Joyce in Sitting on the Moon (1936)
1936's Sitting on the Moon is one of several "poverty row" genre films Joyce Compton made a small contribution to. A brief and airy musical, Sitting chronicles the star-crossed romance of songwriter Roger Pryor and appealing singer Grace Bradley. Bradley's career is on the outs when Pryor pens a jaunty melody for her (the title tune, repeated ad nauseam) which lands the woman a featured vocalist gig on a top radio hour. She becomes a star while he lands in obscurity, until another song and complications involving a gold-digging hussy (Joyce Compton!) change things around for the hapless guy. On the whole, slight and forgettable stuff which benefits from nice Art Deco production design and a pleasing title tune. It's interesting to note that this is one of the earliest productions for Republic Pictures. Along with sister companies Monogram and PRC, Republic would become the source for several eclectic parts Joyce would do throughout the '40s. Sitting on the M...
These are really cool shots, where did you find this stuff? I can't wait to read her book, I haven't ordered it yet, but I will soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Brandon. I got these from a friend of Joyce's who corresponded with her in the last 15 or so years of her life.
ReplyDeleteIf you're thinking about ordering Joyce's book on Amazon.com, do me a favor and click the link on the left side of the page. Thanks!