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Cagney is a Berkeley-like character who has to contend with a scheming ex-wife, a back-stabbing fellow producer (Guy Kibbee), and a planted temptress mole (the quite good Claire Dodd). He arrives at the concept of “musical prologues” to introduce talkies. Producer Cagney feels compelled to keep his crew fed and working, so he racks his brain for ideas. The advent of sound has put an end to silent films in the midst of the Depression. This is another “puttin’ on the show” extravaganza. The grittier Warner Brothers productions, somewhat predictably, did it better, in no small part due to Busby Berkeley.
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MGM had a bigger reputation for musicals, but their Thirties’ output was predominantly tame fluff, and few have withstood the test of time. As far as quality, with so many being produced, the bulk of Hollywood’s musicals, like their westerns, were wretched. The early 1930s were an era in which musicals and westerns pretty much ruled the roost, as far as quantity goes. It is often ranked as Berkeley’s best overall film. Directed by Lloyd Bacon and choreographed by Berkeley, the film echoes Cagney’s rapid-fire delivery. Wisely, the film omits the coy indulgences of Busby Berkeley regulars Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, relegating them to the sidelines and musical numbers.
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Footlight Parade (1933) benefits greatly from the presence of actors James Cagney and Joan Blondell.