The Great Gabbo
Directed by James Cruze
Written by Hugh Herbert adapted from the story by Ben Hecht
1929/US
James Cruze Productions
IMDb Page
Repeat viewing/YouTube
Gabbo: [Otto won’t “shut up”] Otto, if you don’t keep quiet I’ll smash you! I’ll destroy so that you won’t make another sound! Do I want to listen to you? No!
Worth watching for Erich von Stroheim. Not so much for the musical numbers.
The Great Gabbo (von Stroheim) is a cold, egotistical, but brilliant ventriloquist. His dummy’s name is Otto. Gabbo is in love with Mary (Betty Compson), a dancer in the vaudeville show he appears in. Mary is interested in someone else. But she gets along well with the kind and playful Otto. Otto is ever ready with advice to the lovelorn in the frequent conversations he has with his master.
If they could have focused the movie on von Stroheim and the love triangle, this might have been a superior movie. Unfortunately, it is marred by several musical numbers and homely chorus girls that seem to be a requirement to lure audiences in for early talkies. This film was on my 10 Favorites list for its year but will surely be knocked off the list on the next iteration, if there is one.
Glad to be back.
