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MGM Studio's biggest money grosser of 1939, surpassing The Wizard of Oz for that production year.
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The Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland-Busby Berkeley full-throttle production number, "God's Country" (music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg), had been introduced on Broadway by Jack Whiting and The Five Reillys in the 1937 musical, "Hooray for What!" MGM bought the screen rights to the show, which never was filmed.
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The parody sequence, "My Day," featuring Mickey Rooney as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Judy Garland as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, was removed from the negative after the president's death on April 12, 1945. The routine, for many years thought to be lost, was rediscovered on 16-millimeter film and now can be viewed on Warner Home Video's DVD, "The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection."
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In two of her MGM musicals, Judy Garland preformed the classic rouser, "Broadway Rhythm" (music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed): in this film, as part of the Roger Edens-created "Opera Vs. Jazz" routine, also featuring Betty Jaynes; and the last tune in a medley which closed Presenting Lily Mars, the ditty used as a showcase for Judy to dance with Charles Walters (who went uncredited for choreographing and performing in the finale), and for the star to sing with the MGM Studio Chorus, backed by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.
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Although Judy Garland re-created for Decca a contemporary version of the exuberant classic, "I'm Just Wild About Harry" (music and lyrics by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake), the first U.S. release would not appear until 1984 when MCA produced a Garland LP collection called "From the Decca Vaults." This cut was issued again as part of a Judy CD box set entitled "The Complete Decca Masters (Plus)."
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The Broadway musical production of "Babes in Arms" opened at the Shubert Theater in New York on April 14, 1937 and ran for 289 performances. It had a large cast that included Mitzi Green, Dan Dailey, Alfred Drake, Ray McDonald, and The Nicholas Brothers.
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"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30-minute CBS Radio adaptation of the movie on November 9, 1941 with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland reprising their film roles.
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The Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart songs "My Funny Valentine", "I Wish I Were in Love Again", "Way Out West", and "Johnny One Note" are songs from the original Broadway musical, but were eventually unused in the final film. "The Lady Is a Tramp" is heard instrumentally several times as the theme for June Preisser's character Rosalie Essex.
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Footage from earlier Mickey Rooney film, _Broadway to Hollywood (1939)_, is seen to show flashbacks of Mickey Moran, Rooney's character, as a child performing in vaudeville.
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"How About You" (uncredited), music by Burton Lane, instrumental background music (lyrics were added at a later date for the film (Babes On Broadway (1941)_).
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