Make Me a Star (film)

1932 film

July 1, 1932 (1932-07-01) (US)

Running time

86 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Make Me a Star is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy film starring Stuart Erwin, Joan Blondell, and ZaSu Pitts. Directed by William Beaudine, the film is a remake of the 1924 silent film Merton of the Movies,^[1] based upon the 1922 novel of that name, and the 1923 play adapted from the novel by George S. Kaufman, and Marc Connelly. It was remade again as Merton of the Movies in 1947.

Plot

A small-town delivery boy Merton Gill (Stuart Erwin) arrives in Hollywood, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and complete with a diploma from the National Correspondence Academy of Acting. Crashing the gates of Majestic Pictures Merton manages to fumble his one line bit in the latest Buck Benson (George Templeton) western and is fired on the spot.^[2]

Cast

Joan Blondell as 'Flips' Montague
Stuart Erwin as Merton Gill
ZaSu Pitts as Mrs. Scudder
Ben Turpin as Ben
Charles Sellon as Mr. Gashwiler
Florence Roberts as Mrs. Gashwiler
Helen Jerome Eddy as Tessie Kearns
Arthur Hoyt as Hardy Powell
George Templeton as Buck Benson
Ruth Donnelly as The Countess
Sam Hardy as Jeff Baird
Oscar Apfel as Henshaw

Cameo appearances (as themselves)

References

Notes

^ Marshall, p. 153
^ Make Me a Star: Details, allmovie.com; accessed September 23, 2015.

Bibliography

Marshall, Wendy L. (2005) William Beaudine: From Silents to Television. Scarecrow Press.

External links

Make Me a Star at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Make Me a Star at IMDb
Make Me a Star at AllMovie
Make Me a Star at the TCM Movie Database

Harry Leon Wilson's Merton of the Movies

Adaptations

Merton of the Movies (1922 play)
Merton of the Movies (1924 film)
Make Me a Star (1932 film)
Merton of the Movies (1947 film)

