90% (2) Gold Diggers of 1933 97 min, Not Rated, [Comedy, Drama, Musical] [Mervyn LeRoy] [27 May 1933]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 80%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.
Actors: Aline MacMahon, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Warren William
Writer: Erwin S. Gelsey (screenplay), James Seymour (screenplay), David Boehm (dialogue), Ben Markson (dialogue), Avery Hopwood (based on a play by)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Chorus girls Polly, Carol and Trixie are ecstatic when they learn that Broadway producer Barney Hopkins is putting on a new show. He promises all of the girls parts in the new show and even hires their neighbor Brad Roberts, an unknown composer, to write some of the music. There's only one problem: he doesn't have the money to bankroll it all. That problem is solved when Brad turns out to be quite rich but he insists that he not perform. When opening night comes, the juvenile lead can't go on forcing Brad to take the stage. He's recognized of course and his upper crust family wants him to quit. When he refuses, they tell him to end his relationship with Polly or face having his income cut off. When Brad's snobbish brother Lawrence mistakes Carol for Polly, the girls decide to have a bit of fun and teach him a lesson.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this version of Avery Hopwood's theatrical war-horse The Golddiggers of Broadway, showgirls Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Aline McMahon attempt to find financial backing for the new show planned by producer Ned Sparks. Songwriter Dick Powell, offers to put up the money, much to his brother's disgust.
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88% (2) Footlight Parade 104 min, G, [Comedy, Musical, Romance] [Lloyd Bacon] [21 Oct 1933]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 77%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Dick Powell, James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler
Writer: Manuel Seff (screen play), James Seymour (screen play)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English, French Country: USA
Plot: Chester Kent produces musical comedies on the stage. With the beginning of the talkies era he changes to producing short musical prologues for movies. This is stressful to him, because he always needs new units and his rival is stealing his ideas. He can get an contract with a producer if he is able to stage in three days three new prologues. In spite of great problems, he does it.
Rotten Tomatoes: The last--and to some aficionados, the best--of choreographer Busby Berkeley's three Warner Bros. efforts of 1933, Footlight Parade stars James Cagney as a Broadway musical comedy producer. Cagney is unceremoniously put out of business when talking pictures arrive. To keep his head above water, Jimmy hits upon a swell idea: he'll stage musical "prologues" for movie theatres, then ship them out to the various picture palaces in New York. Halfway through the picture, Cagney is obliged to assemble three mammoth prologues and present them back-to-back in three different theatres. There are all sorts of backstage intrigues, not the least of which concerns the predatory hijinks of gold-digger Claire Dodd and the covetous misbehavior of Cagney's ex-wife Renee Whitney. Joan Blondell plays Jimmy's faithful girl-friday, who loves him from afar; Ruby Keeler is the secretary who takes off her glasses and is instantly transformed into a glamorous stage star; Dick Powell is the "protege" of wealthy Ruth Donnelly, who makes good despite this handicap; Frank McHugh is Cagney's assistant, who spends all his time moaning "It'll never work"; and Hugh Herbert is a self-righteous censor, who ends up in a censurable position. The last half-hour of Footlight Parade is a nonstop display of Busby Berkeley at his most spectacular: the three big production numbers, all written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, are "By a Waterfall", "Honeymoon Hotel", and "Shanghai Lil", the latter featuring some delicious pre-code scatology, a tap-dance duet by Cagney and Keeler, and an out-of-left-field climactic salute to FDR and the NRA!
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85% (2) 42nd Street 89 min, Passed, [Comedy, Musical, Romance] [Lloyd Bacon] [11 Mar 1933]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 76%, Rotten Tomatoes: 95%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win.
Actors: Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter
Writer: Rian James (screen play), James Seymour (screen play), Bradford Ropes (based on the novel by)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Renowned Broadway producer/director Julian Marsh is hired to put together a new musical revue. It's being financed by Abner Dillon to provide a starring vehicle for his girlfriend, songstress Dorothy Brock. Marsh, who is quite ill, is a difficult task master working long hours and continually pushing the cast to do better. When Brock breaks her ankle one of the chorus girls, Peggy Sawyer, gets her big chance to be the star. She also finds romance along the way.
