42nd Street (1933) on Netflix
Passed19331h 29mComedyDramaMusical
Ill and broke, Broadway director Julian Marsh takes on one last musical, Pretty Lady. Abner Dillon is financing it for his girlfriend Dorothy Brock, and chorus newcomer Peggy Sawyer is hired.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.3/1014,010 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes96%
Trailer
Plot summary
During the Great Depression, the Broadway producers Jones and Barry are preparing a musical called Pretty Lady. Its star, Dorothy Brock, is involved with Abner Dillon, the wealthy backer of the show, while quietly seeing Pat Denning, her former vaudeville partner, who has no work. Julian Marsh takes the job of directing, though a doctor warns him that the pressure endangers his life; the 1929 crash has left him poor, and only a hit will let him retire. Auditions and rehearsals follow, and the newcomer Peggy Sawyer is at first ignored by everyone until Lorraine Fleming and Ann Lowell, two dancers already in the company, help her. Lorraine has a place through Andy Lee, the dance director, and sees that her friends are chosen too. Billy Lawler, the juvenile lead, takes to Peggy.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about 42nd Street (1933)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Warren William and Richard Barthelmess were considered for Julian Marsh before Warner Baxter played him, and Kay Francis and Ruth Chatterton were considered for Dorothy Brock instead of Bebe Daniels. Loretta Young, Joan Blondell and Frank McHugh were also passed over for Ruby Keeler, Ginger Rogers and George E. Stone.
- 42nd Street was a first for Ruby Keeler, and the first time that Busby Berkeley, Harry Warren and Al Dubin had worked for Warner Bros. Pictures.
- The 1980 Broadway stage adaptation, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, won the Tony Award for Best Musical. Champion's death on opening night was announced at the curtain call by producer David Merrick.
