Babes on Broadway (1941)

Director:

Busby Berkeley

Writers:

Fred F. Finklehoffe (story)
Fred F. Finklehoffe (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

January 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Youth Has It's Fling !

Plot:

Tommy Williams desperately wants to get to Broadway, but as he is only singing in a spaghetti house for tips he is a long way off...

Plot Keywords:

Orphan | Singer | Audition | New York City | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	Tommy Williams
Judy Garland	...	Penny Morris
Fay Bainter	...	Miss Jones
Virginia Weidler	...	Barbara Jo
Ray McDonald	...	Ray Lambert
Richard Quine	...	Morton Hammond
Donald Meek	...	Mr. Stone
Alexander Woollcott	...	Himself
Luis Alberni	...	Nick
James Gleason	...	Thornton Reed
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Williams
Frederick Burton	...	Mr. Morris
Cliff Clark	...	Inspector Moriarity
William Post Jr.	...	Announcer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carl Stockdale	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Rene Austin	...	Elinor Downing, War Refugee (uncredited)
Dick Baron	...	Butch (uncredited)
Barbara Bedford	...	Mrs. Crainen, the Matron (uncredited)
Robert Bradford	...	Tenor in 'Bombshell From Brazil' Number (uncredited)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	(uncredited)
Dick Davis	...	Soloist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
The Debutantes	...	(uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Reed's Writer (uncredited)
Jeanie Dunn	...	Soloist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
Maxine Flores	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Ava Gardner	...	Audience Member (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Virginia Gumm	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Richard Hall	...	Boy playing piano (uncredited)
Tom Hanlon	...	Short Wave Radio Man (uncredited)
Richard Haydel	...	Extra in Acting Group (uncredited)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Little Man Entering Nick's (uncredited)
Payne B. Johnson	...	Boy (uncredited)
Sheldon Kelsey	...	Comedy 'Horse' Act (uncredited)
William A. Lee	...	Shorty, Pitt-Astor Waiter (uncredited)
Jack 'Tiny' Lipson	...	Hefty Customer at Nick's (uncredited)
The Music Maids	...	(uncredited)
Sidney Miller	...	Tony (uncredited)
Six Hits and a Miss	...	Singing Group (uncredited)
Dorothy Morris	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
George Noisom	...	Extra in Acting Group (uncredited)
The Notables	...	(uncredited)
Margaret O'Brien	...	Maxine, Little Girl at Audition (uncredited)
Sidney Pepple	...	Solist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
The Peter Brothers	...	(uncredited)
Jean Porter	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Stafford Quartet	...	(uncredited)
Donna Reed	...	Jonesy's Secretary (uncredited)
Anne Rooney	...	Jenny (uncredited)
Shimen Ruskin	...	Excited Russian (uncredited)
Roger Steele	...	Robert Phillips, War Refugee (uncredited)
Stop Look and Listen Trio	...	(uncredited)
The Uptowners	...	(uncredited)
Charles Wagenheim	...	Reed's Composer (uncredited)
Annalee Waller	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Bryant Washburn	...	Reed's Director (uncredited)
Douglas Wright	...	Comedy 'Horse' Act (uncredited)
Joe Yule	...	Mason, Aide to Reed (uncredited)

Directed by
Busby Berkeley

Writing credits
Fred F. Finklehoffe		(story) (as Fred Finklehoffe)
Fred F. Finklehoffe		(screenplay) (as Fred Finklehoffe) and
Elaine Ryan		(screenplay)

Produced by
Arthur Freed	....	producer

Original Music by
Leo Arnaud		(uncredited)
George Bassman		(uncredited)
George Stoll		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Lester White

Film Editing by
Fredrick Y. Smith

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Robert Kalloch		(gowns) (as Kalloch)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Ryan	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Bert Spurlin	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Malcolm Brown	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gile Steele	....	wardrobe: men
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo Arnaud	....	orchestrator
Leo Arnaud	....	vocal arranger
George Bassman	....	orchestrator
George Bassman	....	vocal arranger
Roger Edens	....	music adaptor
Merrill Pye	....	musical presentation
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator
Conrad Salinger	....	vocal arranger
George Stoll	....	musical director (as Georgie Stoll)

Other crew
Howard Dietz	....	publicity director (uncredited)
Vincente Minnelli	....	director: solo sequences (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (as Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1941) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Inc.)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (France) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #7803)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Margaret O'Brien's film debut.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the "Hoe Down" number, both Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland's voices are heard singing, but Judy is not singing the words.

Quotes:

Maxine, Little Girl at Audition:Please wait don't send my brother to the chair, don't let him burn, please please warden please

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Private Screenings: Child Stars" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Anything Can Happen in New York

just fine until that minstrel show

My husband coerced my 12 year old daughter to sit through this film which she felt mildly entertaining... until they rolled out that minstrel show finale, and then she was just amazed and appalled. I hadn't seen the film and was actually rather shocked, but it led to a very interesting discussion with our daughter about the accepted social conventions of the times, so off-putting to us now but the performers at the time seemed quite oblivious to the possibility is causing offense. I think my daughter, for the first time, 'got' the importance of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in a way that no text book could explain. To that extent, the film was a valuable time capsule. The rest of it was rather blah "let's do a show stuff," although my daughter said Andy Rooney reminded her of Leonardo Dicaprio and after awhile I saw what she meant.

We speculated that the sleaziness of movies these days would present a time capsule of its own for future audiences, who will probably be amazed at how crass and sex-obsessed our current culture is. At least I hope that's the case. I'm so maxed out on sleaze and the effect it's having on my daughter, I seriously consider moving to another country sometimes. Anway, this movie is harmless fluff with good hearted values on the one hand and mindlessly offensive racism on the other.