If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This marvelous cinematic wonder was directed by Lloyd Bacon and stars James Cagney along with other veterans from Warner Bros. earlier Busby Berkeley musical extravaganzas that same year (42nd Street & Gold Diggers of 1933) like Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, and Guy Kibbee. Manuel Seff's and James Seymour's script includes lots of great dialogue which is delivered so rapidly (and the sound quality is so poor) at times that one needs to hit the pause button occasionally to hear it all. This essential show business behind-the-scenes drama, including romance, was added to the National Film Registry in 1992. Frank McHugh, Ruth Donnelly, Hugh Herbert, Claire Dodd, and Arthur Hohl also appear.Cagney plays Chester Kent, the creative talent behind Gould (Kibbee) and Frazer (Hohl), who believe their stage musical comedy business has been put out of business by the advent of sound in motion pictures. At first, Kent says "it's a fad", then he has an inspiration - he and his "equal" partners become the producers of prologues, the short thematic stage productions that movie houses run before their feature presentations. Blondell plays Nan Prescott, Kent's more than capable secretary with a long suffering love for her oblivious boss. Unfortunately for Kent, while he works like a dog coming up with ideas for theaters coast-to-coast, his partners are screwing him out of the profits. Frank McHugh plays Kent's tireless dance director Francis. Plus, bullied by his wife Harriet (Donnelly), Gould hires a lot of his relatives like his nephew Charlie Bowers (Herbert), who censors Kent's prologues, and Scotty Blair (Powell), who actually does exhibit some singing & performing ability.However, because of her disdain for Gould's nepotism, bespeckled secretary Bea Thorn (Keeler) will have nothing to do with Scotty; that is until she "blossoms" into a dancing sensation of her own. Claire Dodd plays Vivian Rich, a high class girl and Nan's (former friend, now) rival for Kent's attention and affections. Gordon Westcott plays Kent's worthless assistant Harry Thompson, who steals his boss's ideas for rival prologue producer Gladstone even after he's fired, through his chorus girlfriend Gracie (Barbara Rogers). Renee Whitney plays Kent's "ex-wife" Cynthia, who shows up at just the wrong (or right) time. Herman Bing plays Fralick, the music director. Hobart Cavanaugh appears (uncredited) early in the film as a rejected "title thinker upper".Other than a brief cat number featuring Keeler (and Billy Taft and Billy Barty, uncredited), "Sittin' on a Backyard Fence", the film's visual payoff is in its final third when three of Berkeley's biggest numbers are staged for a potential buyer, George Apolinaris (Paul Porcasi), owner of 40 theaters: "Honeymoon Hotel" (in which Jimmy Conlin appears, uncredited), "By a Waterfall" (has to be seen to be believed), and "Shanghai Lil" (which includes Cagney's unique style of hoofing long before his Oscar winning performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)) ... as if any of these huge productions could have been prologues. Dorothy Lamour and Ann Sothern are among those who appear as uncredited chorus girls.

'Tough guy' James Cagney finally got a chance to dust off his vaudeville-honed stage dancing skills, along with a central role as the harried ex-producer of Broadway shows, trying to start a new career as the producer of 'prologues': short live stage performances done just before the film is shown, designed to increase faltering movie attendance during "The Depression". As discussed as the web site entitled "Matinee at the Bijou: movie prologues", although I was born too late to experience them, such performances were a common reality during "The Depression", when many movie theaters were converted stage theaters, or were newly built, including a stage area in front of the film screen. Cagney's character is modeled after the Mike and Fanny Wolff team, who began mass producing prologues, created at their Hollywood studio, then sent out to various theaters near and far, at a cheaper price and with generally better(but cheap) talent than in house-produced prologues. This institution was eventually rendered uneconomical when movie studios changed the arrangement of this film rentals to a percentage of proceeds and began adding more film shorts to film packages, and when movie attendance became great enough without the added attraction of a prologue. Of course, most of these mass-produced prologues were relatively simple shows, hardly resembling the more complex Berkeley-choreographed film productions, and were mostly sold to the smaller theaters, which couldn't afford an in-house prologue troop.If you like Cagney's typical hyperactive, fast-talking, domineering , screen persona, you won't be disappointed here. Since this is the 'dirty '30s', this hard- working, on the level, ex-producer of lavish Broadway shows, played by Cagney, is the victim of a variety of parasites, traitors and incompetents, along with a few honest competent associates. There's his unfaithful, gold-digging wife, who walks out when his income slows to a trickle. There's Vivian, a tall, gold-digging, phony sophisticate blond friend of Cagney's secretary(played by Joan Blondell), who puts the squeeze on the new Cagney to become his new wife, while stabbing him the back, by informing his chief competition of his new show ideas, which they can't think of. Things get really crazy just before the 3 big musical productions, which