1930 in film

List of years in film (table)
... 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 ... 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 ... 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 ...
In television 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 In radio 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933
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Events

• March 10: Release of Goodbye Argentina (Adiós Argentina), the first Argentine film with a (musical) soundtrack. Ada Cornaro has her first starring role and Libertad Lamarque makes her film debut.
• November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm and a very early form of 70mm film. It is the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era, costing over $2 million. The film is praised for its aesthetic quality and realism that will not become commonplace until many decades later. However, due to the new film format and the film's release during the Great Depression, the film will go on to become a financial failure at the box office.

Top-grossing films

Rank	Title	Actors	Studio	Gross
1.	Hell's Angels	Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall	United Artists	$8,000,000
2.	All Quiet on the Western Front	Louis Wolheim and Lew Ayres	Universal	$3,000,000
3.	Whoopee!	Eddie Cantor	United Artists	$2,655,000
4.	Animal Crackers	Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, and Zeppo Marx	Paramount	$1,500,000
5.	Anna Christie	Greta Garbo, Marie Dressler, and Charles Bickford	MGM	$1,500,000
6.	Feet First	Harold Lloyd	Paramount	$1,300,000
7.	The Rogue Song	Lawrence Tibbett	MGM	Unknown
8.	The Life of the Party	Winnie Lightner	Warner Bros.	Unknown
9.	Hold Everything	Winnie Lightner, Joe E. Brown	Warner Bros.	Unknown
10.	Sunny	Marilyn Miller	MGM	Unknown

Academy Awards

• Best Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front - Universal Studios
• Best Actress: Norma Shearer - The Divorcee
• Best Actor: George Arliss - Disraeli
• Best Director: Lewis Milestone - All Quiet on the Western Front

