Homework - Footlight Parade (1933)

[DaltonMaltz 1119]

Next week, Amy will be joined by producer Bryan Cogman to discuss the 1933 film "Footlight Parade."

 

Footlight Parade is available to view on Amazon here: http://a.co/aOb2ATS

[slinky 147]

So we mainly watched this to see 'Human Waterfall', right?

[Marsellus_H 118]

So we mainly watched this to see 'Human Waterfall', right?

I guess so. There were a couple of fun scenes here and there, mainly involving James Cagney... but I wasn't really blown away or anything by this film. So, I'm excited to listen to the arguments why this entire film should get in the canon, not only that one sequence.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I thought it was all great fun, very breezy and watchable, with of course some showstopping numbers at the end.

 

I lean towards yes, but I also realize that this is one of several films featuring famous Busby Berkeley numbers from the same time period. I'm not informed enough to know if this is truly the best example of such, so much will depend on the podcast arguments.

[Muthsarah 124]

Really don't know what to think of this one going in. Are we picking a "Best of 30s Hollywood"? Even though none of them are my very favorites, the splashy musicals probably define the whole decade in film better than anything else. And for best of the splashy 30s musicals, yeah, it's this, 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, and whatever your favorite Astaire and Rogers film is (I'd have to go with Top Hat). The first two also probably had both Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. But this one has Cagney too.

 

There SHOULD be a 30s musical in The Canon, probably two (one Berkeley, one Astaire/Rogers). Simpsons references them, the Coens have referenced them multiple times. They're still known. They were the height of extravagance and escapism at a time when moviegoers relied on them far more than we did. And when you could buy two hours of glamour for a mere nickel.