Roxie Hart (1942)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Maurine Dallas Watkins (play)
Nunnally Johnson (writer)

Release Date:

13 November 1942 (Sweden)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The low-down story of a high-class gal!

Plot:

To try and kick-start her show-business career, our heroine admits to a Chicago murder. But although Cook County don't seem to let dames swing...

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Murder | Actress | Miscarriage Of Justice | Farce

Cast

Ginger Rogers	...	Roxie Hart
Adolphe Menjou	...	Billy Flynn
George Montgomery	...	Homer Howard
Lynne Overman	...	Jake Callahan
Nigel Bruce	...	E. Clay Benham
Phil Silvers	...	Babe
Sara Allgood	...	Mrs. Morton
William Frawley	...	O'Malley
Spring Byington	...	Mary Sunshine
Ted North	...	Stuart Chapman
Helene Reynolds	...	Velma Wall
George Chandler	...	Amos Hart
Charles D. Brown	...	Charles E. Murdock
Morris Ankrum	...	Martin S. Harrison
George Lessey	...	Judge

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The parts of Roxie and Velma were based on real people whose murder trials took place in 1924. Beulah Annan was the real life Roxie and Belva Gaertner was the real life Velma. Billy Flynn's real life counterpart was famed Chicago Shyster, W.W. O'Brien.

Quotes:

Babe: Well hush my big black mouth!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

(Here Am I) Broken Hearted

Watch this before or after seeing "Chicago"

Here is a fast paced and sassy treatment of the same true story that inspired the recent movie musical "Chicago" with Zeta-Jones and Zellweger. I have great admiration for Ginger Rogers, so when I saw Chicago I went straight to the library and borrowed this one.

The remarkable thing is that the makers of Chicago clearly studied this film in great detail. Both movies come from the same book and stage play, so the commonality in dialogue is easily explained, but the sets and costumes and camera angles are virtually identical.

With the exception of one song and dance number in Roxie Hart (which incidentally is NOT in Chicago), and a quick tap dance later on, this is NOT a musical. It stays in the real world and does not constantly segue to fantasy musical versions of the events in Roxie's mind, as Chicago does. Accordingly, it has more straight dialogue, and what witty dialogue it is! Had me laughing start to finish.

This is also a good chance to see some old character actors in their prime, doing what they do best.