Two Girls on Broadway

I never realized what a fabulous dancer Lana Turner was until I saw this movie. She was only 19 years old and gorgeous. What a pleasure to watch her dance with George Murphy. The story line was typical for its day but the dancing was really special. I never tire of watching Fred and Ginger but Lana Turner in this movie was just as terrific. I always thought of Lana as a so-so actress who tended to over act. She should have done more dancing and less of the Maddam X and Peyton Place roles. I had a new appreciation for her after seeing this movie and her wonderful dancing. Too bad the "Academy" doesn't give an "Oscar" for dancing.

Lana Turner gets to show off her dance skills with George Murphy and Joan Blondell in 1940's "Two Girls on Broadway." Mostly lighthearted fun as George Murphy plays dancer Eddie Kerns, who resorts to trickery to catch his big break in New York and smoothtalks his producers into bringing over his fiance (Joan Blondell) and her kid sister (Turner), who are also dancers. Turner plays the fresh faced ingenue who attracts attention for her looks and talent while Blondell has to face the harsh realities of show business when you are past your prime. Murphy plays the aw shucks hoofer torn between Blondell and Turner (guess who he wants the most? Gee I wonder?) Blondell gets a chance to play more than the usual wise-cracking sidekick. Turner shows she wasn't just a pretty face back then and has some real talent. Look for a cute scene where she comes home drunk late at night and tries to keep her sister from waking up. The movie runs a tight 73 minutes, so enjoy as much as you can before it's over.

I'll be honest, the main reason to watch this film is the gorgeous Lana Turner, who was just 19 years old when she starred in it. It's not her first film, but it was made just as her career was about to take off. Her acting is a little clumsy in places (as is George Murphy's), but it's a delight to see her dancing, and each of her close-ups. The story is a little thin, and has Joan Blondell and Turner as sisters, who come to New York to try to get jobs on stage with Blondell's slick-talking but affable fiancé, Murphy. Unfortunately, between the two of them, it's only Turner they want, and Blondell is relegated to selling cigarettes. Murphy tries to look out for Turner and shield her from a lecherous playboy (Kent Taylor), but then things get worse for Blondell when Murphy starts falling for Turner himself. There are some nice scenes of Blondell sacrificing herself with a brave face; she does the best she can with the material, and her character is a model of class. Unfortunately, there's also an extended scene with a Japanese butler that has some ugly racism on full display. The film wants to be a comedy, a romance, and a musical, and is pretty average at all three. It's concise at 73 minutes, and I liked seeing Turner and Blondell, but if those two aren't of interest, you should probably skip this one.

As much as I utterly adore Joan Blondell and think she was excellent in this, I have to say that the original, THE BROADWAY MELODY (of 1929) had more oomph, more heart and despite its technical limitations is the better version.

This more light-hearted remake of the very first Oscar winner is typical of the slick, polished style which MGM movies had in the forties, even in their B pictures. Obviously the acting in this is more natural, although every sane person will take an instant dislike to George Murphy whose cocky performance is more than irritating and even less genuine than Charles King's in the original. The production is of course not even on the same scale as in the first picture when they were just learning how to make talking pictures but interestingly the songs in this version are just as terrible as in the first one.

MGM made this film was a showcase their new star, Lana Turner which meant that Joan Blondell was relegated to playing second fiddle to her. She's the less glamorous, less sexy sensible older sister - almost a maternal role. Undaunted by 'reaching a certain age' (34!) she raises to the challenge and gives a very genuine and sensitive performance.

The role of the older sister in this version is more caring and a lot more mature than when Bessie Love played it. She's almost too nice to be true. No doubt because of her acting experience, Joan seems more confident and believable as the self-sacrificing sister but Bessie Love exhibited a real sense of vulnerability and tenderness which gave that very early talkie ten times as much emotional impact. Bessie Love's performance was truly heartbreaking and as disloyal it sounds to lovely Joan, Bessie played this character better.

Similarly, Anita Page's younger sister was raw, immature and gave the impression that she had no idea whatsoever what was happening to her. Her rabbit in the headlights portrayal exactly captured that of a naive girl from the sticks diving head first into a hedonistic cynical world she had no control over. Lana Turner is very sweet and innocent but seems a little too worldly wise. Although she was a better actress, in that role, Anita Page came across with much more authenticity.

Even though the original was made before The Depression, it felt like a more dangerous and grimy world that the sisters found themselves in. If you watch old films, New York in 1940 has a very familiar feel about it which makes this 'new' version a lot less interesting. It's not just because it's sad to see Joan Blondell upstaged by her replacement that I didn't enjoy this as much as the original, I think the actual reason is that the first film was fresh and so much more emotional.

"Two Girls on Broadway," made in 1940, is a remake of "Broadway Melody of 1929" and not as much fun. It stars George Murphy, Joan Blondell, Lana Turner, Kent Taylor and Wallace Ford. Murphy is Eddie Kerns, who sells a song, himself, his fiancé and her sister to a Broadway producer. The sisters rush out from the midwest to audition, but the show only wants Pat (Turner) while Molly (Blondell) is given the job of cigarette girl. Molly swallows her pride and watches her sister replace her in a number she used to do with Eddie. Then Eddie realizes that he's also interested in Pat, and she with him.

Nurphy is charming, energetic, and fine dancer, and Blondell is her usual excellent self. But it's hard to keep your eyes off of young, gorgeous, fresh-faced Lana with her gorgeous figure and vivacious personality. She dances with Murphy, and despite being a little stiff in her upper body, she's surprisingly good. Lana really had something in those days. It's no surprise she became a huge star.

The musical numbers are enjoyable. This movie is nothing to write home about, but if you've never experienced the young Lana, this is a great film to see her in.