Fri 18 Mar 2016
Movie Review: TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY (1940).
Posted by Steve under Films: Comedy/Musicals , Reviews[5] Comments
TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY. MGM, 1940. Lana Turner, Joan Blondell, George Murphy, Kent Taylor, Richard Lane, Wallace Ford. Director: S. Sylvan Simon.
Reportedly a remake of The Broadway Melody (1929), a movie I have not seen, but which was described to me as definitely being a pre-Code film in many ways. You will have to tell me.
What most is definitely true is that Lana Turner is the featured attraction in this one, and although still very early in her career, she certainly is extremely attractive, innocently glamorous and intrinsically eye-catching as well as any other similar compounded adjectives you can think of. Besides looking quite shapely getting dressed (or undressed) backstage, Miss Lana Turner also demonstrates that she could keep up very well on the dance floor with Mr. George Murphy, a pretty good hoofer himself.
The story is only incidental. Two sisters (Lana and Joan Blondell) head for New York with the fiancé of the latter in search of fame and fortune on Broadway, only to learn that the younger sister and the fiancé are meant for each other, while the young lady in question is at the same time resisting the advances of a Broadway cad, who has been married five times already and is trying to leer his way into the arms of a sixth.
But who cares? I enjoyed this one.
March 19th, 2016 at 5:11 am
This sounds like my kind of movie.
Thanks for telling us about this musical!
The original “Broadway Melody” is a famous but creaky film. It has some decent songs. But also endless boring stiff dramatics. It can be a real ordeal to sit through.
This remake is probably livelier.
March 19th, 2016 at 10:07 am
Mike,
Based on the video clip, the dancing routines in the remake are much, much livelier.
March 19th, 2016 at 5:21 am
The high point of the original “Broadway Melody†is the number “The Wedding of the Painted Doll”.
Here is a later 1934 cartoon version, followed by a clip of the excellent original number from “The Broadway Melody†(1929):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzDWoepbSWM
March 19th, 2016 at 10:46 am
Some thoughts:
The “dancing” in lots of pre-code musicals actually more resembles what we today would classify as “acrobatics”.
Later films like “Two Girls” are likely more filled with real “dancing”.
And:
Some pre-code musicals like “The Broadway Melody†are NOT comedies.
They are more like grim soap operas, intermixed with songs.
March 19th, 2016 at 8:07 pm
Lana and the younger Joan, clearly a highly leerable film. These can all blend in together if you aren’t careful but I’ll look it up.
Some of the early musicals include a bit of melodrama and social commentary as well. Lana clearly had more talents than those that filled her sweaters though even when she showed it the sweaters got all the comments.