Film Review
A film that is still highly regarded today,
42nd Street was the first, and one
of the best, of the
great Hollywood film musicals. It is
the defining backstage
musical and inspired a long series of imitations. Several film
musicals had been made prior to this, but, partly because of the poor
quality of the sound technology at the time, these had not proven to be
successful.
42nd Street
was the film that broke the mould, a major box office hit that recouped
its production cost ($400,000) almost ten times over.
The reason for the film's popularity is not hard to see. Made at
the height of the Great Depression, it offers ninety minutes of
ebullient escapist fun, a welcome distraction from the economic gloom
that hung over America like a vulture-shaped storm cloud, and a
statement of hope that the good times might soon be back again.
The film was directed by Lloyd Bacon, a last minute replacement when
Mervyn
LeRoy, who was originally signed up to direct the film, fell
ill. Under Bacon's effective and imaginative direction, the
film captures both the strenuous ordeal of the rehearsals needed for a
stage show and the drama
that is simultaneously taking place backstage.
The film has some notable performances. Dick Powell appears in
one of the early song and dance roles that made him a major Hollywood
star, Warner
Baxter puts in a superlative performance as a brutal and
self-destructive stage director, Ruby Keeler (better known as Mrs Al
Jolson) makes her film debut, in a role where her lack of talent is not
a handicap, and Ginger Rogers does her Erich von
Stroheim impression.
The artistic highpoint of this extraordinary film is the series of
spectacular dance
routines at its conclusion. These were directed by the legendary
choreographer Busby Berkeley, who is famous for his complex geometric
dances which, when shot from above, resembled the dizzying patterns of
a kaleidoscope. Harry Warren and Al Dubin supplied the film's
toe-tapping songs which include "Shuffle Off to Buffalo", "I'm
Young and Healthy" and, of course, the celebrated title number
"42nd Street".
Encouraged by the enormous success of 42nd Street, Warner Brothers
immediately commissioned another film in exactly the same mould -
Gold Diggers of 1933.
This equally popular follow up had most of the same cast and crew, but
offered some even bigger musical numbers.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In 1932, with America in the Satanic grip of the Great
Depression, work for singers and dancers is hard to come by. So,
when Broadway producers Jones and Barry announce that they are putting on a
new show entitled
Pretty Lady,
there is a virtual stampede to the
auditions. The great Julian Marsh is hired to director the
show. Not yet recovered from a nervous breakdown, Marsh is
desperate for a success, having lost all his
money in the Wall Street Crash. The show's main backer, Abner
Dillon, insists that his girlfriend Dorothy Brock will play the leading
role. He doesn't yet know that Dorothy is secretly dating another
man, Pat Denning, and when he does find out he almost cancels the
show. Then, on opening night, disaster strikes, when Dorothy
sprains her ankle. The show's juvenile, Billy Lawler, suggests
that one of the chorus line girls, Peggy Sawyer, should take Dorothy's
place. Marsh is sceptical but has no choice. If Peggy
fails to deliver, his career will be over and 200 people will be out of
a job...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.