That's my second favorite Busby number. (I think "Lullaby of Broadway may surpass this in scope.) But for art, this is tops. That final scene with the three Art Deco arches with the soldiers marching across; the women holding out their arms as if in a yearning grasp for all those men from the breadline, and those men parting to reveal a pre-Code outstretched Joan Blondell portraying a prostitute who's got a better grasp on social dynamics and economics than anyone else. And those vocals by Etta Moten!
I used to think we Boomers cornered the market on the counter-culture, but watch this and know that subversion was once a mainstream pursuit -- especially at Warner Brothers. That cop trying the rouse and shove the down-and-out veteran only lack Porky's pigtail to complete the picture.
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That's my second favorite Busby number. (I think "Lullaby of Broadway may surpass this in scope.) But for art, this is tops. That final scene with the three Art Deco arches with the soldiers marching across; the women holding out their arms as if in a yearning grasp for all those men from the breadline, and those men parting to reveal a pre-Code outstretched Joan Blondell portraying a prostitute who's got a better grasp on social dynamics and economics than anyone else. And those vocals by Etta Moten!
I used to think we Boomers cornered the market on the counter-culture, but watch this and know that subversion was once a mainstream pursuit -- especially at Warner Brothers. That cop trying the rouse and shove the down-and-out veteran only lack Porky's pigtail to complete the picture.
Amazing stuff that never fails to move me.