1928 Motion Picture
Learn more about the 1928 Motion Picture of Rose-Marie at the Official Rodgers & Hammerstein website. Explore the history, awards, media and more.
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Rodgers & Hammerstein
MGM released a silent film adaptation of the stage musical Rose Marie (spelled without a hyphen) on February 11, 1928. Starring Joan Crawford, James Murray and House Peters, the 70-minute feature retained most of the musical’s plot but did not capture the sounds of the score. However, the studio provided each venue with score (available for piano, organ or full orchestra) featuring the songs “Rose-Marie” and “Indian Love Call.” In the larger presentation houses, an offstage singer accompanied the “Indian Love Call” sequence.

Reviews for the film were not good. The New York Times chided “the muddled story, the ridiculous suspicions and the tedious and frequently absurd incidents.” Sid Silverman praised the picture faintly, saying it “isn’t as bad as the advance reports rated it.”

Sadly, the film is considered “lost”; no known print remains. It is believed that MGM destroyed all remaining prints in 1936, when the studio’s remake of Rose Marie was released.