In 1992, Footlight Parade was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7]
Left: Kent (James Cagney) rallies his troops for their tall order: create three lavish prologues in three days. Right: Cagney as Kent and Joan Blondell as Nan.
Chester Kent (James Cagney) replaces his failing career as a director of Broadway musicals with a new one as the creator of musical numbers called "prologues", short live stage productions presented in movie theaters before the main feature is shown. He faces pressure from his business partners to continuously create a large number of marketable prologues to service theaters throughout the country, but his job is made harder by a rival who is stealing his ideas, probably with assistance from someone working inside his own company. Kent is so overwhelmed with work that he doesn't realize that his secretary Nan (Joan Blondell) has fallen in love with him and is doing her best to protect him as well as his interests.
Kent's business partners announce that they have a big deal pending with the Apolinaris theater circuit, but getting the contract depends on Kent impressing Mr. Apolinaris (Paul Porcasi) with three spectacular prologues, presented on the same night, one after another at three different theaters. Kent locks himself and his staff in the offices to prevent espionage leaks while they choreograph and rehearse the three production numbers. Kent then stages "Honeymoon Hotel", "By a Waterfall" (featuring the famous "Human Waterfall") and "Shanghai Lil", featuring Cagney and Ruby Keeler dancing together.[8]
It is sometimes written that John Garfield made his (uncredited) film debut in the "Shanghai Lil" routine in a (5/6ths of a second) shot.[9] Turner Classic Movies perpetuates the mistake in an Article on TCM.com and debunks it in the Notes section of the same entry. The 2003 Turner Classic Movies documentary The John Garfield Story also refutes this, as do several John Garfield biographies that give timelines where he is in New York and then on tour in Chicago with the revival of the play Counsellor-at-Law in 1933.[10][11]
[edit]The "By a Waterfall" production number featured 300 choreographed swimmers
Looking for a role different from the gangster films such as The Public Enemy that catapulted him to fame, Cagney actively campaigned for the lead role of Chester Kent, based on well-known impresario Chester Hale of the prologue production company Fanchon and Marco. Cagney had gotten his start in vaudeville and Broadway before going into film work; the film became his first on-screen appearance as a dancer.[13] Cagney had only fallen into his gangster persona when he and Edward Woods switched roles three days into the shooting of 1931's The Public Enemy. That role catapulted Cagney into stardom and a series of gangster films, which throughout his career, Cagney found to be as much a straitjacket as a benefit.[14]
While Powell's role was written specifically for him, he was replaced by Stanley Smith when he fell ill. When he recovered, Smith's scenes were reshot with Powell. The film became the third pairing of Powell and Ruby Keeler after 42nd Street (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933, the first two Warner Bros. Busby Berkeley musicals.[13] Similarly, Dorothy Tennant was initially cast as Harriet Gould, but replaced by Ruth Donnelly.[13] Other actors considered for various roles included Eugene Pallette, George Dobbs and Patricia Ellis.
Warner Bros. initially signed for Larry Ceballos to choreograph the film when Berkely was unavailable. However, when Berkeley was able to make changes to his schedule, the studio let Ceballos go. Ceballos subsequently sued Berkeley and the studio for $100,000 for breach of contract.[15][16]
Production took place at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California between June and September 1933, costing an estimated $703,000 to make (equivalent to approximately $16,546,704 in 2023[17]). It premiered on September 30, 1933, with a general release on October 21.[18][19][20]
The film was made during the pre-Code era, and its humor is sometimes quite risqué, with multiple references to prostitution and suggestions of profanity largely unseen again in studio films until the 1960s, when the Production Code collapsed.[21] For example, D--- Powell's character is being "kept" by Mrs. Gould until he falls in love with another girl.
Joan Blondell's character of Nan Prescott is the center of several lines and moments. She introduces her roommate, Vivian Rich, as "Miss Bi... Rich"; and later, when Vivian tries to take advantage of an intoxicated Chester, Nan kicks her out of their apartment, claiming Vivian will have a job "as long as there are sidewalks."[22] In the Shanghai Lil number, it is clear that Lil and all the other girls are prostitutes working the waterfront bars along with scenes of an opium den.[23] A character played by Hugh Herbert acts as the censor for Kent's productions, constantly telling Kent certain parts of his production numbers have to be changed. His character is portrayed as buffoonish and comical, saying disagreeable lines to Kent such as "You must put brassieres on those dolls..." (referring to actual toy dolls) "...uh uh, you know Connecticut."
As with many other pre-Code films, including musicals, promotional materials featured scantily clad women on movie release posters, lobby cards and promotional photographs, as seen of Joan Blondell.[1]
The film made $1,601,000 in the United States,[4][5] and an additional $815,000 internationally.[6] Warner Bros. reported the film made a profit of $819,080, making it one of the most successful films of the year.[4]
^ abcWarner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1–31 p 15 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
Footlight Parade essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN0826429777, pages 216–218
![[1]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Joan_Blondell_banned_1932_publicity_photo.jpg){kind=link}