If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Blistering performances.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

" . . . we came, we marched away, to fight for USA--but where are we today?" is the plaintive lyric of 200 soldiers marching on stage in Donald J. Rump's New York City 1:36:24 into GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933. World War One drill sergeant Busby Berkeley choreographs this "Forgotten Man" number as a literal show-stopper (that is, it ends this story) in memory of the thousands of World War One vets, along with their wives and children, massacred by the Future Rich People Party (RPP) President I-Like-Ike Eisenhower on the orders of RPP President Herb Hoover after Herb's Billionaire Bosses told him that it would be cheaper to bulldoze them into a mass grave under what's now the National Mall WWII Memorial than to pay them the Veterans' Benefits they'd earned (the exact number of Ike's "Friendly Fire" homicides here is a closely guarded "redacted" secret yet Today, just like the Truth about WWII hero JFK's Assassination). Herb also remains infamous for appointing a Cabinet of Nine Billionaires and a Plumber (the plumber was fired after a few weeks) and enabling the Great Depression. Warner Bros. made this flick to warn America against ever again allowing a pack of RPP jackal-billionaires to run America. Now that Russian KGB Boss "Mad Dog" Putin has installed Rump as his White House Puppet, it's High Time for The Resistance to revive this movie, as well as Director William A. Wellman's Warner Masterpiece, HEROES FOR SALE.

"We'll make people laugh at you starving to death!" deadpan Ned Sparks tells tall, lanky showgirl Aline MacMahon. "The depression, dearie", Ginger Rogers sarcastically reminds another chorus girl as to why their show is closing. Audiences then wouldn't get to see Ginger giving her pig-Latin version of "We're in the Money" as the camera scrolls down the list of Broadway theaters all dark due to the lack of angels funding shows. While Broadway was not as dark in 1933 as the movie makes this out to be (just check out the "Best Plays" series for the seasons 1932/33 and 1933/34), things did look pretty dismal for a while. This is the best musical made about the depression, focusing on chorus girls MacMahon, Rogers, Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler, all unemployed after Sparks' previous show closed before opening, and the hope that his new show (with the help of mysterious songwriter Dick Powell) will actually open. And when Powell's banker brother (Warren William) steps in to get his brother away from Broadway and prevent him from marrying one of the chorus girls, the "gold diggers" get together to teach William a lesson. Smart Joan Blondell poses as Powell's fiancée (who is actually Keeler) and wins William's affection in the process. MacMahon makes a play for "daddy" Guy Kibbee, whom she nicknames "Fanny", warning Rogers to keep her paws off him or else...This follow-up to "42nd Street" is actually better than its predecessor, even though "42nd Street" is excellent in itself. To say that a movie goes "beyond excellence" is a rare comment on a film, and this is one that I never tire of watching. There are so many moments of this film that step beyond greatness that I can't mention them all. But try these few on for size. A secretary threatens to complain to the agency for Sparks dismissing her so early. "I wish there was someone I could complain to", he tells her. After a troop of hillbilly singers try to finagle an audition, he decides to close up the office before "the jugglers and midgets get there." It is so hard not to laugh so loud that you end up missing the next joke. Try not to fall head over heels in love with Aline MacMahon, the gold-digger with a huge heart of gold. The scene where she tells off Powell (whom she believes has a criminal past) and warns him about what fate could befall the girls of the chorus is one of the most honest pieces of acting I've seen in any film. Watch Blondell melt under William's spell after being so tough up until then. The scene where Blondell and MacMahon each make William and Kibbee buy them hats is also another great moment. Veteran comic Sterling Holloway ("Winnie the Pooh") is hysterically funny as one of the delivery boys.As for the songs, there is not one dud among them, which is why a few of them ended up in "42nd Street" almost 50 years later on Broadway. I would love to have seen someone try to stage "Pettin' in the Park" even close to how Busby Berkley stages it here. Billy Barty is used to great comical advantage as the toddler. The song is sort of a prequel to "42nd Street's" "Shuffle Off to Buffalo", which itself had a sequel, "Honeymoon Hotel", in the same year's follow-up, "Footlight Parade". I actually like Ruby Keeler's singing voice; It is far from perfect, but is a nice contrast to other musical stars of this era. "The Shadow Waltz" is one of the great visual numbers of film history. And when Joan Blondell (who did a few musicals on-stage) gets to talk/sing the final, "My Forgotten Man", she sums up what the entire film has been all about. While America may never have a depression like they did in the 30's, the themes of the film resonate today, making this an important record of one of our greatest domestic crisis in our history.

One of the lead girls doing the gold digging says she is not "cheap and vulgar" after accepting a check for $10,000 but not cashing it. The man who wrote the check is holding her in his arms and says he'll kiss her every time she says "cheap and vulgar", so she says it over and over and he kisses her each time. That expression is so dated, I thought it was pretty funny. Is English especially rich in expressions for "bad" girls? What is a bad girl? One who enjoys sex? If a woman accepts gifts from a man then dumps him, I think, in modern times, the man is considered to be a fool, the woman is not bad. Anyway, I though the use of this phrase was great, a glimpse into morals and attitudes of the past. Right now, I'm going to go out and look for some "cheap and vulgar" women. They sound like fun! Oh, the rest of the movie? It was great too. I agreed with everybody else who liked it.

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)*** 1/2 (out of 4)Millionaire turned songwriter (Dick Powell) gives $15,000 to get a Broadway play off the ground but by doing so he embarrasses his rich family who don't want him marrying a showgirl (Ruby Keeler). His older brother (Warren William) shows up to force the woman to break up with him but he ends up speaking with the wrong woman (Joan Blondell) and soon finds himself falling in love. The actual story here isn't the strongest and it's certainly not the high point of this film but the terrific cast and excellent Busby Berkeley music scenes make this a true classic in its genre. After the cast introductions we get kicked into high gear with The Gold Diggers' Son (We're in the Money) sung magnificently by the beautiful Ginger Rogers. From here we get plenty of other great tunes including Powell singing Shadow Waltz, I've Got to Sing a Torch Song and Pettin' in the Park among others. For me the highlight of all the music was the first tune by Rogers as her talent, beauty and charm jump right off the screen the minute she opens her mouth and it's not hard to see why America fell in love with her. It seems Powell gets a few major critics today but he too was very charming in his role and he played the part extremely well. Keeler didn't seem to have the greatest talent in the world but she makes her character very believable here and her scenes with Powell are another major plus. I've yet to see a woman that William wasn't good in and his dark, grumpy character is a lot of fun as is his relationship with Blondell. Aline MacMahon and Guy Kibbee add great support as well. The music sequences are all extremely beauty to watch unfold and especially a later "glowing in the dark" sequence, which will certainly catch anyone's attention even if they hate musicals. I think the film is far from perfect with most of the blame being on the lack of songs in the middle of the picture and the fact that the "joke" being pulled on William isn't the strongest bit of writing out there. With that said, the cast and music is so great that this here certainly deserves its reputation of a classic.