In many ways, Footlight Parade is a classic ’30s backstage musical from Warner Brothers, featuring songs by Warren & Dubin and Fain & Kahal, with the “let’s put on a show theme” as a recognizable hallmark. In other words, the musical numbers, the performances, and the narrative all join forces to create a singularly enjoyable film. Unlike the same year’s The Gold Diggers Of 1933, which we covered here two weeks ago and features a lot of the same elements - musical numbers staged by Busby Berkeley, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell as songbirds and lovers, and Joan Blondell in a wisecracking role - this picture can be taken for more than the individual sum of its parts. He performs splendidly, gets the contract and after his last bow, he proposes to Nan.” (This summary is brought to you courtesy of TCM.) Then at the last minute, Chester has to go on as the lead in the third because the star is drunk. With Nan’s help, he pays off his ex-wife, collects his share of the profits, discovers Vivian’s true nature, finds the leak and stages his three prologues. Frantically, Chester sets to work, locking everyone in the studio to prevent leaks. “Then theater chain owner Appolinaris agrees that if Chester can come up with three new shows in three days, he’ll sign all his theaters with him. Instead, to Nan’s disgust, he has fallen for Vivian Rich, a gold digging actress. Throughout all the chaos, he depends on his loyal secretary, Nan Prescott, who is madly in love with him, even though he doesn’t realize it. Added to this is the fact that his partners seem to be cheating him out of his share of the profits. As soon as Chester thinks up ideas, his competitor, Gladstone, beats him to the punch. Everything does not function smoothly, however. He convinces his two partners, Sy Gould and Frazer, to join him in producing prologues, live performances to be presented before the movies are shown, and soon he has more business than he can handle. His wife leaves him when he breaks the news to her, but he’s not down for long. “Chester Kent, a successful producer of musical comedies, finds himself out of work with the advent of talking pictures. Screenplay by Manuell Seff and James Seymour. Starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Ruth Donnelly, Hugh Herbert, Claire Dodd, and Gordon Wescott. A producer fights labor problems, financiers and his greedy ex-wife to put on a show.
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