AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . in Warner Bros.' 1930s musical warning note to We People of America's Far Future, 42nd STREET. Widely dismissed in its day as fatuous fluff mixed with empty eye candy, 42nd STREET actually is a carefully crafted clarion call for the USA to reject the Siren Song of that broken-down, many times bankrupt scam artist sham, Donald J. Rump, represented here by Ruby\Kellyanne's "Pretty Lady" director "Julian Marsh." A tired old White guy, just like Rump, the worn-out Marsh simply wants to exploit the Youth around him to feather his own nest. Like Rump, Marsh has well-known ties to New York City mobsters. Like Rump, he expects the random women around him to be pleased as punch when he plants his pudgy geezer lips onto their mouths with no warning at all. Like Rump, Marsh faces even odds as to whether his dissolute womanizing career has left him with enough oomph in his geriatric carcass to even survive his Opening Night. As has been the case since Cassandra warbled her warnings to the Ancient Greeks, prophets always preach to Deaf Ears in their own Homelands. America ignored Warner's 42nd STREET Rump Warning, and now all of us are going to be stuck with the bill.

costakcpc At one level this is less a musical and more a movie about musicals and theatre. Full of shonky businessmen, the odd sexual favour, a frustrated and cantankerous director, actors and dancers just wanting a piece of the action or struggling to get by. Throw in some quick one liners, numerous wannabes and there you have 42nd Street. And there's some dancing and singing. And there you have the template for Fame, Flashdance, Centre Stage et al. There are better musicals. But this is a very good movie about musicals.

dougdoepke No need to recap the plot.Wow, Julian (Baxter) is some kind of slave driver, working those poor chorus girls half to death. But then he has to be tough to come up with that boffo climax. It's worth waiting for even though it's a long time coming. Yes indeed, the carnally obsessed Berkeley manages a number of flowering O's, but what I really like is the panoramic slide down 42nd Street, with all the acts getting about 5-seconds, even the Apache dancers. In fact, the entire number is a musical dynamo of choreography and editing.The rest of the movie is okay. Too bad the dimpled Keeler and her handsome swain Powell don't get more screen time. They're a luminescent pair; no wonder they made a number of musicals together. Also, they're those tempting glimpses of a young, wise-cracking Ginger Rogers and the comical Una Merkel. However, things slow down with Daniels, and come to dead stop with Brent. His woefully deadpan expression suggests he's wandered onto the wrong set.I expect much of the purpose behind the narrative scenes is to de-romanticize Broadway musicals. That way we see just how much work they really are. If so, they succeed in spades. And catch that sometimes moody photography, along with a lonely exhausted Julian at fadeout. But none of that takes anything away from the show-stopping finale.

cbryce59 I just saw this movie this weekend for the first time all the way through and really enjoyed it. I love classic movies but tended to shy away from the musicals until I read a few bios lately on various stars and directors of the genre and was glad when this one came so I could tape it and watch it.The story is basic, of course, but it moves quickly, seems realistic as far it goes, the acting is good without any noticeable overacting that often comes across when we watch these old movies 50+ years later. I really like Ruby Keeler and also Bebe Daniels in their roles. And it was funny to see Ginger Rogers in a such a small part.