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Vintage original 8x10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the classic 1930's musical romance/crime drama, WONDER BAR, released in 1934 by Warner Bros. and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Harry (Ricardo Cortez) and Inez (Dolores Del Rio) are a dance team at the Wonder Bar. Inez
loves Harry, but he is in love with Liane (Kay Francis), the wife of a wealthy business man.
Al Wonder (Al Jolson) and the conductor/singer Tommy (Dick Powell) are in love with Inez. When Inez finds
out, that Harry wants to leave Paris and is going to the USA with Liane she
kills him.
The image depicts an interior medium shot inside the dressing room of Inez (Dolores del Rio) as she sits at her dressing table looking pensive while Al Wonder (Al Jolson) stands behind her gazing directly at the viewer. It is in very fine- condition with a small chip on the bottom right corner and a tiny piece of paper affixed to the bottom left corner of the background area. The photograph has a light horizontal curl along the top and bottom which can easily be flattened out if desired. There are no pinholes, tears, stains, or other flaws and the image quality is razor-sharp with very fine detail and beautiful contrast.
A man asks a
couple if he can cut into their dance, and while the woman says,
"Sure!" and rushes towards him, he dances away with her male partner. Upon
hearing this, Al Jolson says with a twinkle in his eye: "Boys
will be boys!" Warner Brothers refused to cut the scene (and it exists
today in the Turner Classic Movies print). At the time, the Production Code was
not rigorously enforced. Surprisingly, however, the movie was approved for
reissue in 1936 despite this homosexual scene and the fact that someone gets
away with murder, both clear violations of the Production Code.
Jolson insisted on singing the opening number Vive la France live on set, as he claimed it would be impossible to do the song justice if was filmed miming to playback, in order to deliver it with the excitement and verve that only he could bring to it. Even though this presented considerable technical problems, Warner Brothers agreed (that's the real studio orchestra actually on set playing the house band of the Wonder Bar) and this is one of the very last musical numbers to be performed live on camera.
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