42nd Street

Warner Bros, 1933
Starring Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter, Dick Powell, and Ginger Rogers
Directed by Lloyd Bacon; Musical Numbers Directed by Busby Berkeley
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin

We're going way back tonight to what is not only considered to be the archetypal backstage musical, but the movie that helped revive the genre on the big screen. Musicals - especially backstage musicals - were huge when sound came in, but the studios tossed out too many frivolous pieces of nonsense. Warners got around this by giving 42nd Street a slightly darker story that was more in line with the tastes of Depression audiences and employing an all-star cast. Let's head to a theater in New York to see if it really "goes out there a nobody and comes back a star!"

The Story: In the depths of the Great Depression, almost everyone on Broadway is thrilled when popular producers Jones (Robert McWade) and Barry (Ned Sparks) announce that they're putting on a new musical, Pretty Baby, with popular star Dorothy Brock (Bebe Daniels). Brock is stringing along a backer, kiddie car magnate Abner Diller (Guy Kibbe) while seeing her former vaudeville partner Pat Denning (George Brent) on the side. They hire notoriously tough Julian Marsh (Baxter) as the director. Marsh has to make this a hit in order to recoup his losses from the Stock Market Crash and have enough to retire on.

Among the ladies who make it through the audition are ditzy Lorraine Fleming (Una Merkel), brassy Ann "Anytime Annie" Lowell (Rogers), and sweet newcomer Peggy Saywer (Keeler). Singer Billy Lawler (Powell) has taken a shine to Peggy...but so has Pat. Marsh continues to berate and push and shove the entire cast through rehearsals and right up through the day before the out-of-town opening in Philadelphia. Brock finally learns about Pat's interest in Peggy during the cast party, where she throws a fit that ends with her breaking her ankle.

The show is about to close when Annie suggests that Peggy, while not the best singer, can certainly dance rings around Brock. Now inexperienced Peggy has to carry an entire show on her poofy-sleeved shoulders. She's not so sure she can do it, but Marsh reminds her that she has to do her best in one of the most famous lines in any musical, "You're going out there a youngster, but you're coming back a star!"

The Song and Dance: Keeler and Powell may have been the ones who became stars, but honestly, my favorite thing about this along with the famous Busby Berkley dance routines are the supporting cast and the snappy script. Merkel and Rogers get some of the movie's funniest lines as New York's sassiest chorus girls, with dour Ned Sparks getting a few good lines in as the more pessimistic of the two producers. Baxter, on the other hand, puts in one of his best dramatic performances as the director desperate to make one last stand on Broadway.

Favorite Number: Although "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" for Bebe Daniels and the chorus boys early on is pretty fun, most of the movie's most famous numbers turn up in the finale. Merkel and Rogers' wisecracks liven the slightly cutesy "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," while "Young and Healthy" shows off Powell's light tenor and some of Berkley's most famous camera and dance formations (not to mention the "under the legs" shot that has turned up in many other Berkley homages).

They save the best for last here. Keeler may not be a great singer, but her dancing in the title number is pretty darn good, enough to understand why this movie really did make her a star. We also get an attempt at drama far above the norm for a 30's musical, including glimpses of abuse and a murder, along with more Berkley camera-driven formations.

Trivia: This was one of the earliest movie musicals transferred to the stage. The Broadway version debuted in 1980, with Jerry Orbach as Julian Marsh and Tammy Grimes as Dorothy Brock. It was a huge hit, both in its original cast and in a 2001 revival. In fact, an equally popular revival just wound down a few weeks ago on London's West End.

The movie got two Oscar nods for Best Picture and Best Sound.

Warren and Dubin themselves can briefly be seen as the show's songwriters.

What I Don't Like: Keeler's only passable as the nice girl among the wolves when she's not dancing, while Powell comes off as way too coy. I almost kind of wish the film had gone the route of the Broadway version and had her end up with Marsh instead of Billy. (In the original book, Billy actually ended up with Marsh, which definitely wasn't going to happen in the movies in 1933.) Some of the Depression references may fly over the heads of those who don't understand the era.

The Big Finale: A funny, fast-paced, and fairly gritty script, Berkeley's oft-imitated kaleidoscope musical numbers, and some nice performances from the supporting cast make this a landmark musical and a must-see for anyone who loves the genre or wants to check out what made Berkeley and his movies famous.

Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but the Warner Archives Blu-Ray is available, and it can be found on several collections of Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930's. (And I highly recommend both the original and 2001 revival Broadway casts on CD as well - they're both fun.)

DVD
Blu-Ray
DVD - Busby Berkeley Collection: The 10 Pack