George Burns and Gracie Allen, who were at the time popular stage performers and would shortly become household names through their Radio and Television programs, appear in this 1929 short. It's their first film appearance, though it would not be their last. The bit that their doing was written by someone else for someone else. The set was built for someone else, the cameras were rolling for someone else, but the comedian who was scheduled got sick. George and Gracie, perhaps the most accomplished "Disappointment Act" in NYC stepped in to save the day.

Well, sort of. First they were offered $1,700.

Later, George would joke: "I'd never heard of $1,700 in my life, especially for nine minutes' work,"

George is wearing a hat in this short because he's bald, but he didn't want anyone to know. His wig was still in his luggage, which had not arrived at their home from their recent European tour.

George was critical of this performance, believing that it was Sub Par for the duo. He's right, but it's still pretty good. He was less critical of the paycheck, and went on to seek out many more film jobs (and radio jobs, and television jobs) where he continued to find some measure of success until is death at age 100 in 1996.

The Bishop Murder Case is primarily interesting for featuring Basil Rathbone as Philo Vance, a detective in the vein of Sherlock Holmes who Rathbone would go on to play years later.

It's an early talkie, and has a lot of the problems associated with talkies in 1929, but it manages to be a decent flick in spite of that. Unfortunately, the film is currently only available in a fairly low quality transfer. It will get replaced when a better copy becomes available.

Lonesome (1928) is a sound part-talkie film directed by Paul Fejös and starring Barbara Kent and Glenn Tryon. The film features a few sequences with audible dialog, but mostly has a synchronized musical score with sound effects and English intertitles. It was released in both sound-on-disc and sound-on-film formats and follows two working-class New Yorkers who meet at Coney Island during the Independence Day weekend and fall in love over the course of 24 hours. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.

Our Dancing Daughters (1928) is a film starring Joan Crawford and John Mack Brown, directed by Harry Beaumont and produced by Hunt Stromberg. The film, which showcases the "loosening of youth morals" in the 1920s, features synchronized sound with a musical score and sound effects.

The plot revolves around two friends, "Dangerous Diana" Medford (Crawford) and Ann, who have different attitudes towards relationships. Diana is virtuous but flirtatious, while Ann is amoral and uses men for their money. Both women are attracted to Ben Blaine, and they eventually marry other people. Diana becomes distraught about her friends' questionable pasts and decides to leave town.

Our Dancing Daughters marked Joan Crawford's breakthrough role and was significant for its use of synchronized sound technology. The film explores themes of love, morality, and social class during the Roaring Twenties.