Notable films released in 1930

U.S.A. unless stated

• Abi and Rabi by Ovanes Ohanian (Iran)
• Abraham Lincoln, starring Walter Huston November 8, 1930
• L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age), directed by Luis Buñuel November 29, 1930 - (France)
• Alraune March 2, 1930 - (Germany)
• All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Lew Ayres April 21, 1930
• Animal Crackers, starring the Marx Brothers August 23, 1930
• Anna Christie, starring Greta Garbo February 21, 1930
• The Bad Man, starring Walter Huston
• The Bat Whispers, starring Chester Morris and Una Merkel
• Big Boy, a musical comedy with Al Jolson
• The Big House, starring Chester Morris and Wallace Beery
• The Big Pond, starring Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert
• The Big Trail, starring John Wayne
• Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), directed by Josef von Sternberg, starring Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings - (Germany)
• The Blood of a Poet (Le Sang d'un Poete), directed by Jean Cocteau - (France)
• Borderline, starring Paul Robeson - (GB)
• Bride of the Regiment, starring Walter Pidgeon
• Bright Lights, directed by Michael Curtiz, a musical comedy in Technicolor
• Call of the Flesh, starring Ramón Novarro, a musical romance with Technicolor sequences
• The Cat Creeps, starring Helen Twelvetrees, a mystery film released by Universal
• Chasing Rainbows, starring Bessie Love, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
• Check and Double Check, a comedy based on Amos 'n' Andy radio show
• Children of Pleasure, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
• City Girl, directed by F. W. Murnau
• Common Clay, starring Constance Bennett
• The Cuckoos, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
• Danger Lights, starring Louis Wolheim
• The Dawn Patrol, directed by Howard Hawks, starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
• The Devil to Pay!, starring Ronald Colman, Loretta Young, Myrna Loy
• The Divorcee, directed by Robert Z. Leonard, starring Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery
• Dixiana, starring Bebe Daniels, a lavish musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
• Doughboys, a World War I comedy starring Buster Keaton
• Earth (Zemlya), directed by Alexander Dovzhenko - (U.S.S.R.)
• Elstree Calling, a British revue with color sequences, co-directed by Alfred Hitchcock - (GB)
• Escape, directed by Basil Dean, starring Gerald du Maurier, Edna Best (GB)
• Fast and Loose, starring Miriam Hopkins in her film debut, with Carole Lombard and Frank Morgan
• Feet First, a comedy starring Harold Lloyd
• The Flute Concert of Sans-Souci - (Germany)
• Follow Thru, starring Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor
• General Crack, a drama with Technicolor sequences starring John Barrymore
• The Girl Said No, directed by Sam Wood
• Good News, starring Bessie Love, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences
• Hell's Angels, directed by Howard Hughes, starring Jean Harlow and Ben Lyon
• Hell's Heroes, directed by William Wyler
• Her Man, starring Helen Twelvetrees
• High Society Blues, starring Janet Gaynor
• Hold Everything, starring Joe E. Brown, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor
• Holiday, starring Ann Harding and Mary Astor
• Imperial and Royal Field Marshal (C. a k. polní maršálek) - (Czechoslovakia)
• Ingagi, exploitation-documentary on gorilla-worshiping women encountered by an explorer. Box-office hit was revealed to be a hoax.
• Journey's End, directed by James Whale - (GB/USA)
• Just Imagine
• King of Jazz, a revue with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra entirely in Technicolor
• Ladies Love Brutes, a comedy directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring George Bancroft and Mary Astor
• Ladies of Leisure, starring Barbara Stanwyck
• Leathernecking, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences starring Irene Dunne
• Let's Go Native, starring Jack Oakie and Jeanette MacDonald
• The Life of the Party, musical comedy entirely in Technicolor directed by Roy Del Ruth
• Loose Ankles, comedy drama starring Loretta Young and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., directed by Ted Wilde
• Lord Byron of Broadway, a musical drama with Technicolor sequences
• The Lottery Bride, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences starring Jeanette MacDonald
• Madam Satan, directed by Cecil B. DeMille
• Mamba, first talking drama entirely in Technicolor starring Jean Hersholt and Eleanor Boardman
• Mammy, a musical comedy starring Al Jolson with Technicolor sequences
• The Man from Blankley's, comedy drama directed by Alfred E. Green starring John Barrymore
• Manslaughter, starring Claudette Colbert and Fredric March
• Min and Bill, starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery
• Monte Carlo, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, starring Jack Buchanan and Jeanette MacDonald
• Morocco, starring Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich
• Murder!, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Herbert Marshall - (GB)
• The Mystery of the Yellow Room (Le mystère de la chambre jaune), directed by Marcel L'Herbier - (France)
• Nerone, directed by Alessandro Blasetti - (Italy)
• Night Birds directed by Richard Eichberg (Germany/GB)
• No, No, Nanette, directed by Clarence G. Badger
• Not So Dumb, directed by King Vidor, starring Marion Davies
• The Other (Der Andere), directed by Robert Wiene - (Germany)
• Outside the Law, directed by Tod Browning, starring Edward G. Robinson
• Paid, starring Joan Crawford and Robert Armstrong
• Paramount on Parade, an all-star revue with Technicolor sequences
• Peacock Alley, a musical drama with Technicolor sequences starring Mae Murray
• People on Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag), directed by Robert Siodmak - (Germany)
• Prix de Beauté (Beauty Prize), starring Louise Brooks - (France)
• Puttin' on the Ritz, directed by Edward Sloman, starring Joan Bennett, with Technicolor sequences
• Raffles, featuring Ronald Colman and Kay Francis
• The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu, starring Warner Oland and Jean Arthur
• The Rogue Song, a musical operetta entirely in Technicolor directed by Lionel Barrymore
• Show Girl in Hollywood, a musical comedy with Technicolor sequences directed by Mervyn LeRoy
• Son of the Gods, a drama with Technicolor sequences starring Richard Barthelmess
• Song o' My Heart, a musical starring Irish tenor John McCormack, directed by Frank Borzage, and shot in both 35mm and 70mm Fox Grandeur formats
• The Song of Love (La canzone dell'amore) directed by Gennaro Righelli, starring Dria Paola, Isa Pola - (Italy)
• Spring Is Here musical directed by John Francis Dillon
• St. Jorgen's Day (Prazdnik svyatogo Yorgena) - (U.S.S.R.)
• Soup to Nuts, a comedy and film debut for The Three Stooges
• Street of Chance, starring William Powell and Jean Arthur
• Sweet Kitty Bellairs, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor
• Tarakanova, directed by Raymond Bernard - (France)
• The Temporary Widow, starring Lilian Harvey and Laurence Olivier - (GB)
• The Three from the Filling Station (Die Drei von der Tankstelle), directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Willy Fritsch, Lilian Harvey - (Germany)
• Tom Sawyer, starring Jackie Coogan
• True to the Navy, starring Clara Bow and Fredric March
• Two Hearts in Waltz Time (Zwei Herzen im 3/4 Takt) - (Germany)
• Under a Texas Moon, a musical comedy entirely in Technicolor directed by Michael Curtiz
• Under the Roofs of Paris (Sous les toits de Paris), directed by René Clair - (France)
• The Vagabond King, a musical drama entirely in Technicolor starring Jeanette MacDonald
• Viejo smoking (Old Smoking Jacket) - (Argentina)
• The W Plan, directed by Victor Saville, starring Brian Aherne and Madeleine Carroll - (GB)
• Wara Wara, directed by José Maria Velasco Maidana; now the only surviving silent Bolivian feature film
• Way for a Sailor, starring John Gilbert and Wallace Beery
• Westfront 1918 (Vier von der Infanterie), directed by G. W. Pabst - (Germany)
• Whoopee!, a musical comedy in Technicolor with Eddie Cantor
• Young Man of Manhattan, starring Claudette Colbert, Charles Ruggles and Ginger Rogers
• Young Woodley, directed by Thomas Bentley, starring Madeleine Carroll (Britain)
• The March of Time, directed by Charles Reisner - (United States)

