Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Bob Gordon is staging a new Broadway Show. He gets an offer of money by Lillian, if she can dance in his show. Gordon's old class mate Irene, tries to get the leading role in this show, but Lillian insists in getting this part herself.

Directors:

Roy Del Ruth, W.S. Van Dyke (uncredited)

Writers:

Jack McGowan (screen play), Sid Silvers (screen play)

Stars:

Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jack Benny	...	Bert Keeler
Eleanor Powell	...	Irene Foster
Robert Taylor	...	Bob Gordon
Una Merkel	...	Kitty Corbett
Sid Silvers	...	Snoop
Buddy Ebsen	...	Ted Burke
June Knight	...	Lillian Brent
Vilma Ebsen	...	Sally Burke
Nick Long Jr.	...	Basil
Robert Wildhack	...	The Snorer
Paul Harvey	...	Managing Editor
Frances Langford	...	Frances Langford
Harry Stockwell	...	Harry Stockwell

Storyline

Bob Gordon is staging a new Broadway Show, but he is short of money. He gets an offer of money by the young widow Lillian, if she can dance in his new show. Bert Keeler, a newspaper man, gets this information and is writing about this in his column in an slightly unfriendly way. Gordon's old class mate Irene Forster, a tap dancer from Albany also tries to get the leading role in this show, but Lillian insists in getting this part herself. So Irene Forster, Bert Keeler and Gordon's secretary Kitty start a little game to get Irene the leading role.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the comedie francaise | reference to wallace beery | man wears woman's clothing | dancing | singer | 

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Taglines:

A CAST OF STARS TO MAKE THE HEAVENS BLINK WITH JOY..! (Print Ad- Daily Times, ((Rochester, Penna.)) 7 October 1935)

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Genres:

Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only Best Picture Oscar nominee of the year to be also nominated for Best Story.

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Goofs

At approximately 6:45, Snoop (Sid Silvers) looks out of the window of Bert Keeler (Jack Benny)'s Manhattan office, checking out a penthouse party on a rooftop below but casting a shadow on an overly-lit scrim meant to simulate panes of window glass between him and a painted backdrop of New York.

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Quotes

Radio Announcer: Bert Keeler, the voice of Broadway, giving you the inside dope on what's what among the who's who. Take it Bert.
Bert Keeler: Good evening, you little scandal lovers. This is Bert Keeler speaking, the Voice of Broadway, coming to you with all the late indoor sport results. And am I hot tonight!

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Alternate Versions

A 14,000 feet long print was shown as preview in early August 1935 in several Californian cinemas. It included, at least three additional songs.

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Connections

Followed by Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)

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Soundtracks

I've Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics by Arthur Freed
Sung by June Knight, Robert Taylor and chorus
Danced to by June Knight, Nick Long Jr. and chorus
Reprised by Frances Langford
Played as dance music and during end credits

User Reviews

A great treat!!!

Why would anybody spend two hours watching a 77 year old movie? The short answer is "because it's a lot of fun." But there are other reasons. It is an interesting relic of the dirty thirties when 25 cents bought you a two hour escape from depression, dust, despair and dire news from Europe. Hollywood catered to this need with wildly happy, unrealistic schmaltz about glamorous people in fancy clothes dancing and singing at posh cabarets in exotic places. And it was great! Just as wars give us great songs, the depression gave us fabulous movies. To a student of either film or history, films such as this are a hugely interesting window on the era. Such films are also revealing lessons in production: staging, choreography, special effects and lighting. Remember this was before digital technology and less than ten years after the arrival of sound. And the lighting! Immaculate highlights and shadows, razor sharp detail. (Thanks to Turner Classic for presenting top quality prints of these old films. I doubt if the theatre audiences of 1935 saw it as well as I did at home on my plasma TV.) Thankfully the trend to colourize these old films was thwarted. The beautiful B&W photography only adds to the fascination. It made for a memorable evening!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

20 September 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broadway Melody of 1935

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1