Lights of Old Broadway. 1925. USA. Directed by Monta Bell. With Marion Davies, Conrad Nagel, Frank Currier. Silent, with musical accompaniment. 35mm print courtesy of Library of Congress. 70 min.
In this adaptation of a Broadway play, The Merry Wives of Gotham, Marion Davies, who made a career of demonstrating her versatility, takes on the dual roles of Irish twin sisters separated at birth, one raised in gentile wealth for marriage, the other in street-smart poverty with aspirations for the stage. The title change to Lights of Old Broadway reflects a dramatic sub-plot involving the electrification of the Great White Way. Tinting, Technicolor and the spot-color “Handschiegl” technique were applied to this light-hearted film which features two short color sequences restored by the Library of Congress.