42nd Street

42nd Street doesn’t look like a film that came out a few years after the introduction of sound. The influence of more than a decade of backstage musicals on Broadway carried over to help this and other films hit the boards running. Add to that the genius of the transplanted Busby Berkeley. The proscenium arch gets blown apart as the audience watches, voyeuristically, what goes on behind the scenes. The popularity of this musical subgenre can be likened to dish-the-dirt tabloids.

Stereotypes abound where not much is needed to establish a character: the ingénue, Any Time Annie, the over worked director, the world weary leading lady and the sugar daddy. What’s nice about this is that the film doesn’t get bogged down, but hums along at a brisk pace. The concept could get old, but not here. This is brand new. Let the musicals that come after deal with changing things up. I enjoyed every minute of this movie that up until now had only been seen in bits and pieces. 


Best surprise; Ruby Keeler is adorable. No wonder she was so popular.