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STAGE STRUCK (Warner Brothers, 1936), directed by Busby Berkeley, is a backstage musical that reunites the three principle players from GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (Warners, 1933), Warren William, Joan Blondell and Dick Powell. This time, Powell gets the promotion with top-billing (and a pencil-thin mustache) playing George Randall, the director of an upcoming musical show, LADY OF THE MOON. Also getting a promotion is Busby Berkeley, who was choreographer in the earlier film now director of entire production.

Following the pattern of other earlier 1933 hits, 42nd STREET and FOOTLIGHT PARADE, Joan Blondell is featured as blinky-eyed Peggy Revere, a temperamental actress with a bad reputation with men (she shoots them, but only giving her victims flesh wounds); Warren William as a smooth-talking promoter, Fred Harris, who tries to get George and Peggy on friendly terms; Frank McHugh as Sid, the harassed assistant dance director typically calling out, "Quiet!" "On stage!" etc.; and newcomer Jeanne Madden as a Ruby Keelerish-type young hopeful named Ruth Williams from East Weekaukeegan who wants a job in the show. As fate would have it, George takes an interest in Ruth, and because she's just a sweet young kid unlike the other girls in the chorus line, he tries to encourage her to forget about show business and take a job at a flower shop instead. But Ruth is insistent and goes against his advise. But George has his hands full with Peggy and will do anything to get rid of her, especially after a three day out-of-town tryout of the new show, WORDS AND MUSIC, in which newspaper critics report that "audiences laughed at all the wrong places" and that "Peggy Revere's performance disappoints." Eventually, Peggy does something on on opening night in her dressing room that involves her jealous fiancé (Craig Reynolds) and a shooting that prevents her from appearing (she gets arrested), and George must find himself a last minute replacement or the show won't go on.

STAGE STRUCK is a forgotten musical by all means, remembered, if at all, as the movie Busby Berkeley directed while going through courtroom trials for manslaughter (drunk driving that causes his car to swerve into another car after his tire blew out, killing three passengers.) This unfortunate incident was covered in the documentary presented on TCM: BUSBY BERKELEY: GOING THROUGH THE ROOF (1998), or the one in which Dick Powell and Joan Blondell got married during film production. Anyone expecting any lavish musical or a grand show-stopping finale Berkeley-style from STAGE STRUCK would be disappointed, because there aren't any. Good songs, however, by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, including "Lady of the Moon" (sung by chorus girls during rehearsals, with Frank McHugh); "Fancy Meeting You" (sung by Dick Powell and Jeanne Madden); "In YOUR Own Quiet Way" (sung by Powell) and "In HIS Own Quiet Way" (a try-out, sung by Jeanne Madden). What stands out here are the comedy antics from The Yacht Club Boys as The Mexican Serenaders, who wrote and sing their own songs, "The Government Takes Away" (titled in opening credits as "The New Parade") and the most bizarre of them all, "The Body Beautiful," the latter as an audition in Warren William's office. This wild and crazy music number relies mostly on special effects and defying the law of gravity. It must be seen to be believed. The Yacht Club Boys are at times reminiscent to The Ritz Brothers, another crazy bunch then making comedy antics in 20th Century-Fox musicals about the same time.

Also featured in the cast are: Spring Byington and Carol Hughes as Powell's mother and sister; Hobart Cavanaugh, and a young Jane Wyman who can be seen briefly as Bessie Fiffnick, one of many auditioning chorus girls, but it's Jeanne Madden (1917-1989), in her movie debut, who's the central character. Cute and a likable personality, she has a pleasing singing voice in the Deanna Durbin-style. Sadly, Madden's screen career would come to an end after appearing in two more forgettable films in 1937, becoming only a name for the memory book. STAGE STRUCK is worth a look only as a curiosity, if not much else. It's available for viewing on Turner Classic Movies. (***)

George Randall (Dick Powell) is the new dance director of a Broadway show. The producer is out of money and has taken on rich but untalented performer Peggy Revere (Joan Blondell). She's willing to pay to become the new lead. Needless to say, George and Peggy do not get along. Ruth Williams (Jeanne Madden) comes in looking for work just as the show breaks up.

