Footlight Parade
With
the success of 42nd Street and the Gold Diggers of 1933, Warner Brothers
had now created a public taste for the musical film. The Warner Brothers
signature was especially marked by the direction of now world famous Busby
Berkeley, and the songs of Warren and Dubin. The studio was now its own
"hard act to follow" and was committed to keep the production line rolling
with a series of Musicals. One such musical is the third in the series,
"Footlight Parade" and this one manages to improve on its predecessors
thanks to an excellent script, some very deft performances and the quick
witted direction of Lloyd Bacon.
As
a backstage musical, this one has all the glitter and the darker side
of this theatrical world. There is also some historical interest, since
it portrays the making of a "Prologue" which was a shortened version of
a full scale musical, designed to thrill audiences before the showing
of a motion picture. Acting as promotions, these prologues were part of
the shift in the American entertainment scene from the silent picture
to the talking picture. The first hour of this production provides insight
into the theatrical world of the early 1930s.
James
Cagney, is the master of ceremonies for this sucession of extrodinary
production numbers that feature Warren and Dubin's numbers: Shanghai Lil,
Honeymoom Hotel. These two productions take up a full reel of film each.
These are the gems of the film and are extravagant in their production
values and camera work. The third major production number is By a Waterfall
written by Irving Kaehl and Sammy Fain a couple of young songwriters who
were with this one, getting their big break! Busby Berkeley loved the
song, and later the two became among the busiest writers in Hollywood.
At the premiere of the production, the audience gave "By the Waterfall"
a standing ovation.
Many
familiar faces show up in these character roles: Dick Powell as the boyish
ingenue, Joan Blondell a the wise cracking chorus girls and Ruby Keeler,
as the mousy office girl. All of the typical things happen - there are
rehearsals of many numbers we never see realized in the final film "production"
there is the emergence of the mousy office girl who becomes a dancer and
singer in a miracle transformation (Ruby Keeler). She of course, stars
in these musical extravaganzas and along with her cast, makes them signature
Warren and Dubin Classics. The vitality and fun of this picture, owes
much to the pacing and excitement of James Cagney himself, who keeps the
energy high throughout.
The
most notable song in this picture, is the significant story of "Shanghai
Lil" which is a stunning and extravagant telling of a tale. Like a grand
musical opera, the camera sweeps across the story and takes the audience
through the song as it depicts the title character in the backstreets,
bars and waterfront of Shanghai.
Girls,
Girls, Girls. The "By The Waterfall" sequence