Rotten Tomatoes: Julian Marsh, a successful Broadway director, produces a new show, in spite of his poor health. The money comes from a rich older man, who is in love with the star of the show, Dorothy Brock. But Dorothy doesn't respond to his love, because she's still in love with her old partner. On the night before the premiere, Dorothy breaks her ankle, and Peggy Sawyer, one of the chorus girls, tries to take over Dorothy's part.
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79% (2) Flirtation Walk 97 min, [Musical, Romance] [Frank Borzage] [01 Dec 1934]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 58%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Actors: Dick Powell, Pat O'Brien, Ross Alexander, Ruby Keeler
Writer: Delmer Daves (screen play), Delmer Daves (original story), Louis F. Edelman (original story)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: A Musical-romance with Dick Powell as a private stationed in Hawaii who gets involved with Ruby Keeler, the general's engaged daughter. In order to avoid a scandal, the pair break up, but meet again years later when Powell's at West Point producing the annual play that turns out to star Keeler.
Rotten Tomatoes: Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler reunite once again for this musical salute to the West Point Military Academy, including many scenes shot at West Point with "the full cooperation of the United States Army." Powell is Canary Dorcey, a private at a Hawaiian army post where he meets the perky Kitt Fits (Ruby Keeler), and she proceeds to flirt with him. Unable to handle the love games, Canary escapes Hawaii by getting an appointment at West Point, where he diligently pursues his studies and tries to forget about dames. But four years later, Kit shows up at West Point with her father, General Jack Fitts (Henry O'Neill), who has accepted the position of the new West Point commander. After some sparring and hedging, a visit to the Kissing Rock along the Flirtation Walk turns the two little lovebirds around, and soon enough they are appearing in the annual West Point musical revue, all forgiven.
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72% (1) Dames 91 min, Approved, [Comedy, Musical, Romance] [Ray Enright, Busby Berkeley] [01 Sep 1934]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 72%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 win.
Actors: Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Zasu Pitts
Writer: Delmer Daves (screen play), Robert Lord (story), Delmer Daves (story)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: A multimillionaire decides to boycott "filthy" forms of entertainment such as Broadway shows.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this film, Ezra Ounce is a silly millionaire who spearheads a national anti-fun movement. Ounce's distant cousin Dick Powell is a producer of musical comedies. Ounce's partner is Guy Kibbee, whose daughter is Ruby Keeler. Kibbee is also the "sugar daddy" of Joan Blondell, Powell's friend and co-worker.
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64% (1) Go Into Your Dance 89 min, Approved, [Crime, Drama, Musical, Romance] [Archie Mayo, Michael Curtiz, Robert Florey] [20 Apr 1935]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 64%, External Reviews
Actors: Al Jolson, Barton MacLane, Glenda Farrell, Ruby Keeler
Writer: Earl Baldwin (screen play), Bradford Ropes (based on a story by)
External Links: Wikipedia Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: English Country: USA
Plot: Al Howard may be a star on Broadway, but he is no longer welcomed by any producer. It seems that he just trots off to Mexico any time he wants causing shows to close and producers to lose money. When his sister Molly can no longer find Al work, she teams him up with talented Dorothy for a club date in Chicago. Flush with another success, Al wants to open his own club on Broadway, so he borrows money from a gangster to open the show. Al has Dorothy, who he ignores, the gangsters dough and the gangster's sweetie Luana. All he has to do is keep them all happy, but Luana wants Al.
Rotten Tomatoes: In this backstage musical, Al Jolson plays an irresponsible performer whose unprofessional antics incur the wrath of Actor's Equity. Suspended from the stage, Jolson spends all his money on gambling, but is "cured" after his wife is wounded when Jolson shoots it out with a rival.
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