consume the last half hour. First Cagney's supposed ex-wife shows up, announcing that she didn't get a divorce, demanding a $25,000. bribe to hush up his 'affair' with Vivian. Then, Joan somehow discovers that Cagney's business associates, who handle the finances, have been underreporting earnings from his prologues. Thus, she demands $25,000. for keeping quite, which she gives to Cagney, so he can continue his business. Soon after, Vivian is discovered in a clinch with the film censor, thus ending her affair with Cagney, and opening the way for a happy ending with a Cagney-Joan romance, Cagney having been blind to her virtues until now. ...As a side note, Frank McHugh plays Cagney's whining, overwhelmed, dance director, forcing Cagney to often take over the dance direction himself. These backstage scenes can get a little repetitious. Among Cagney's other friends, we have Ruby Keeler, as his sometimes secondary secretary and sometimes star dancer, with whom he dances a bit in the final production: "Shanghai Lil". Dick Powell, who functions as Ruby's romantic admirer, at least superficially brushed off until just before the big productions, when they are an important romantic pair in 2 of them.The dance productions are formulated as in the previous "Gold Diggers of 1933", there being 4: one of them a 'minor' production, early or midway in the film, instead of just the 2 or 3 big productions late in the film, as in the other films in this series. Thus, the relatively short and simple "Setting on a Backyard Fence", with chorus girls dressed in full feline costumes, prancing around, is functionally equivalent to the rather short production 'We're in the Money", in the beginning of "G.D. of '33". "Honeymoon Hotel" clearly is functionally equivalent to "Pettin' in the Park", of "G.D. of '33": sexually -oriented numbers that the censors would have the most objections about. It' a bouncy romantic-themed number, light on Berkeley's signature features. Clearly, it's implied that this hotel functioned more like the 'love hotels' of current Japan and Taiwan, rather than a true honeymoon hotel. The very impressive "By a Waterfall" production clearly is functionally equivalent to "The Shadow Waltz" number in "G.D. of '33, which featured girls with neon-lit violins. The "Shanghai Lil" production is the functional equivalent of the last production in "G.D. of '33": "My Forgotten Man". Both initially dramatize seamy subjects: extreme poverty in the one case, and an oriental bar and prostitutes, followed by many marching military men in the latter part. The team of Harry Warren and Al Dubin, who composed all the songs in some of this film series, and only the songs for the major productions in others, only composed "Honeymoon Hotel" and "Shanghai Lil" in this film. Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal composed the other novel songs, including "By a Waterfall". I think I would have put this latter production last, as it is, by far, the most impressive and unique of the productions, thus would be best remembered by leaving audiences. It provides a primer for most of Esther Williams' film career, specializing in water ballets, one of which was choreographed by Berkeley...Also, Cagney's rather brief dancing scenes provided the main visual evidence for his suitability to play George M. Cohen, in Cagney's most famous film role, nearly a decade later, in "Yankee Doodle Dandy", as well as in the subsequent "The Seven Little Foys"

What a spectacular parade Footlight Parade is, irresistible and one of the best and most entertaining of the Busby Berkeley early 30s film musicals. The second half is stronger than the first, the first half is still a lot of fun but the second half makes a little more of an impression with scenes that people talk about more. The costumes and sets are beautiful and glitzy and Footlight Parade is stunningly shot for the time and just as much a wonder now too. In this regard, the best photography is in By the Waterfall, the kaleidoscopic technique and look is just as effectively used as it was in Gold Diggers of 1933. The music has great energy and is really pleasant on the ears, and the featured songs are just great. Shanghai Lil makes for an unforgettable ending, daring and surreal as well as exuberant(some of the best lyrics are in this number too), even better is by far the most visually beautiful scene of the film By the Waterfall. The script is snappy and razor-sharply delivered, and the story moves at a lively pace and the great fun, energy and warmth makes you ignore that structurally it's not that special(when you're having so fun you don't care though). The direction is solid and professional, the choreography simply dazzles particularly in By the Waterfall and the performances are fine. Joan Blondell has such great sassy wit, while Dick Powell is charming and Frank McHugh is very funny and empathetic. Ruby Keeler also gives one of her better performances, her singing and dancing have never been great(though they're better than they have been here) but her winsome innocence and charm is enough to win one over. Making Footlight Parade is James Cagney, giving a performance that is electric in every way possible and one that plays to his strengths as a singer, actor and dancer. To conclude, spectacular and immensely enjoyable, if you love film musicals this is a must see if you haven't seen it yet. