1929 in film

This is an overview of **1929 in film**, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

## Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten 1929 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:

## Events

The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.

* February 1 – *The Broadway Melody* is released by MGM and becomes the first major musical film of the sound era, sparking a host of imitators as well as a series of *Broadway Melody* films that will run until 1940.
* February 18 – The first Academy Awards, or Oscars, are announced for the year ended August 1, 1928.
* March 3 – William Fox announces that he has taken control of Loews Inc., including its subsidiary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, buying shares from Marcus Loew's widow and sons and Nicholas Schenck for $50 million. The acquisition eventually falls through.
* May 16 – The first Academy Awards are distributed at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
* May 26 – Fox Grandeur News is shown in Fox Film's new widescreen 70 mm Grandeur film format
* July 13 – The first all color talkie (in Technicolor), *On with the Show*, is released by Warner Bros. who lead the way in a new color revolution just as they had ushered in that of the talkies.
* July 17 – William Fox is badly injured in a car accident which kills his chauffeur.
* August 3 – *The Cock-Eyed World* beats every known gross for any box office attraction throughout the world with a reported first week gross of $173,391 at the Roxy Theatre (New York City).
* August 20 – *Hallelujah!* is the first Hollywood film to contain an entire black cast.
* August 22 – First in the Walt Disney Productions' animated short Silly Symphony series, *The Skeleton Dance*, is released.
* September – Paramount Pictures acquires 49% of CBS.
* October 24 – Jean Harlow signs a five-year, $100 per week contract with Howard Hughes.
* October 30 – Entertainment newspaper *Variety* report that Wall Street Lays An Egg leading to many prominent showman and film stars losing money on their investments.
* November – Warner Bros. gain complete control of First National Pictures buying Fox Film's 36% stake for $10 million
* November 10 – Première of John Grierson's documentary film *Drifters* about North Sea herring fishermen, made for the Empire Marketing Board, effectively inaugurating the British Documentary Film Movement. (It debuts at the private Film Society in London on a double-bill with the U.K. première of Eisenstein's *The Battleship Potemkin*.)
* November 15 – U.K. release of *Atlantic*, a film about the sinking of the RMS *Titanic* which is one of the first British sound-on-film movies and, in its simultaneously-shot German-language version, the first to be released in Germany; also the first *Titanic* movie with sound.
* December – Anti-trust suits are filed against William Fox and Warner Bros. by the US Department of Justice for Fox's acquisition of Loews and Warners' acquisition of the Stanley Corporation of America and First National.

## Academy Awards

Main article: 2nd Academy Awards

The *2nd Academy Awards* honored the best films released between August 1, 1928, and July 31, 1929. They took place on April 3, 1930, at an awards banquet in the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Most nominations: *In Old Arizona* (Fox Film Corporation) – 5

* Best Picture: ***The Broadway Melody*** (MGM)
* Best Director: **Frank Lloyd** – *The Divine Lady*
* Best Actor: **Warner Baxter** – *In Old Arizona*
* Best Actress: **Mary Pickford** – *Coquette*

Most awards – no film won more than 1 award

Note: Prior to 1933, awards were not based on calendar years. Best Picture, Actress and Director went to 1930 films.

## Notable films released in 1929

* *Man with a Movie Camera (Chelovek s kinoapparatom)*, documentary directed by Dziga Vertov – (USSR)
* *Diary of a Lost Girl* (*Tagebuch einer Verlorenen*), directed by G. W. Pabst, starring Louise Brooks – (Germany)
* *Pandora's Box* (*Die Büchse der Pandora*), directed by G. W. Pabst, starring Louise Brooks – (Germany)
* *Lucky Star*, directed by Frank Borzage, starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
* *Un Chien Andalou*
* *The General Line (Staroye i novoye)*, directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and Sergei Eisenstein – (U.S.S.R.)
* Arsenal (Арсенал)*, directed by Alexander Dovzhenko – (U.S.S.R.)*
* *Rain*, documentary directed by Mannus Franken and Joris Ivens – (Netherlands)
* *Fragment of an Empire*
* *The Love Parade*, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald
* *Woman in the Moon*
* *Big Business*
* *The White Hell of Pitz Palu*
* *H20*
* *Hallelujah*
* *Applause*
* *Blackmail*
* *The Cocoanuts*
* *Double Whoopee*
* *Wrong Again*
* *The Kiss*

