Fanny Foley Herself

Fanny Foley Herself
Theatrical poster for film
Directed by	Melville W. Brown
Written by	Juliet Wilbor Tompkins (story) Carey Wilson (adaptation & dialogue) Bernard Schubert (add'l dialogue)
Produced by	John E. Burch (supervisor)^[1]^[2]
Starring	Edna May Oliver Helen Chandler John Darrow
Cinematography	Ray Rennahan
Music by	Max Steiner
Production company	RKO Radio Pictures
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	October 10, 1931 (1931-10-10)
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Fanny Foley Herself is a 1931 American pre-Code comedy-drama film shot entirely in Technicolor. The film was the second feature to be filmed using a new Technicolor process, which removed grain and resulted in improved color. It was released under the title Top of the Bill in Britain. It survives in a complete Technicolor copy under that title at the BFI.

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Plot

Edna May Oliver plays a widowed woman with two daughters (Helen Chandler, Rochelle Hudson) who attempts to revive her career as a vaudeville performer. Her wealthy father-in-law, who believes that a vaudeville performer is not fit to bring up children properly, forces her to choose between her daughters or her career. In the end, all is forgiven and the father-in-law asks Fanny to sing one of her songs.

Cast

Edna May Oliver as Fanny Foley
Hobart Bosworth as Seely
Florence Roberts as Lucy
Rochelle Hudson as Carmen
Helen Chandler as Lenore
John Darrow as Teddy
Robert Emmett O'Connor as Burns
Harry Stubbs as Crosby

(cast list as per AFI database)^[1]

Production background

As a result of the quality of the color work in The Runaround (1931), Radio Pictures decided to produce three more pictures in the improved Technicolor process.^[3] Only Fanny Foley Herself was completed and released in Technicolor. The titles of the two other features were Marcheta and Bird of Paradise. Marcheta seems to have been abandoned, while Bird of Paradise was changed into a black-and-white production starring Dolores del Río and Joel McCrea.
This was Edna May Oliver's first appearance in color. She appeared in color only once more, in the 1939 film Drums Along the Mohawk. She did not appear in the Technicolor sequences of The American Venus (1926).
This was Helen Chandler's only appearance in a color film. She did not appear in the color sequences of Radio Parade of 1935 (1934). She may have appeared in the color sequences of the silent film The Joy Girl (1927). This film, rumored to exist at the Museum of Modern Art, is unavailable for inspection.

Reception

In October 1931, The New York Times said, "There are greenish skies, steel-tinted nights, amber lights, frocks and gowns of pastel shades, most of this prismatic work being quite well done. But whether it is, on the whole, more effective than black and white is a matter of opinion."^[1]

Preservation status

A complete copy of the film (with the British title) survives in the BFI archive.^[4] A trailer of 200 ft also survives.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Fanny Foley Herself". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
^ Jewell, Richard B.; Harbin, Vernon (1982). The RKO Story. New York: Arlington House. p. 41. ISBN 0-517-546566.
^ Los Angeles Times; September 13, 1931; Page B13.
^ "Collections Search | BFI | British Film Institute".