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I have reviewed more James Cagney movies on this site than any other actor/actress. Now, after 8 odd years of being a IMDb reviewer, I have finally got around to reviewing my ultimate favourite James Cagney movie.This was the first musical Cagney had been allowed to star in as Jack Warner saw only the potential in Cagney's ability to play the tough guy. Cagney had learnt to dance in the 20's whilst appearing in countless vaudeville productions and always preferred to do musicals whenever the opportunity presented itself.Although Footlight Parade was Cagney's first musical movie, it wasn't the first time audiences had seen the man shake a shoe. He had danced in a short but memorable scene in the drama Other Men's Women (1931) and danced in a couple of scenes in Taxi! (1932) most notably in a dance competition competing against George Raft.It may have been these scenes that convinced the studio brass that Cagney was a viable musical commodity too.Footlight Parade reunites Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler and genius choreographer Busby Berkeley all veterans of Warner Brothers two other musical smash hits of that year 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933.The whole main cast list of this wonderful movie also includes all the very best actors that Warner had on their books at the time. Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, Ruth Donnelly, Frank McHugh, Hugh Herbert and Claire Dodd.Chester Kent, (Cagney), is a producer of musical Comedy shows who's fortunes have been blighted by two main developments. The crash of '29 which saw the demand for expensive and lavish productions dwindle and a new gimmick from Hollywood - Talking Pictures.His showbiz backers Frazer & Gould, (Arthur Hohl & Guy Kibbee respectively), take Kent to the local movie theatre to show them why they're no longer doing the big shows and why they're making the move to become movie exhibitors. When the movie they are watching ends, (which incidentally is The Telegraph Trail starring John Wayne and also stars Frank McHugh). A bevy of dancers take to the stage in a routine that Frazer and Gould describe as a prologue a themed dance to accompany the preceding picture.Kent starts to produce these prologues for Frazer and Gould knowing that other movie exhibitors will pay good money for these ready made prologues rather then spending more money to put them on themselves.Kent is shown as a workaholic who seldom goes home and is dedicated to his job. However, his world is not as idyllic as he would think it. His assistant Harry Thompson, (Gordon Westcott), is actually spying for a rival prologue company and giving the competitors Kents prologue ideas and Frazer and Gould are cooking the books to their own advantage. In fact Kent's one true ally is his secretary and girl Friday Nanette 'Nan' Prescott, (Joan Blondell), who's so head over heels in love with Kent that her loyalty is unswerving but Kent's too wrapped up in business to notice.After reading a headline regarding the fate of un produced musical shows, Kent decides that they'll be transferred into prologues giving the audience a 20 minute musical comedy and a talking picture all for 50 cents. A business man with a string of movie theatres have offered him three prologues at three of his theatres in three days and if they're a success then a contract for forty theatres across the region is theirs.In order to ensure his ideas are not given to the rival prologue company, he orders a blockade of his studio, no one in and no one out for three days to ensure secrecy and originality.The real treat of Footlight Parade are the three prologues themselves which dominate the final half of the movie. 'Honeymoon Hotel' in which Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler elope, get married and spend their wedding night in the hotel renown for turning virgin brides into wives, all to the wonderful risqué music and lyrics of Harry Warren and Al Dubin.Then follows 'By A Waterfall' which is by far the most visual stunning of the three with Busby Berkeley doing what he does best, a water ballet with some great kaleidoscopic overhead shots. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Berkely was a genius and one day I'd love to see this sequence converted to 3D and perhaps full Technicolour. Berkely was so far ahead of his time and real 3D was invented just so we can convert Berkeley's sequences to it. I'd do it myself if I could though I have neither the money, knowledge or the technology to do so. Shame otherwise it would be done tomorrow.The final Prologue is 'Shanghai Lil' which sees Cagney take the role of a sailor searching for his oriental prostitute girlfriend in a bar come opium den. All of which is dazzling.Needless to say the shows go over big and Kent and the troupe get the contracts.Mention has to be given to Dick Powell for THAT voice, Keeler for THOSE feet, Frank McHugh giving us some comic relieve as a cynical and inept dance director, Claire Dodd as a social climbing tramp that gloms on to Kent in the hopes of ensnaring him into a honey trap. Ruth Donnelly as Goulds Money grabbing wife and Hugh Herbert as the fussy censor that ensures that Kent's prologues doesn't offend against common decency.Speaking of censorship, Footlight Parade contains some of the most riskiest dialogue and content that I've ever seen in a pre-code film and was probably solely responsible for the rigid enforcement of the production code the following year. All innocent now, but back in 1933, it must have had chins on the carpet. However, that's all part of it's charm.Footlight Parade is a triumph in every way thanks mainly to Cagney and Berkeley.Enjoy!