Well Deserved Praise

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

If you like fast paced Hollywood musicals from yesteryear, then this movie is for you. The story is dated and hokey, but there is a lot of singing and dancing. Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and the rest of the cast is excellent. Rooney demonstrates his versatility as a song-and-dance man and pairs well with Judy Garland who sings several songs and is quite engaging. The finale includes a several-minutes long minstrel sequence which some may find insensitive as it is performed in black face. That notwithstanding, Garland performs a number in black face and in drag (i.e. dressed as a male), which is remarkable. The cinematography is excellent, capturing the dance sequences in all their glory. If judged by current tastes, the movie's style is a curio, an antique. But what is not dated is the energy, vitality and the music itself which would resonate with today's audience.

Unfairly maligned by viewers with little or no knowledge of history, "Babes On Broadway" is a reasonably good film that, more than anything else, speaks to us from across the years. It tells us a lot about America in 1941.Several talented young people, just starting out, try to make it big on Broadway. That's the story premise. The script presents a thin, superficial plot. Dialogue lacks significant subtext. But, of course, the plot's real purpose is to create continuity in a film meant to showcase the musical talents of its two big stars: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. They, along with a large cast, sing and dance in various musical productions, some good, some not so good.Which leads to my main criticism of this film: the editing. With a thin plot and a runtime of two hours, large chunks could have been chopped out. I have no idea why they included a Beethoven piano performance by a child prodigy; it has no connection to anything. Similarly, the "Hoe Down" musical segment is arguably weak. And, though I commend the producers for acknowledging Great Britain's War efforts, devoted plot elements are thematically irrelevant and overly long.On the other hand, the best sequence in the film is its grand musical finale, a tribute to the American South. This segment provides a nice contrast to New York's Broadway allure. Dialogue here refers to an "old-fashioned" minstrel show. Most of the songs are from decades earlier. Musical lyrics include the wording "And boy that Southern cooking is okay". Clearly, the intent is to salute the South. So putting performers in black face is entirely appropriate within the well-defined historical context. Performances are fine. Judy Garland shines. Fay Bainter, ideally cast as a theatrical agent, also gives a good performance. At various points Ray McDonald excels as a tap dancer; he's almost in the same league as Fred Astaire. And impersonating "Brazil bombshell" Carmen Miranda, Mickey Rooney is funny in drag, wearing platform shoes, tawdry women's jewelry, and a flamboyant hat as he sings Miranda's signature song "Mamae Eu Quero". Throughout the film Rooney exudes confidence, energy, and a highly animated persona.The film's sets and costumes, dialogue about tough times, as well as the selected music and the big accent on tap dancing, combine to give viewers a pretty good feel for American pop culture in the early 1940s. It's by no means a perfect film. But it's worth watching, mostly for nostalgia, as representative of an era that is gone forever.

This movie has great singing and dancing by Judy, Mickey, and their friends.Actually, my favorite number is "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee"--one of those bouncy tunes with a rhythm that Judy makes so infectious you're bobbing your head as she sings.But that number is part of the minstrel show at the end, and I had to stop and think about whether it really spoiled the movie, or not.Personally, I think Mickey's blackface routine was somewhat racist and Judy's wasn't. Judy does not seem to engage in a caricature when she does her minstrel numbers. Her eyes are wide open when she sings FDR Jones, sure--but Busby Berkeley made her open her eyes wide all the time; that was one of her complaints about him. And the content/lyrics of "FDR Jones" is good-natured.At any rate, this minstrel show isn't as racist as, say, Fred Astaire's "With a Shine On Your Shoes" number from Easter Parade. Or some of the scenes from "Birth of a Nation," as far as that goes.All in all, it's a great Mickey/Judy musical. I give it an 8.5

Mickey Rooney (as Tommy) wants to make it on Broadway. With Judy Garland (as Penny), Ray McDonald (as Ray), Richard Quine (as Hammy), and Virginia Weidler (as Barbara Jo), he can't miss! Some speed induced-like performances break the stride, though it's always nice to see those in the cast at work. The longest stretch of enjoyment begins with Mr. Rooney and Ms. Garland singing and dancing "Yankee Doodle Boy" as part if an imaginary sequence, then director Berkley takes over for a the frantic set-up the show sequence, and Rooney closes in Carmen Miranda drag. Rooney in drag works, as does Mr. McDonald's "black-face" solo dance (if taken in in isolation) - but there are elements in the closing "Babes on Broadway" that are racially insensitive. In fact, some of the dialog and gestures are repulsive. Be prepared. *** Babes on Broadway (1941) Busby Berkeley ~ Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Ray McDonald