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Footlight Parade (1933)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
21 October 1933 (USA)
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Tagline:
Climaxing Warner Bros.' glittering parade of musicals! more
Plot:
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win
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User Comments:
Depression Era Musical Masterpiece
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | James Cagney | ... | Chester Kent |
 | Joan Blondell | ... | Nan Prescott |
| Ruby Keeler | ... | Bea Thorn |
| Dick Powell | ... | Scott 'Scotty' Blair |
| Frank McHugh | ... | Francis, dance director |
| Ruth Donnelly | ... | Harriet Bowers Gould |
| Guy Kibbee | ... | Silas 'Si' Gould |
 | Hugh Herbert | ... | Charlie Bowers |
| Claire Dodd | ... | Vivian Rich |
| Gordon Westcott | ... | Harry Thompson |
| Arthur Hohl | ... | Al Frazer |
| Renee Whitney | ... | Cynthia Kent |
| Barbara Rogers | ... | Gracie |
| Paul Porcasi | ... | George Apolinaris |
| Philip Faversham | ... | Joe Barrington |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
104 min
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
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Certification:
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Dorothy Lamour's first film.
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Goofs:
Continuity: Before the bus leaves for the three prologue performances the call board reads Diana Theatre 8pm, Mercury Theatre 9pm and Jupiter Theatre 10pm. They arrive at the Jupiter Theatre first and proceed in reverse order from what was written on the call board.
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Quotes:
Chester Kent:
Hello, Vivian. This is Miss Rich. My secretary, Miss Prescott.
Nan Prescott: I know Miss Bi... Rich, if you remember.
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Nan Prescott: I know Miss Bi... Rich, if you remember.
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Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
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Soundtrack:
The Stars and Stripes Forever
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FAQ
What did Otis Ferguson say about Cagney in this film?more
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Footlight Parade is among the best of the 1930's musical comedy extravaganzas. A snappy script and an all-star cast including Jimmy Cagney, the lovely Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, and Ruby Keeler make this film a cut above the rest. Directed and choreographed by the creative genius Busby Berkeley, this film will have you grinning from ear-to-ear from start to finish.
Busby, of course, is the undisputed master of the Hollywood musical with "Gold Diggers of 1933" and "42nd Street" to his credit (as Dance Director). Footlight Parade is graced by hundreds of scantily-clad chorus girls, a Berkeley trademark. The elaborate dance numbers were shot with only one camera and Busby was the first director to film close-ups of the dancers. His obsession with shapely legs and "rear-view" shots is amply demonstrated here. The overall effect is highly erotic and mesmerizing.
Our boy Jimmy Cagney plays Chester Kent, a producer of "prologues" or short musical stage productions that were performed in movie theaters to entertain the audience before the talkies were shown. He's surrounded by crooked partners, a corporate spy, and a gold-digging girlfriend. Although Cagney had a solid background in vaudeville, this was the first film in which he showed his dancing talents. Joan Blondell is memorable as Cagney's wise-cracking, lovestruck secretary. And Ruby Keeler is adorable, as always.
The film climaxes with three outstanding production numbers, "Honeymoon Hotel", "The Waterfall", and "Shanghai Lil", each one a masterpiece and not likely to be duplicated in today's Hollywood where so-called "special effects" have replaced creative cinematography.
Claudia's Bottom Line: Clever and erotic, with some of the best musical production numbers ever put on celluloid. A thoroughly enjoyable Depression era romp.