Studio City Walk of Fame Highlights: 'Dream House'

Dream House
Tile #3 on the Studio City Walk of Fame

Production Company: Mack Sennett Comedies

Cast: Bing Crosby, Ann Christy, Kathrin Clare Ward, Eddie Phillips, Vernon Dent

Directed by Del Lord

DREAM HOUSE is commemorated in Tile #3 on the Studio City Walk of Fame. The two-reel comedy feature film, produced by Mack Sennett, the "King of Comedy", was released on January 17, 1932.

Bing Crosby stars as plumber 'Bing Fawcett' in one of his earliest films. Dream House is one of six two-reel musical comedies Mr. Crosby made for Mack Sennett that include I Surrender Dear (1931), One More Chance (1931), Billboard Girl (1932), Blue of the Night (1933) and Sing, Bing, Sing (1933).

Mr. Crosby went on to become the first multi-media superstar entertainer with records, radio, television and film.

SYNOPSIS: Bing Crosby sings "Take My Sugar to Tea" on his way to ask Betty (Ann Christy) to get married. Betty is on her way to Hollywood and at the train, they exchange promises of marriage. Betty's mother (Kathrin Clare Ward) doesn't want her beautiful daughter marrying a plumber and does everything she can to sabotage the engagement.

Bing goes to Hollywood to find Betty but he is refused entry to the lot where she is filming. He has several slapstick moments trying to reach Betty. He puts on a disguise to become an extra on the set of an Arabian desert film. Bing bursts into the song, "It Must Be True (Beside a Shady Nook)." Hell breaks loose, all leading to the lovers' reunion and Betty decides to stop acting and return home with Bing.

On the way home to Missouri, Bing croons the title song "I Have Built a Dream House" to Betty.

ABOUT MACK SENNETT

Mack Sennett was born on January 17, 1880 in Richmond, Québec, Canada as Mikall Sinnott.

Joint founder of the Keystone studios in 1912, Mack Sennett launched the careers of Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, W. C. Fields, Bing Crosby, Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Stan Laurel, Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery. In 1917 he left Keystone and founded the Mack Sennett Comedies Corporation which joined forces with Pathé in 1923.

In 1926 plans for a new city in the San Fernando Valley were being developed. It began with the purchase of a 50 acre lettuce ranch at the corner of Colfax Avenue and Ventura Boulevard, along with a 300 acre ranch located at Laurel Canyon. Mack Sennett was looking for a new studio location. A deal was struck and in 1928 Mack Sennett Studios opened and the surrounding area became known as Studio City. The Studio consisted of one office building, a projection room/film editing building, a film library, a two-story dressing room building attached to a large sound stage, a wardrobe building, garage, and a stage with an in ground swimming pool.

In 1932, Mack Sennett was nominated for two Academy Awards and won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Novelty in 1932 for Wrestling Swordfish.

In 1937 the Academy presented Mack Sennett with an honorary Academy Award, "For his lasting contribution to the comedy technique of the screen, the basic principles of which are as important today as when they were first put into practice, the Academy presents a special award to that master of fun, discoverer of stars, sympathetic, kindly, understanding comedy genius, Mack Sennett."

Mack Sennett passed away on November 5, 1960 in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 80.

For additional information, Tim Dirks of AMC Filmsite wrote an extensive 6 part series on the History of Comedy Films.

Filmed at Mack Sennett Studios, 4024 Radford Avenue in Studio City, CA, now .

For more information, please visit the SCIA website Walk of Fame pages.