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IMDbPro

Footlight Parade

  • 19331933
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
Trailer for this musical extravaganza
Play trailer3:17
2 Videos
93 Photos
ComedyMusicalRomance
Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.Chester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
    • Lloyd Bacon
  • Writers
    • Manuel Seff(screen play)
    • James Seymour(screen play)
    • Robert Lord(story)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Joan Blondell
    • Ruby Keeler
    • Lloyd Bacon
  • Writers
    • Manuel Seff(screen play)
    • James Seymour(screen play)
    • Robert Lord(story)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Joan Blondell
    • Ruby Keeler
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 81User reviews
    • 47Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos2

    Footlight Parade
    Trailer 3:17
    Watch Footlight Parade
    Hollywood's Shared History with Broadway
    Clip 6:12
    Watch Hollywood's Shared History with Broadway

    Photos93

    James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Footlight Parade (1933)
    Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)
    Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell in Footlight Parade (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Cagney
    James Cagney
    • Chester Kent
    Joan Blondell
    Joan Blondell
    • Nan Prescott
    Ruby Keeler
    Ruby Keeler
    • Bea Thorn
    Dick Powell
    Dick Powell
    • Scotty Blair
    Frank McHugh
    Frank McHugh
    • Francis
    Guy Kibbee
    Guy Kibbee
    • Silas Gould
    Ruth Donnelly
    Ruth Donnelly
    • Mrs. Harriet Gould
    Hugh Herbert
    Hugh Herbert
    • Bowers
    Claire Dodd
    Claire Dodd
    • Vivian Rich
    Gordon Westcott
    Gordon Westcott
    • Thompson
    Arthur Hohl
    Arthur Hohl
    • Frazer
    Renee Whitney
    Renee Whitney
    • Cynthia Kent
    Barbara Rogers
    Barbara Rogers
    • Gracie
    Paul Porcasi
    Paul Porcasi
    • Apolinaris
    Philip Faversham
    Philip Faversham
    • Joe Grant
    Herman Bing
    Herman Bing
    • Fralick
    Avis Adair
    Avis Adair
    • Chorus Girl
    • (uncredited)
    Loretta Andrews
    Loretta Andrews
    • Chorus Girl
    • (uncredited)
      • Lloyd Bacon
    • Writers
      • Manuel Seff(screen play)
      • James Seymour(screen play)
      • Robert Lord(story) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1992.
    • Goofs
      Before the buses leave for the three prologue performances, the call board reads Diana Theatre 8pm, Mercury Theatre 9pm, and Jupiter Theatre 10pm. They arrive at the Jupiter Theatre first and proceed in reverse order from what was written on the call board.
    • Quotes

      Nan Prescott: You scram, before I wrap a chair around your neck!

      Vivian Rich: [Angrily] It's three o'clock in the morning - where do you want me to go?

      [Nan starts to speak, but Vivian immediately cuts her off]

      Vivian Rich: You cheap stenographer...

      Nan Prescott: Outside, countess. As long as they've got sidewalks YOU'VE got a job.

      [Shoves her out, gives her a swift kick in the rump, and slams the door behind her]

    • Connections
      Edited into Busby Berkeley and the Gold Diggers (1969)
    • Soundtracks
      Shanghai Lil
      (1933) (uncredited)

      Music by Harry Warren

      Lyrics by Al Dubin

      Played during the opening credits and often in the score

      Performed by James Cagney, Ruby Keeler and Chorus

    User reviews81

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    This is New Jersey, not Hollywood
    An opium den, a dirty little boy (actually a midget), prostitutes galore, a violent fracas in a dive, a motel for sexual shenanigans, scantily clad babes with cleavage a lot, a boozer falling down the stairs, a racially mixed clientèle in a bar with Asians, Africans, and Anglos treated equally, does this sound like a film playing at the local shopping mall? Wrong. These are all scenes from a 1933 musical.

    The first half of "Footlight Parade" is preparation for a musical extravaganza which occupies the last half of the film. Chester Kent (Cagney) is about to lose his job and does lose his playgirl wife as a result of talking pictures squeezing out live stage musicals. His producers take him to see a popular talky of the day, John Wayne in "The Big Trail." Before each showing of the flick, a dance number is presented as a prologue. Shorts, news reels, serials, and cartoons would later serve the purpose. Kent gets the idea that a prologue chain would be the road to salvation for the dwindling live musical business. Kent is basically an idea man along the lines of choreographer Busby Berkeley. Could it be that Cagney's character is patterned after Berkeley? Could be.

    In preparation for the prologues, Kent learns that his ideas are being stolen by a rival. He uncovers the traitor, fires him, then unbeknown to him a new leak is planted in the form a dazzling temptress. His assistant, Nan Prescott (Joan Blondell - soon to be Mrs. Dick Powell) has the hots for Kent and is determined to expose the wiles of the temptress. A new singer from Arkansas College shows up in the form of Scotty Blain (Dick Powell) who turns out to be a real find and is paired with Bea Thorn (Ruby Keeler). The resulting three prologue musicals, which couldn't possibly have been presented on any cinema stage of the day, are as fresh and enjoyable today as they were over seventy years ago, "Honeymoon Hotel," "By a Waterfall," and "Shanghai Lil."

    Of special note is the song and dance of tough-guy James Cagney. Like Fred Astaire and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Cagney's dancing appeared natural and unrehearsed, although hours went into practice to get each step just right. Not as good a singer as Astaire, Cagney's singing, like Astaire's, sounded natural, unlike the crooning so popular at the time. It's amazing that one person could be so talented and so versatile as James Cagney.

    Most critics prefer the "Shanghai Lil" segment over the other two. Yet the kaleidoscopic choreography of "By a Waterfall" is astonishing. How Berkeley was able to film the underwater ballets and to create the human snake chain must have been difficult because it has never been repeated. The close up shots mixed brilliantly with distant angles is a must-see. The crisp black and white photography is much more artistic than it would have been if shot in color.

    Though not nearly as socially conscious as "Gold Diggers of 1933," "Footlight Parade" stands on its own as one of the most amazing and outrageous musicals ever put on the big screen.
    helpful•76
    3
    • krorie
    • Apr 23, 2006

    FAQ1

    • What did Otis Ferguson say about Cagney in this film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 21, 1933 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 44 minutes
      • Black and White

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