## Serials

* *The Ace of Scotland Yard*, 10 chapters (215 minutes)
* *The Black Book*, 10 chapters
* *The Diamond Master*, 10 chapters
* *The Fatal Warning*, 10 chapters (200 min)
* *The Fire Detective*, 10 chapters
* *The King of the Kongo*, 10 chapters (213 min)
* *The Pirate of Panama*, 12 chapters
* *Queen of the Northwoods*, 10 chapters
* *Tarzan the Tiger*, 15 chapters (266 min)

## Short film series

* *Buster Keaton* (1917–1941)
* *Our Gang* (1922–1944)
* *Laurel and Hardy* (1921–1943)

## Animated short film series

* *Felix the Cat* (1919–1936)
* *Aesop's Film Fables* (1921–1933)
* *Krazy Kat* (1925–1940)
* *Oswald the Lucky Rabbit*
	+ *Homeless Homer*
	+ *Yanky Clippers*
	+ *Hen Fruit*
	+ *Sick Cylinders*
	+ *Hold ‘em Ozzie*
	+ *The Suicide Sheik*
	+ *Alpine Antics*
	+ *The Lumberjack*
	+ *The Fishing Fool*
	+ *Stage Stunts*
	+ *Stripes and Stars*
	+ *The Wicked West*
	+ *Ice Man's Luck*
	+ *Nuts and Jolts*
	+ *Jungle Jingles*
	+ *Weary Willies*
	+ *Saucy Sausages*
* *Inkwell Imps* (1927–1929)
* *Mickey Mouse*
	+ *The Opry House*
	+ *When The Cat's Away*
	+ *The Barnyard Battle*
	+ *The Plow Boy*
	+ *The Karnival Kid*
	+ *Mickey's Follies*
	+ *Mickey's Choo-Choo*
	+ *The Jazz Fool*
	+ *Wild Waves*
	+ *Jungle Rhythm*
	+ *The Haunted House*
* *Silly Symphonies*
	+ *The Skeleton Dance*
	+ *El Terrible Toreador*
	+ *Springtime*
	+ *Hell's Bells*
	+ *The Merry Dwarfs*
* *Screen Songs* (1929–1938)
* *Talkartoons* (1929–1932)

