New York Nights

(Lewis Milestone, US 1929, 64 min., 35mm)

National Endowment for the Arts. Silent-screen superstar Norma Talmadge, who appeared in 160 films during the silent era, made only two talkies before her Hollywood career came to a screeching halt. Why, exactly, remains a mystery. In this entertaining mash-up of backstage musical and gritty crime drama, Talmadge not only talks for the first time on screen, she sings as well, and she’s quite good at both. She stars as a leading lady of the Broadway stage who, married to an alcoholic songwriter (Gilbert Roland), gets mixed up with the lecherous gangster (John Wray) producing her latest show.