As film added sound in the late 1920s, employing musicians and singers became a very profitable way to capitalize on the new technology. One of the biggest stars of the new cinematic genre, the musical, was Jeanette MacDonald (1903–1965). On Broadway from the age of sixteen, she screen-tested for the actor Richard Dix, but was not allowed out of her stage contract. Ernst Lubitsch was going through old tests of stage actresses when he saw MacDonald and cast her in his first sound film, The Love Parade, which went on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Over the next two decades, MacDonald appeared in 28 more films, including three that were nominated for Best Picture. The Dryden presents four of her best films in glorious 35mm prints from the museum’s collection.