## Births

* January 1 – Haruo Nakajima, Japanese actor (died 2017)
* January 3 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer and screenwriter (died 1989)
* January 7 – Terry Moore, American actress
* January 8 – Saeed Jaffrey, Indian-born actor (died 2015)
* January 9 – Ulu Grosbard, Belgian-American theatre and film director and film producer (died 2012)
* January 20 – Arte Johnson, American actor (died 2019)
* January 31 – Jean Simmons, English-American actress (died 2010)
* February 4 – Jerry Adler, American actor
* February 8 – Claude Rich, French actor (died 2017)
* February 10 – Jerry Goldsmith, American composer (died 2004)
* February 14
	+ Roman Kłosowski, Polish actor (died 2018)
	+ Allan Miller, American actor and director
	+ Vic Morrow, American actor (died 1982)
* February 22
	+ James Hong, American actor, voice actor, producer and director of Chinese descent
	+ Donald May, American actor (died 2022)
	+ Rebecca Schull, American actress
* March 4 - Columba Domínguez, Mexican actress (died 2014)
* March 10 - Harry Bugin, American actor and musician (died 2005)
* March 11 – Timothy Carey, American actor (died 1994)
* March 13 – Peter Breck, American actor (died 2012)
* March 16 - Nadja Tiller, Austrian actress (died 2023)
* March 23 – Mark Rydell, American actor, director and producer
* March 24 – Pat Renella, American actor (died 2012)
* March 27 – Anne Ramsey, American actress (died 1988)
* April 1
	+ Barbara Bryne, British-American actress (died 2023)
	+ Jane Powell, American actress, singer and dancer (died 2021)
* April 5 – Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (died 2001)
* April 10
	+ Liz Sheridan, American actress (died 2022)
	+ Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (died 2020)
* April 15 – Mariano Laurenti, Italian director and actor (died 2022)
* April 17 – Michael Forest, American actor
* April 28 – Bhanu Athaiya, Indian costume designer (died 2020)
* May 2 – Eddie Garcia, Filipino actor (died 2019)
* May 4 – Audrey Hepburn, British actress (died 1993)
* May 5 – Ilene Woods, American actress and singer (died 2010)
* May 8 – Miyoshi Umeki, Japanese singer and actress (died 2007)
* May 10 - George Coe, American actor (died 2015)
* May 11 - Margaret Kerry, American actress and director
* May 17 – Miriam Byrd-Nethery, American actress (died 2003)
* May 23 – Paul Wexler, American actor (died 1979)
* May 25 – Ann Robinson, American actress
* May 26 – Lloyd Reckord, Jamaican actor and filmmaker (died 2015)
* May 28 – Shane Rimmer, Canadian actor (died 2019)
* May 31
	+ Menahem Golan, Israeli director and producer (died 2014)
	+ Fakhri Khorvash, Iranian actress (died 2023)
* June 3 – Chuck Barris, American game show host (died 2017)
* June 8 – Gastone Moschin, Italian actor (died 2017)
* June 16 – Gerson da Cunha, Indian actor (died 2022)
* June 17 – James Shigeta, American actor, singer and musician of Japanese descent (died 2014)
* June 20 – Bonnie Bartlett, American actress
* June 23 – Claude Goretta, Swiss producer and director (died 2019)
* July 5 – Katherine Helmond, American actress (died 2019)
* July 11 – David Kelly, Irish actor (died 2012)
* July 21
	+ Asta Vihandi, Estonian opera singer, actress and dancer (died 1993)
	+ John Woodvine, English actor
* July 23 – Maya Buzinova, Russian animator (died 2022)
* July 31
	+ Pat Cooper, American actor and comedian (died 2023)
	+ Don Murray, American actor
* August 1 – Camillo Milli, Italian actor (died 2022)
* August 12 - John Bluthal, Australian actor and comedian (died 2018)
* August 15 – George Martin, American actor (died 2010)
* August 21
	+ Vija Artmane, Latvian actress (died 2008)
	+ John McMartin, American actor (died 2016)
* August 23 – Vera Miles, American actress
* August 28 – Ken Gampu, South African actor (died 2003)
* September 2 – Hal Ashby, American director (died 1988)
* September 3 – Irene Papas, Greek actress (died 2022)
* September 4 – Nina Urgant, Russian actress (died 2021)
* September 5
	+ Edward S. Feldman, American producer (died 2020)
	+ Bob Newhart, American actor and comedian
* September 11 – Eve Brent, American actress (died 2011)
* September 18 – Elizabeth Spriggs, English actress (died 2008)
* September 20
	+ Kurt Kren, Austrian experimental director (died 1998)
	+ Vittorio Taviani, Italian director (died 2018)
* September 21 – Elsa Raven, American character actress (died 2020)
* September 22 – Maria Charles, English actress, director and comedian (died 2023)
* September 25 – Barbara Walters, American broadcast journalist and television personality (died 2022)
* September 28 - Frances Taylor Davis, American dancer and actress (died 2018)
* October 2 – Moses Gunn, American actor (died 1993)
* October 14 – Norbert Gastell, German voice actor (died 2015)
* October 15 - Witold Sobociński, Polish actor (died 2018)
* October 16
	+ Jane Griffiths, English actress (died 1975)
	+ Fernanda Montenegro, Brazilian actress
* October 24 – Clifford Rose, English actor (died 2021)
* October 28
	+ Jack Hedley, British actor (died 2021)
	+ Joan Plowright, English actress
* November 6 – June Squibb, American actress
* November 12
	+ Etchika Choureau, French actress (died 2022)
	+ Grace Kelly, American-Monégasque actress (died 1982)
* November 15 – Ed Asner, American actor (died 2021)
* November 20 – Jerry Hardin, American actor
* November 21 – Niall Tóibín, Irish actor and comedian (died 2019)
* November 28 – Berry Gordy, American producer
* November 30
	+ Dick Clark, American television and radio personality, television producer and actor (died 2012)
	+ Joan Ganz Cooney, American television writer and producer
* December 1 – David Doyle, American actor (died 1997)
* December 6 – Alain Tanner, Swiss film director (died 2022)
* December 8 – Paddy O'Byrne, Irish radio broadcaster and actor (died 2013)
* December 9 – John Cassavetes, American actor, director (died 1989)
* December 13 – Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor (died 2021)

