On one level, "42nd Street" is a groundbreaking movie musical: It conveys the grind, the cynicism, and the tenuous nature of creating entertainment for the theater. The auditions, the undeclared war between newcomers and seasoned performers, the use of any means to keep the cash lifeline flowing, the chaos from which a performance must emerge; these elements are nicely conveyed.
Now for the actors. Good old Ned Sparks never disappoints. Nobody better depicts the sarcasm and simplicity of the Depression era. Dick Powell is obviously still in his larval state, his voice piping, his face cherubic. No hint of the Philip Marlowe he became in later years. Bebe Daniels actually was entertaining. her rendition of "You're Getting to Be a Habit....", a wonderful song, was charming and delivered with a light touch.
But Ruby Keeler!!! What hold did Al Jolson have on the Vitaphone Studio that made them cast her as a star? A reasonably attractive woman, with the dancing grace of a rhino and the ability (nice reversal) to make emotionally-charged lines sound like reading the names in a phone book. The funniest scene(inadvertently) had the director trying to prepare her for her performance by screaming, shouting, shaking her and doing everything but set her afire.
All this said, it remains a wonderfully mindless entertainment; as good as any comic book I ever read as a kid in the 40's, and just as fantastic.Busby Berkely was at his Kaleidoscopic best, leaving one to wonder what the audience was seeing. My wife could only ask incredulously why I enjoyed the film...but why do we enjoy Oreos?
Now for the actors. Good old Ned Sparks never disappoints. Nobody better depicts the sarcasm and simplicity of the Depression era. Dick Powell is obviously still in his larval state, his voice piping, his face cherubic. No hint of the Philip Marlowe he became in later years. Bebe Daniels actually was entertaining. her rendition of "You're Getting to Be a Habit....", a wonderful song, was charming and delivered with a light touch.
But Ruby Keeler!!! What hold did Al Jolson have on the Vitaphone Studio that made them cast her as a star? A reasonably attractive woman, with the dancing grace of a rhino and the ability (nice reversal) to make emotionally-charged lines sound like reading the names in a phone book. The funniest scene(inadvertently) had the director trying to prepare her for her performance by screaming, shouting, shaking her and doing everything but set her afire.
All this said, it remains a wonderfully mindless entertainment; as good as any comic book I ever read as a kid in the 40's, and just as fantastic.Busby Berkely was at his Kaleidoscopic best, leaving one to wonder what the audience was seeing. My wife could only ask incredulously why I enjoyed the film...but why do we enjoy Oreos?