v t e Films directed by William Beaudine
1920s-30s	Watch Your Step (1922) Catch My Smoke (1922) Heroes of the Street (1922) Her Fatal Millions (1923) Penrod and Sam (1923) The Printer's Devil (1923) The Country Kid (1923) Boy of Mine (1923) Daring Youth (1924) Wandering Husbands (1924) Daughters of Pleasure (1924) A Self-Made Failure (1924) Cornered (1924) Lovers' Lane (1924) (unconfirmed) The Narrow Street (1925) A Broadway Butterfly (1925) How Baxter Butted In (1925) Little Annie Rooney (1925) That's My Baby (1926) Sparrows (1926) The Social Highwayman (1926) The Canadian (1926) Frisco Sally Levy (1927) The Life of Riley (1927) The Irresistible Lover (1927) The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris (1928) Heart to Heart (1928) Home, James (1928) Do Your Duty (1928) Give and Take (1928) Fugitives (1929) Two Weeks Off (1929) Hard to Get (1929) The Girl from Woolworth's (1929) Wedding Rings (1929) Those Who Dance (1930) Road to Paradise (1930) Father's Son (1931) Misbehaving Ladies (1931) The Lady Who Dared (1931) The Mad Parade (1931) Penrod and Sam (1931) Men in Her Life (1931) Three Wise Girls (1932) Make Me a Star (1932) The Crime of the Century (1933) Her Bodyguard (1933) The Old Fashioned Way (1934)
British films	Two Hearts in Harmony (1935) So You Won't Talk (1935) Dandy Dick (1935) Boys Will Be Boys (1935) Get Off My Foot (1935) Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk (1935) Where There's a Will (1936) Educated Evans (1936) It's in the Bag (1936) Windbag the Sailor (1936) Feather Your Nest (1937) Said O'Reilly to McNab (1937) Take It from Me (1937)
1930s-40s	Torchy Gets Her Man (1938) Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939) She Done Him Right (1940) Four Shall Die (1940) The Last Alarm (1940) Misbehaving Husbands (1940) Up Jumped the Devil (1941) Emergency Landing (1941) Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941) Federal Fugitives (1941) Desperate Cargo (1941) Flying Wild (1941) Mr. Celebrity (1941) The Miracle Kid (1941) Blonde Comet (1941) Duke of the Navy (1942) Broadway Big Shot (1942) Lucky Ghost (1942) Professor Creeps (1942) The Panther's Claw (1942) Men of San Quentin (1942) Gallant Lady (1942) One Thrilling Night (1942) Phantom Killer (1942) Foreign Agent (1942) The Living Ghost (1942) The Ape Man (1943) Clancy Street Boys (1943) Spotlight Scandals (1943) Ghosts on the Loose (1943) Here Comes Kelly (1943) Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943) Mystery of the 13th Guest (1943) What a Man! (1944) Voodoo Man (1944) Hot Rhythm (1944) Detective Kitty O'Day (1944) Follow the Leader (1944) Leave It to the Irish (1944) Oh, What a Night (1944) Shadow of Suspicion (1944) Bowery Champs (1944) Crazy Knights (1944) Mom and Dad (1945) Adventures of Kitty O'Day (1945) Fashion Model (1945) Blonde Ransom (1945) Swingin' on a Rainbow (1945) Come Out Fighting (1945) Black Market Babies (1945) Girl on the Spot (1946) The Face of Marble (1946) One Exciting Week (1946) Don't Gamble with Strangers (1946) Below the Deadline (1946) Spook Busters (1946) Mr. Hex (1946) Philo Vance Returns (1947) Hard Boiled Mahoney (1947) Too Many Winners (1947) Killer at Large (1947) Gas House Kids Go West (1947) News Hounds (1947) Bowery Buckaroos (1947) The Chinese Ring (1947) Angels' Alley (1947) Jinx Money (1948) Shanghai Chest (1948) The Golden Eye (1948) Smugglers' Cove (1948) Incident (1948) Kidnapped (1948) Jiggs and Maggie in Court (1948) The Feathered Serpent (1948) The Lawton Story (1949) Tuna Clipper (1949) Forgotten Women (1949) Trail of the Yukon (1949) Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot Jitters (1949) Tough Assignment (1949)
1950s-60s	Blue Grass of Kentucky (1950) Blonde Dynamite (1950) Jiggs and Maggie Out West (1950) Lucky Losers (1950) County Fair (1950) Second Chance (1950) Blues Busters (1950) A Wonderful Life (1951) Bowery Battalion (1951) Cuban Fireball (1951) Ghost Chasers (1951) Let's Go Navy! (1951) Havana Rose (1951) Crazy Over Horses (1951) Rodeo (1952) Hold That Line (1952) Jet Job (1952) Here Come the Marines (1952) The Rose Bowl Story (1952) Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) Feudin' Fools (1952) No Holds Barred (1952) Jalopy (1953) Born to the Saddle (1953) Roar of the Crowd (1953) Murder Without Tears (1953) Yukon Vengeance (1954) Paris Playboys (1954) Pride of the Blue Grass (1954) High Society (1955) Jail Busters (1955) Westward Ho the Wagons! (1956) Up in Smoke (1957) In the Money (1958) Ten Who Dared (1960) Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966) Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966)

v t e George S. Kaufman
Plays and musicals	Some One in the House (1918) Dulcy (1921) To the Ladies (1922) The '49ers (1922) Merton of the Movies (1922) Helen of Troy, New York (1923) The Deep Tangled Wildwood (1923) Beggar on Horseback (1924) Be Yourself (1924) Minick (1924) The Butter and Egg Man (1925) The Cocoanuts (1925) The Good Fellow (1926) The Royal Family (1927) Animal Crackers (1928) June Moon (1929) The Channel Road (1929) Once in a Lifetime (1930) The Band Wagon (1931) Of Thee I Sing (1931) Dinner at Eight (1932) Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933) The Dark Tower (1933) Merrily We Roll Along (1934) First Lady (1935) Stage Door (1936) You Can't Take It with You (1936) I'd Rather Be Right (1937) The Fabulous Invalid (1938) The American Way (1939) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1939) George Washington Slept Here (1940) The Land Is Bright (1941) The Late George Apley (1944) Seven Lively Arts (1944) Hollywood Pinafore (1945) Bravo! (1948) The Small Hours (1951) Fancy Meeting You Again (1952) The Solid Gold Cadillac (1953) Silk Stockings (1955)
Musicals based on his plays	Sherry! (1967) Merrily We Roll Along (1981)
Films	Someone Must Pay (1919) Someone in the House (1920) Dulcy (1923) To the Ladies (1923) Merton of the Movies (1924) Welcome Home (1925) Beggar on Horseback (1925) The Butter and Egg Man (1928) The Cocoanuts (1929) Not So Dumb (1930) Animal Crackers (1930) The Royal Family of Broadway (1930) June Moon (1931) The Expert (1932) The Tenderfoot (1932) Make Me a Star (1932) Once in a Lifetime (1932) Dinner at Eight (1933) Roman Scandals (1933) The Man with Two Faces (1934) You Can't Take It with You (1938) The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942)
Films as a director	The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947)