A delightfully witty script and a great story helps to make this musical screwball comedy musical an underrated gem. It's not just the Technicolor, although that doesn't hurt. This has a smooth flow to it that is lavish and classy, with attractive leads and a great supporting cast including some delightful surprises in small, unfilled parts.
Once again playing a producer, "42nd Street's" Warner Baxter runs one of New York City's most stylish fashion houses. In preparation for the wedding of the social season, the staff is working overtime to get it ready. The issue is that the bride (Joan Bennett) can't stand her fiancé (Alan Mowbray), a pretentious broker with the personality of an un-toasted English muffin. Batter's untalented wife (Helen Vinson) is desperate to get on the stage, and resents Bennett's constant presence. The interference of the resentful Mowbray threatens to ruin Baxter, something that the loyal Bennett refuses to allow.
Among the supporting players are Alma Kruger as Baxter's overworked partner, Mischa Auer as a Russian fashion show whom Baxter must crush and Marjorie Gateson as a customer who betrays Baxter (resulting in some fun revenge by Bennett). Penny Singleton's has a small part, just on the verge of her own success in the "Blondie" series. An un-billed Hedda Hopper plays Bennett's frazzled mother. Most memorable is Dick Elliott as a Boston ticket broker whose raucous laughter spells doom for Baxter in his out of town tryout.
This features a few lavish production numbers, most notably the Cotton Club set "Give Me that Red Hot Beat". Other movie musical numbers involving the fashion show aren't great songs, but are very Busby Berkley like in their staging. The best known song is the standard, "That Own Feeling", which is still sung today. The fashions are delightfully camp, a pre-cursor to what audiences are still going ga ga over in the following year's "The Women". Think of this as what was going on back stage at that fashion show while the cats of Anita Loos's play were preparing to rip each other's hair out.
Once again playing a producer, "42nd Street's" Warner Baxter runs one of New York City's most stylish fashion houses. In preparation for the wedding of the social season, the staff is working overtime to get it ready. The issue is that the bride (Joan Bennett) can't stand her fiancé (Alan Mowbray), a pretentious broker with the personality of an un-toasted English muffin. Batter's untalented wife (Helen Vinson) is desperate to get on the stage, and resents Bennett's constant presence. The interference of the resentful Mowbray threatens to ruin Baxter, something that the loyal Bennett refuses to allow.
Among the supporting players are Alma Kruger as Baxter's overworked partner, Mischa Auer as a Russian fashion show whom Baxter must crush and Marjorie Gateson as a customer who betrays Baxter (resulting in some fun revenge by Bennett). Penny Singleton's has a small part, just on the verge of her own success in the "Blondie" series. An un-billed Hedda Hopper plays Bennett's frazzled mother. Most memorable is Dick Elliott as a Boston ticket broker whose raucous laughter spells doom for Baxter in his out of town tryout.
This features a few lavish production numbers, most notably the Cotton Club set "Give Me that Red Hot Beat". Other movie musical numbers involving the fashion show aren't great songs, but are very Busby Berkley like in their staging. The best known song is the standard, "That Own Feeling", which is still sung today. The fashions are delightfully camp, a pre-cursor to what audiences are still going ga ga over in the following year's "The Women". Think of this as what was going on back stage at that fashion show while the cats of Anita Loos's play were preparing to rip each other's hair out.