Broadway Melody of 1936
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| Broadway Melody of 1936 | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
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| Directed by | Roy Del Ruth |
| Produced by | John W. Considine Jr. |
| Written by | Moss Hart |
| Starring | Jack Benny Eleanor Powell Robert Taylor Una Merkel Buddy Ebsen |
| Music by | Nacio Herb Brown |
| Cinematography | Charles Rosher |
| Editing by | Blanche Sewell |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | August 25, 1935 |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | The Broadway Melody (1929) |
| Followed by | Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) |
| IMDb profile | |
Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical film released by MGM in 1935, despite the title. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although beyond the title and some music there is no story connection with the earlier film. The thin plot involves a young dancer (played by Eleanor Powell) who tries to convince a promoter (played by Robert Taylor) that she should be given a chance to star in a new Broadway musical. He was her old childhood sweetheart, but he is too busy living it up with a young, rich, widow (played by June Knight) who is financially backing his show. A love triangle forms. Powell tries to show Taylor that she can dance and survive on Broadway, but he will not hire her. Things become complicated when she begins impersonating a famous French dancer not realizing the dancer is only the figment of a gossip columnist's imagination. The film co-starred Jack Benny as the gossip columnist and also features Una Merkel, Buddy Ebsen, Vilma Ebsen, and Nick Long Jr.
The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss Hart, Jack McGowan and Sid Silvers. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film features a variety of musical acts, as well as some bizarre comedy moments involving Jack Benny and a recurring character who demonstrates numerous forms of snoring.
The highlight of the film is an extensive musical number at the end built around the theme song "Broadway Rhythm". Beginning with Frances Langford (appearing as herself) singing the first few verses, the number moves on to a succession of dance routines including a manic routine featuring Ebsen and his sister, then a tuneful, jazzy dance with June Knight, before climaxing with a glimmering tuxedo-clad Eleanor Powell giving an athletic tap performance surrounded by men in top hats and tails.
This was Powell's first leading role in a film, and her first movie for MGM. She became a major MGM musical star as a result of this picture, and would appear in the next two entries in the Broadway Melody series: Broadway Melody of 1938 and Broadway Melody of 1940. (Neither of these films were related to each other in terms of storyline.) This also marked Ebsen's film debut. In an interview promoting 1994's That's Entertainment! III (and available on the DVD release of same), dancer Ann Miller claimed that MGM was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time Broadway Melody of 1936 was made, and it (along with subsequent Powell films) became so popular the company became profitable again.
[edit] Trivia
- During his first musical number, Buddy Ebsen is seen wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, despite it advertising a character from a rival studio. This was also Ebsen's first major film with MGM.
[edit] External links
| The films of Eleanor Powell |
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| Feature films Queen High (1930) | George White's 1935 Scandals (1935) | Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) | Born to Dance (1936) | Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) | Rosalie (1937) | Honolulu (1939) | Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) | Lady Be Good (1941) | Ship Ahoy (1942) | I Dood It (1943) | Thousands Cheer - cameo (1943) | Sensations of 1945 (1944) | The Great Morgan - cameo (1946) | Duchess of Idaho -cameo (1950) |
| Short films No Contest! (1934) | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 12 (1936) | Screen Snapshots: Famous Hollywood Mothers (1947) | Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Holiday (1948) | Have Faith in Our Children (1955) |
| Television series The Faith of Our Children (1953-1955) |
