Come Back A Star!

According to Seymour Peck, a culture editor for the New York Times, the line “Sawyer, You’re going out a youngster but you’ve got to come back a star!” is an immortal line from the movie 42^nd Street. People all over the country have heard the song “42^nd Street”- the title song of the movie. As a classic movie, 42^nd Street has changed and influenced many people, particularly actors, over the years.

            Warner Bros. filmed this movie in 1933 with the budget of $435,000.  42^nd Street received the 10 Best Films from Film Daily (1933) and the U.S. National Film Registry from the Library of Congress (1998) awards. This movie was originally a book written by Bradford Ropes, then adapted to a movie, and lastly adapted to Broadway (Phillips Jr.).  The choreography, costumes, and actors all had a major impact on the success of the film, as well as influence people of all generations.

            Busby Berkeley was the choreographer of the film 42^nd Street and was often times called “Buzz” by Ruby Keeler. He is well known for his overhead shots in films. As a result of not being a trained dancer, he usually let the camera do all the movement (Faller). In an interview Keeler said, “As a matter of fact, Buzz couldn’t dance. Didn’t do a step. There were boys in the chorus he’d worked with before and he’d say, ‘Remember that step we did? Do it.’” Keeler also went on to say that the reason why the dance floor was always shiny in his films was because he entertained his audiences (Dunning).

            Some examples of his work in 42^nd street include “You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me,” “I’m Young and Healthy,” “Shuffle off to Buffalo,” and “42^nd Street” (M.H.). In “Shuffle off to Buffalo,” we get the illusion of being on a train, by using amazing scenery and imagery. In a movie review from 1933 in the New York Times, “Shuffle off to Buffalo” was considered to be “an excellent example of stagecraft” (M.H.). Another example is in the title song “42^nd Street”. We see a close up of Keeler dancing, but when the camera pans out; we see that Keeler is dancing on top of a taxi at the corner of Broadway and 42^nd Street (Fristoe).

            Berkeley showed us in his musical numbers that he had a vivid imagination. It was very popular during this time period for movies to show the backstage of the theater. But in this movie it is “pictured brightly and with a degree of authenticity that makes it diverting” (M.H). Berkeley stands out during his career for his “innovative camera work, monumental dance numbers, and telling, teasing glimpses of female flesh” (Dunning). 

            The costumes in 42^nd Street were normal everyday clothes, which were typical of the time. Shorts were worn for beach games, tennis, hiking, and they were even considered pyjamas (anonymous). Men wore suits, or tuxes, in the 30’s. So it would not come as a complete surprise that this is what the men wore in the movie. Except, for rehearsals it was more undershirts and dress pants for the dancers and suit pants with shirts and vests for almost everyone else.

            We see examples of this fashion style during the rehearsal scenes. A woman dancing in the front row is wearing a silk shirt with dark shorts. Using shorts as costumes was due to the fact that it was fashionable to ride bicycles again (anonymous). Jumpsuits for women were also visible in the movie. In the scene where Dorothy Brock sings “You’re Getting to be a Habit with Me” in Philadelphia she is wearing a silk jumpsuit with gloves.

            By using scenery and costumes, we see what New York City and Philadelphia were like in 1933. The movie was filmed during the depression and you can see the effect it had on people who were wealthy and those that had very little. The character Abner Dillon shows us his wealth, by wearing fancy suits as well as being driving around in an expensive car. During the title song, we see vendors on the street wearing average clothes. They show us that there was a depression going on during that time and not every character in the movie was wealthy.

            Some famous actors of that time were casted in the film. They included Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, Una Merkel, all of whom had successful careers before filming the movie. Ginger Rogers later went on to have a successful career. She was best known for being Fred Astaire’s dance partner. 42^nd Street also started a movie career for Ruby Keeler, who was working in New York nightclubs where she was spotted by Earl Lindsay (a stage director) after winning a dance contest. Another actor with a successful career after 42^nd Street was Dick Powell, who ended up being teamed with Ruby Keeler and became “one of the most popular screen couples of the early 1930’s” (Holden).

            Warner Baxter, according to a 1933 article from the New York Times, gave “one of the outstanding portrayals of his screen career” as Julian Marsh, the stage director of the musical in the film “Pretty Lady.” Ruby Keeler, who played Peggy Sawyer, added her own vibrant personality while singing and dancing (M.H.). In the following clip you can see Ruby Keeler and Warner Baxter in a scene they did together. One scene of the movie is where Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) is giving Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler) a pep talk before the first scene of “Pretty Lady.”- The clip of the scene is found below 

The acting in this movie is typical for that time period; from the speech that they used to the hand motions and walking. During the 30’s it wasn’t uncommon for men to be filmed smoking cigars. The character, played by Ned Sparks, who is a theatrical expert, is always seen chewing on a cigar (M.H.). When watching the movie, the acting seems to be melodramatic with the big eyes and over enunciation on words with big gestures. This was very common in movies of the early to mid-1930s and it shows when watching movies from that time.
In a review of the film, it is said to be “the liveliest and one of the most tuneful screen musical comedies that has come out of Hollywood” (M.H.). Classic movies, for example, 42^nd Street, has inspired actors and many others over the years from the acting, choreography, and the costumes. This is proven with the recent film The Artist, and vintage clothing being brought back into style. In the words of Julian Marsh, “Sawyer, You’re going out a youngster but you’ve got to come back a star!”

Works Cited

 Anonymous. "1933 Fashions." Delineator June 1933. 1933 Fashions. Vintageconnection.net. Web. 16 May 2012.

Dunning, Jennifer. "FILM; Ruby Keeler Still Moves to a Berkeley Beat." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 July 1991. Web. 18 May 2012.

Faller, Greg S. "42nd Street." Encyclopedia.com. Web. 15 May 2012.

Fristoe, Roger. "42nd Street." Tcm.com. Web. 16 May 2012.

H., M. "Patting On a Show." New York Times 10 Mar. 1933. Patting On a Show. The New York Times. Web. 15 May 2012.

Holden, Stephen. "Ruby Keeler, Tap-Dancing Actress, Is Dead at 82." New York Times 01 Mar. 1993. The New York Times. The New York Times. Web. 16 May 2012.

Phillips, Jr., Michael W. "42nd Street, 1933." Goatdog's Movies - 42nd Street, 1933. Web. 15 May 2012.

Times, Seymour Peck; Seymour Peck Is Culture Editor Of The New York. "SUDDENLY THE TALKIES COULD SING." New York Times 15 Nov. 1981. The New York Times. The New York Times. Web. 15 May 2012.