Is "Chasing Rainbows" (1929) a lost film?

[feaito]

For some reason I had the idea that this early musical was a lost film, but apparently it's not and only some two-stripe technicolor sequences are missing from the print.

Some years ago a private collector sent me a DVD with some excerpts from the film, which I thought were the only that existed. But yesterday I realized that Ron Oliver, who usually reviews classic films at us.imdb.com had written a thorough review of the film, thus making me realize that there has to be some (almost) complete print of "Chasing Rainbows" somewhere.

I think I have never seen it included in any of TCM USA schedules I have received over the years. Has it ever been aired by TCM? Has anyone seen it? Have you Jack, our own local expert on Film musicals?

After reading the thread on Jack Benny I became curious about this early effort and yesterday I watched the aforementioned excerpts. There are a couple of amusing comedic interludes featuring Marie Dressler, who even sings a song, Polly Moran, Jack Benny and George K. Arthur. There's also a sequence where Bessie Love dances with a troupe and another in which she sings in duo with Charles King. A lovely actress named Nita Martan, who plays a vamp sings in one sequence too.

[Moraldo Rubini]

I think I have never seen it included in any of TCM USA schedules I have received over the years. Has it ever been aired by TCM? Has anyone seen it? Have you Jack, our own local expert on Film musicals?

Oh golly, am I considered the "expert"? That's scary. I'm sorry to say that I've never seen this musical. I know it was made to cash in on the success of Broadway Melody. I have a still from it that shows the cast (including Jack Benny with a full head of hair!). Jack Benny played the stage manager, and he was considered a hit in it. From the strength of this he headlined the London Palladium and got into the Earl Carroll Vanities in New York. I have another picture that shows Bessie Love in the "Everybody Tap" number.

You'll remember there's a section devoted to early musicals in That's Entertainment III. I wonder if any of the clips are from this rarity? It started with "The Locust Sisters" vaudeville act, then scenes from The Hollywood Revue, and a number that looks like it's featuring the Duncan Sisters (so I'm guessing it's from It's a Great Life). It ends with The Dodge Twins singing "The Lock Step" number from -- as Gene Kelly tells us -- "the unfinished March of Time." There are a couple of unnamed clips in there; could one of them be from Chasing Rainbows?

We need NZ and ch3 and others from the TCM Musicals Forum in here. They were the real experts.

[CharlieT]

Moraldo Rubini said, "Oh golly, am I considered the "expert"? "

To quote Bill Murray in Stripes...

"That's the fact, Jack!"

[feaito]

Thanks for the replies and information guys.

John, I'm glad to heart that at least it wasn't a lost films as of 1971.

Jack, I'm going to check my DVD of That's Entertainment III, but I don't think I've seen these excerpts or sequences there. The collector who sent me these excerpts on a DVD copied them after the film "Wonder Bar"; he also included a couple of sequences featuring The Five Locust Sisters, Red Nichols and his Five Pennies and Leo Beers.

Charlie, we agree that as far as we are concerned Jack is our musical expert. He's shared with all of us a lot of knowledge and insights concerning the musical genre.