Glorifying the American Girl (1929 Pre-Code Musical Comedy film)

Glorifying the American Girl is a 1929 American Pre-Code musical comedy film produced by Florenz Ziegfeld that highlights Ziegfeld Follies performers. The last third of the film, which was filmed in early Technicolor, is basically a Follies production, with appearances by Rudy Vallee, Helen Morgan, and Eddie Cantor.

Rex Beach was paid $35,000 for the original story.

The script for the film was written by J.P. McEvoy and Millard Webb and directed by John W. Harkrider and Millard Webb. The songs were written by Irving Berlin, Walter Donaldson, Rudolf Friml, James E. Hanley, Larry Spier and Dave Stamper.

Plot
The plot involves a young woman (Mary Eaton) who wants to be in the Follies, but in the meantime is making ends meet by working at a department store's sheet music department, where she sings the latest hits. She is accompanied on piano by her childhood boyfriend (Edward Crandall), who is in love with her, despite her single-minded interest in her career. When a vaudeville performer (Dan Healy) asks her to join him as his new partner, she sees it as an opportunity to make her dream come true. Upon arriving in New York City, our heroine finds out that her new partner is only interested in sleeping with her and makes this a condition of making her a star. Soon, however, she is discovered by a representative of Ziegfeld.

Cast
Mary Eaton as Gloria Hughes
Dan Healy as Danny Miller
Kaye Renard as Mooney
Edward Crandall as Buddy Moore
Gloria Shea as Barbara (billed as Olive Shea)
Sarah Edwards as Mrs. Hughes
Lou Hearn as tailor shop customer
Cameo appearances
Noah Beery
Irving Berlin
Norman Brokenshire
Billie Burke
Eddie Cantor
Desha Delteil
Charles B. Dillingham
Texas Guinan
Otto Kahn
Nancy Kelly
Ring Lardner
Bull Montana
Helen Morgan
Tony Sansone
Louis Sorin
Rudy Vallee
Jimmy Walker
Johnny Weissmuller
Joseph Urban
Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.
Adolph Zukor

Production
This Pre-Code movie is notable for being the first talkie to use the word "damn" (that credit usually goes to either Pygmalion or Gone with the Wind). The word is used twice by Sarah Edwards as well as multiple times in the skit involving Eddie Cantor, Louis Sorin and Lew Hearn. (The word was also used twice in the film Coquette, released in April of the same year.)
The revue sequence contains virtual nudity and revealing costumes.