Babes on Broadway (1941)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

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:

Broadway | Singer | Orphan | Minstrel Show | Dancer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Mickey Rooney	...	Tommy 'Tom' Williams
Judy Garland	...	Penny Morris
Fay Bainter	...	Miss 'Jonesy' Jones
Virginia Weidler	...	Barbara Josephine 'Jo' Conway
Ray McDonald	...	Ray Lambert
Richard Quine	...	Morton 'Hammy' Hammond
Donald Meek	...	Mr. Stone
Alexander Woollcott	...	Himself - Town Cryer Radio Show
Luis Alberni	...	Nick
James Gleason	...	Thornton Reed, Theatrical Producer
Emma Dunn	...	Mrs. Williams
Frederick Burton	...	Mr. Theodore Morris
Cliff Clark	...	Inspector Moriarity
William Post Jr.	...	Woollcott's Announcer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers
The Debutantes
The Music Maids
The Notables
The Peter Brothers
Stafford Quartet
Carl Stockdale	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Stop Look and Listen Trio
The Uptowners
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)
Dick Davis	...	Soloist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Reed's Writer (uncredited)
Jeanie Dunn	...	Soloist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
Maxine Flores	...	Pitt-Astor Girl (uncredited)
Ava Gardner	...	Pitt-Astor Girl (uncredited)
Tom Hanlon	...	Short Wave Radio Man (uncredited)
Richard Haydel	...	Extra in Acting Group (uncredited)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Little Man Entering Nick's (uncredited)
Sheldon Kelsey	...	Comedy 'Horse' Act (uncredited)
William A. Lee	...	Shorty, Pitt-Astor Waiter (uncredited)
Jack 'Tiny' Lipson	...	Hefty Customer at Nick's (uncredited)
Sidney Miller	...	Tony (uncredited)
Six Hits and a Miss	...	Singing Group (uncredited)
Dorothy Morris	...	Pitt-Astor Girl (uncredited)
George Noisom	...	Extra in Acting Group (uncredited)
Margaret O'Brien	...	Maxine, Little Girl at Audition (uncredited)
Sidney Pepple	...	Solist in Main Title Song (uncredited)
Jean Porter	...	(uncredited)
Donna Reed	...	Jonesy's Secretary (uncredited)
Anne Rooney	...	Jenny (uncredited)
Shimen Ruskin	...	Excited Russian (uncredited)
Roger Steele	...	Robert Phillips, War Refugee (uncredited)
Charles Wagenheim	...	Reed's Composer (uncredited)
Annalee Waller	...	(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

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.)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (VHS)

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:

One of the first Hollywood musicals to acknowledge that World War II was taking place.

Quotes:

Miss 'Jonesy' Jones: Every actor in New York will love you!
Thornton Reed, Theatrical Producer: I don't want every actor in New York to love me! I want my wife to love me!

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mary's a Grand Old Name

Mickey Rooney - A Talent Unsurpassed and Unappreciated

To get an idea of just how talented a performer Mickey Rooney is, watch his banjo playing in the movie's final number, The Robert E. Lee. At first you may think he's just going through the motions, but he's actually playing the banjo for the last 3 minutes of the movie. His dance numbers are also superb.He was at the height of his popularity when this 1941 movie came out, the #1 Box Office Male Star for 6 years in a row. To say this movie is too sugary, is a cheap shot and you must put it into perspective of when it was made. (The black face number at the end was far from sugary). Rooney dances and imitates Cagney in Yankee Doodle; He does a perfect impersonation of Carmen Miranda in another number and the finale is worth the price of admission. Corny, yes. Talented? precisely.