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Footlight Parade (1933)
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Overview
Release Date:
21 October 1933 (USA) moreTagline:
Climaxing Warner Bros.' glittering parade of musicals! morePlot:
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 win moreUser Comments:
The Genius of Busby moreCast
(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:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
104 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoFilming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USAMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Continuity: The newspaper claims that Honeymoon Hotel has "400 rooms, 400 baths," and yet later we see all guests of each floor disappearing into a single bathroom on each floor. moreQuotes:
Chester Kent: Well, I sure know how to pick 'em.Nan Prescott: You said it, Papa.
Chester Kent: Maybe you should help me next time, huh?
Nan Prescott: What do you think I've been trying to do?
more
Soundtrack:
A Vision of Salome moreFAQ
What did Otis Ferguson say about Cagney in this film?more
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Busby's genius --his "fantastic" use of camera and editing-- is even more remarkably innovative when you remember that only a few years before this film was made on the sound stages of Warner Bros. in 1933 cameras were stuck in sound proof booths in order to deaden the noise of the machine; many movies back then were no more than static reproductions of talky stage plays. Busby opened the door to pure cinema.
Busby is surely one of the first directors to realize that if you pre-recorded the music sound tracks before you filmed the musical numbers you could then move the actors and dancers as you wished; the performers would either be lip-syncing or dancing to playback and the camera could be anywhere high or low. Busby's previous experience as a drill master in the military also taught him how to train dancers and swimmers by giving them only a few steps (or strokes) to learn at a time; by clever editing a montage of shots in time to a set music track he could then give the impression of a continuously flowing extravaganza a la Zigfield. One can only imagine how many hours went into getting the never-to-be-equaled overhead snake design shot in "By A Waterfall."
Yes, the Odessa steps sequence in "Potemkin" is justifiably considered to be one of the great moments in cinema. Let me cast my vote for Busby's incomparable last act to "Footlight Parade."