman Museum 2015 Book "The Dawn of Technicolor, 1915-1935" the BFI National Archive holds a 35mm incomplete nitrate print 160 ft. The American sound discs are considered lost except for the trailer, overture, and exit music.

Box office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $839,000 domestically and $612,000 foreign.

Critical reception

Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times wrote, "No, No, Nannette, proves to be quite a merry affair with tunes that are now well known and players whose activities were rewarded with gusts of laughter from the first-night audience at Warners' Strand. It is a show that stirs up mirth from persons who might desire a more sophisticated type of entertainment, for its comedy of wives discovering the more or less harmless deceit of their husbands is invariably unfailing. The technicolor sequences are not always as well lighted as one would wish, but the staging of these tinted episodes is wrought with no little imagination, especially the glimpses of an airship with turquoise lights and a variety of colors on the fuselage. It is from this stage contrivance that Bernice Claire as Nanette sings one of her songs. Her partner, Tom Trainor, played by Alexander Gray, is also moved to song. The most effective stretches of this diversion, however, are those in black and white."

See also

• List of early color feature films
• List of incomplete or partially lost films

External links

• No, No, Nanette at IMDb