Broadway Melody of 1938

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Broadway Melody of 1938
Eleanor Powell, left, performs during the climactic musical routine of Broadway Melody of 1938
Directed by	Roy Del Ruth
Produced by	Jack Cummings
Written by	Jack McGowan
Starring	Robert Taylor Eleanor Powell Judy Garland Buddy Ebsen
Music by	Nacio Herb Brown
Cinematography	William H. Daniels
Editing by	Blanche Sewell
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	August 20, 1937
Running time	110 min.
Country
Language	English
Budget	$10,000
Preceded by	Broadway Melody 1936
Followed by	Broadway Melody 1940
IMDb profile

Broadway Melody of 1938 is a 1937 musical film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film is essentially a backstage musical revue, featuring high-budget sets and cinematography in the MGM musical tradition. Among its many stars are Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker, Buddy Ebsen, George Murphy, and Binnie Barnes.

The film is most notable for young Garland's performance of "Dear Mr. Gable" (also known as "You Made Me Love You"), a tribute to Clark Gable which turned the teenage singer, who had been toiling in obscurity for a couple of years, into an overnight sensation, leading eventually to her being cast in The Wizard of Oz.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Other notes and references in other films 4 External links

[edit] Plot

Young horse trainer Sally (Eleanor Powell) befriends Sonny (George Murphy) and Peter (Buddy Ebsen), who have been hired to look after a horse her family once owned. Concerned for the horse's well-being, she sneaks aboard a train taking the horse and its caretakers to New York City. En route she meets talent agent Steve Raleigh (Robert Taylor) who, impressed with her dancing and singing, sets her on the road to stardom and romance blossoms between the two. A subplot involves a boarding house for performers run by Sophie Tucker, who is trying to find a big break for young Judy Garland.

[edit] Cast

• Robert Taylor as Stephan "Steve" Raleigh
• Eleanor Powell as Sally Lee
• Judy Garland as Betty Clayton
• Buddy Ebsen as Peter Trot
• Sophie Tucker as Alice Clayton
• George Murphy as Sonny Ledford
• Binnie Barnes as Caroline Whipple
• Raymond Walburn as Herman J. Whipple
• Clark Gable as Himself in the clips of the song, Dear Mr Gable / You Made me love You

[edit] Other notes and references in other films

• The finale of the film takes place on a giant set upon which neon signs are visible showing the names of famous stage and screen stars. During Sophie Tucker's final number, all of the signs in the background actually change to read "Sophie Tucker" in tribute.
• A 1937 Our Gang comedy, Our Gang Follies of 1938, spoofs the title, concept, and style of Broadway Melody of 1938.
• When Judy Garland sings "You Made Me Love You" to a picture of Clark Gableis parodied in the 2007 musical film Hairspray has Link (Zac Efron) singing to a picture of Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) which comes to life to sing with him.

[edit] External links

• Broadway Melody of 1938 at the Internet Movie Database

v • d • e The films of Eleanor Powell 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)