Serials

• Across the World with Mr & Mrs Martin Johnson
• Hunting Tigers in India
• The Indians Are Coming
• The Jade Box
• The Lightning Express
• The Lone Defender, starring Rin Tin Tin
• Terry of the Times
• The Voice from the Sky

Short film series

• Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
• Our Gang (1922–1944)
• Laurel and Hardy (1921-1943)

Animated short film series

• Felix the Cat (1919-1936)
• Aesop's Film Fables (1921–1933)
• Krazy Kat (1925–1940)
• Mickey Mouse (1928–1953)
  • Just Mickey
  • The Barnyard Concert
  • The Cactus Kid
  • Wild Waves
  • The Fire Fighters
  • The Shindig
  • The Chain Gang
  • The Gorilla Mystery
  • The Picnic
  • Pioneer Days
  • Minnie's Yoo-Hoo
• Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
• Silly Symphonies
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • The Cannibal Capers
  • Night
  • Frolicking Fish
  • Arctic Antics
  • Midnight in a Toyshop
  • Monkey Melodies
  • Winter
  • Playful Pan
• Screen Songs (1929–1938)
• Talkartoons (1929–1932)
  • Dizzy Dishes (first Betty Boop cartoon)
  • Barnacle Bill (second Betty Boop cartoon)
• Looney Tunes (1930-1969)
  • Sinkin' in the Bathtub
  • Congo Jazz
  • Hold Anything
  • The Booze Hangs High
  • Box Car Blues
• Flip the Frog (1930-1933)
• Terrytoons (1930-1964)
• Toby the Pup (1930-1931)
• "Beary Bear" (1930-1949)
  • "Experiment Gone Wrong"
  • "Hickory's Hijinks"
  • "Piano Problems"
  • "Oh Deer!"
  • "Bushy the Lion"
  • "Trouble in Paris"

Births

• January 3 - Robert Loggia, actor (died 2015)
• January 10 - Roy E. Disney, film executive (died 2009)
• January 13 - Frances Sternhagen, actress
• January 19 - Tippi Hedren, actress
• January 30 - Gene Hackman, actor
• February 10 - Robert Wagner, actor
• February 27 - Joanne Woodward, actress
• March 6 - Allison Hayes, actress (died 1977)
• March 24 - Steve McQueen, actor (died 1980)
• April 18 - Clive Revill, actor
• April 21 - Silvana Mangano, actress (died 1989)
• April 24 - Richard Donner, director, producer
• April 25 - Paul Mazursky, director, actor (died 2014)
• April 28 - Carolyn Jones, actress (died 1983)
• May 9 - Joan Sims, actress (died 2001)
• May 11 - Bud Ekins, American actor and stuntman (died 2007)
• May 31 - Clint Eastwood, actor, director, producer
• June 1 - Edward Woodward, actor, singer (died 2009)
• June 19 - Gena Rowlands, actress
• July 18 - Burt Kwouk, actor (died 2016)
• August 25 - Sir Sean Connery, actor
• September 16 - Anne Francis, actress (died 2011)
• September 21 - Dawn Addams, actress (died 1985)
• October 1 - Richard Harris, actor (died 2002)
• October 5 - Yuriy Yakovlev, Bulgarian actor (died 2002)
• December 3 - Jean-Luc Godard, director
• December 11 - Jean-Louis Trintignant, actor
• December 17 - Armin Mueller-Stahl, actor

Deaths

• January 31 - Dorothy Seastrom, American actress
• February 23 - Mabel Normand, American actress (born 1892)
• July 7 - Arthur Conan Doyle, British author and creator of Sherlock Holmes. (born 1859)
• August 26 - Lon Chaney, American actor (born 1883)
• September 14 - Tom Mintz, American actor, assistant director (born 1905)
• September 15 - Milton Sills, American actor
• November 8 - Clare Eames, American actress
• December 15 - Diane Ellis, American actress

Film debuts

• Pat O'Brien - Compliments of the Season
• James Cagney - Sinners' Holiday
• Buster Crabbe - Good News
• Laurence Olivier - The Temporary Widow
• Bing Crosby - King of Jazz
• Irene Dunne - Leathernecking
• Rex Harrison - The Great Game
• Ruby Keeler - Show Girl in Hollywood
• Ethel Merman - Her Future
• Spencer Tracy - The Strong Arm

References