## Deaths

* January 5 – Marc McDermott, Australian actor (born 1881)
* February 18
	+ Hardee Kirkland, American stage and screen actor (born 1868)
	+ William Russell, American actor (born 1884)
* February 24 – Frank Keenan, American actor (born 1858)
* May 9 – Fred C. Truesdell, stage & film actor (born 1870)
* May 12 – Charles Swickard, German-American director and actor (born 1861)
* July 2 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (born 1894)
* July 3 – Dustin Farnum, American stage & silent screen star (born 1874)
* July 6 – Cliff Bowes, American comedian (born 1894)
* August 2 – Mae Costello, American actress (born 1882)
* September 2 – Paul Leni, German film and art director (born 1885)
* October 3 – Jeanne Eagels, American actress (born 1890)
* October 31 – Norman Pritchard, actor, Olympic athlete (born 1877)
* November 2 – Leo D. Maloney, actor and director (born 1888)
* November 24 – Raymond Hitchcock, American actor (born 1865)

## Film debuts

* Adrienne Ames – *Sally*
* Eve Arden – *Song of Love*
* Hooper Atchley – *Love at First Sight*
* Lew Ayres – *The Sophomore*
* Lita Chevret – *Fox Movietone Follies of 1929*
* Mae Clarke – *Big Time*
* D. A. Clarke-Smith – *Atlantic*
* Jackie Cooper – *Fox Movietone Follies of 1929*
* Cecil Cunningham – *Their Own Desire*
* Henry Daniell – *The Awful Truth*
* Frances Dee – *Words and Music*
* Maurice Evans – *White Cargo*
* Glenda Farrell – *Lucky Boy*
* Kay Francis – *Gentlemen of the Press*
* Paulette Goddard – *The Locked Door*
* Minna Gombell – *The Great Power*
* Betty Grable – *Happy Days*
* Dorothy Granger – *Words and Music*
* Danny Green – *The Crooked Billet*
* John Huston – *The Shakedown*
* Walter Huston – *Gentlemen of the Press*
* Warren Hymer – *Speakeasy*
* Dean Jagger – *The Woman from Hell*
* Vi Kaley – *Piccadilly*
* Pert Kelton – *Sally*
* Franziska Kinz – *Diary of a Lost Girl*
* Florence Lake – *New Year's Eve*
* Allan Lane – *Not Quite Decent*
* Lola Lane – *Speakeasy*
* Charles Laughton – *Piccadilly*
* Anderson Lawler – *River of Romance*
* Peter Lorre – *The Missing Wife*
* Jeanette MacDonald – *The Love Parade*
* Fred MacMurray – *Girls Gone Wild*
* Raymond Massey – *High Treason*
* Robert Montgomery – *The Single Standard*
* Una O'Connor – *Dark Red Roses*
* Lee Patrick – *Strange Cargo*
* George Raft – *Queen of the Night Clubs*
* Rene Ray – *High Treason*
* Claire Rochelle – *Tanned Legs*
* Regis Toomey – *Alibi*
* Lupita Tovar – *The Veiled Woman*
* Lee Tracy – *Salute*
* Nella Walker – *Tanned Legs*
* Johnny Weissmuller – *Glorifying the American Girl*

## External links

* List of 1929 films at IMDb
* List of 1929 deaths at IMDb
* List of 1929 births at IMDb

Template:1929 films

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Citation.
2. ↑ Template:Cite book
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 7 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite news
5. ↑ Richard Jewel, 'RKO Film Grosses: 1931–1951', *Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television*, Vol 14 No 1, 1994 p55
6. ↑ Template:Cite news
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9. ↑ Template:Cite book
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