Babes in Arms (1939)

The struggle of two talented young artists, to make their own way in the show business.

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Jack McGowan (screen play), Kay Van Riper (screen play),

Stars:

Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Charles Winninger

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mickey Rooney	...	Mickey Moran
Judy Garland	...	Patsy Barton
Charles Winninger	...	Joe Moran
Guy Kibbee	...	Judge Black
June Preisser	...	Rosalie Essex
Grace Hayes	...	Florrie Moran
Betty Jaynes	...	Molly Moran
Douglas McPhail	...	Don Brice
Rand Brooks	...	Jeff Steele
Leni Lynn	...	Dody Martini
Johnny Sheffield	...	Bobs (as John Sheffield)
Henry Hull	...	Madox
Barnett Parker	...	William
Ann Shoemaker	...	Mrs. Barton
Margaret Hamilton	...	Martha Steele

Storyline

Mickey Moran, a talented singer and musician, son of a veteran from the show business. Mickey has a partner, Patsi Barton, a pretty girl and also a very talented singer. One day, a big opportunity arrives for Mickey, a big contract to set up his own show. However, things don't go well, and in order to avoid being sent to a work farm, he'll improvise a show in the country, despite the awful weather conditions. Patsi's in love with Mickey, he loves her too, but for him the show must go on, and his big dream maybe will come true: formally stage his play in a big scenario, with a huge production.

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Plot Keywords:

vaudeville | show business | singer | family relationships | show within a show | 

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Taglines:

The big musical fun show!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Los hijos de la farándula

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$748,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Footage from earlier Mickey Rooney film, _Broadway to Hollywood (1933)_, is seen to show flashbacks of Mickey Moran, Rooney's character, as a child performing in vaudeville, in this film.

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Goofs

Camera shadow on front row of violin players just before Mickey covers his ears.

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Quotes

Michael C. 'Mickey' Moran: Here we are together, a couple of stayer uppers. Our day is done at breakfast time, and starts it with our suppers. Here we are together, but the best of friends must party. So let me sing this parting song from the bottom of my hearty.

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Connections

Referenced in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Mr. Bones and Mr. Tambo"
(1939) (uncredited)
Words and Music by Roger Edens
Performed by Douglas McPhail, Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and chorus

User Reviews

Strange currents make it more creepy than beloved

It's an early Freed Unit picture, and among other Freed staples it has the work of Roger Edens, snatches of "Singing in the Rain" and "Good Morning," plus a whisper of "Broadway Rhythm." But it's kind of cuckoo. The director is Busby Berkeley, who wanted everything BIG even when the movie was supposed to be SMALL. Thus BB encourages the Mickster to go into his full Eugene O'Neill mode and he out-shouts everyone in the movie, including the hurricane! That is, when he's not on the verge of tears. If a woman had so over-heated, you'd say it's her time of the month; I can only guess Mick's ego went nuclear and BB wasn't interested enough to rein him in. He may not have even noticed. The most absurd stroke is that Rooney clearly believed he was a great impressionist too, and BB let him do crude impersonations of Gable and Barrymore, among others, that seem pointless and self- congratulatory. Judy is early Judy: shy, more Dorothy Gale than the windstorm of talent she'd become in later Freed masterpieces like "Meet Me in St. Louis" and so forth. Some other oddities, or at least they seem odd now: a big number in which Mick and the "kids" march through the streets of a Long Island coastal town, carrying torches and proclaiming that they are the future has an odd Nazi vibe to it. Creepy. Then there's baritone Doug McPhail who was five years from suicide; he's the next Nelson Eddy except there was no next Nelson Eddy which may be why he poisoned himself. Johhny Sheffield, later to be "Boy" to Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan, is briefly glimpsed and such MGM regs as Guy Kibbee and Margaret Hamilston are around to ground the movie in solid professionalism. It's sure watchable, even today, but now you think: these people thought they were riding the wave and the wave was coming in to crush THEM.