Busby Berkeley is the director. I expected a fun behind the scenes of a Broadway show with big song and dance numbers. I would have preferred not stopping the show in the first half and having the two leads battling it out while falling in love. That seems to be the simpler and best story. George and Ruth have good chemistry. I like sending her away to the flower shop. I do like their story, but they're not the star pairing. Joan Blondell is the star. She's meant to be funny, but she is annoying and wasting time. There are some moments to like, but this is problematic.

This is a delightful backstage comedy/musical in the same vein as Warner Bros.' other 1930s Busby Berkeley fare. Dick Powell is great, Warren William is great, Joan Blondell is terrific, and even Frank McHugh is great. The weak link, unfortunately, is Jeanne Madden as the fresh-faced romantic lead. She can't perform at the level of experienced co-stars like Powell, and the romance suffers. But this was her first movie and she was probably hired for her voice.

I've seen several of these 1930s comedies (musical and otherwise) featuring the Warner Bros. contract players, and I haven't thought much of them as a rule. But for whatever reason I was very receptive toward STAGE STRUCK (1936). The movie is a lot of fun. It's comedy all the way through, with swell performances from the stars and some genuinely funny gags. It's the kind of pleasant movie you can sit back in your comfy chair and just enjoy. A nice distraction for an hour and a half.

Although directed by choreographer extraordinaire Busby Berkeley, STAGE STRUCK does not feature any of the major stylized production numbers that characterized his work earlier in the decade. As impressive as those larger-than-life dance sequences were, they brought the main story to a halt for an extended period of time. The closest thing here is an overlong, irrelevant, and increasingly bizarre song and dance number by the Yacht Club Boys in the middle of the film. A few songs are sprinkled about, but the movie is mostly a straight-up comedy set around a Broadway show.

Dick Powell played juvenile tenors in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933) and FOOTLIGHT PARADE (1933), but here has matured into his more adult persona, complete with trademark sarcasm and a dapper mustache for good measure. In this Broadway story, Powell is not one of the young stars; he is the director, trying to keep the show together amid the chaos.

That chaos is played by one of my favorite actresses: Joan Blondell. Blondell was great playing sweet and wisecracking dames who'd often win the man in the end. It's a little different this time around, as she plays a crazy tabloid queen brought in to star in the show as a publicity stunt. Hilariously over-dramatic, Blondell's wealthy character adopts an air of sophistication that fools nobody and her lines are filled with amusing malapropisms. Initially at odds with director Powell, she is placated into cooperation by producer William's knowledge of Freudian psychology.

One scene that I enjoyed was when Powell sings through "In Your Own Quiet Way" at the piano while Blondell (convinced by William that she really loves Powell) tries to cozy up with him. As she inches closer, he calmly inches away and keeps on singing through the music. The body language is great as the two end up circling around the piano.

STAGE STRUCK is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or an evening. If you're a fan of Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, or the kind of mid-1930s comedies they made for Warner Bros., you should give this one a try. As of this posting the film has not been released on DVD for purchase, so catch it on TCM if you can.

Colorless musical that appears to strap flamboyant director Busby Berkeley into a musical strait- jacket. Surprisingly, there's no big dance numbers, overhead crane, flowering "O"s or other hallmarks of the Freudian obsessed filmmaker. Instead, there're only forgettable tunes and colorless backstage rehearsals. The multi-talented Powell sports a mustache but is otherwise wasted, while villainous Warren William gets a friendlier role, a Broadway impresario.

But what about everyone's favorite sassy dame, Blondell, whose role unfortunately sort of comes and goes. Looks to me like her part was an add-on to inject some badly needed pizazz into the feminine side. That's because poor Jeanne Madden looks lost in the aspiring ingénue role. At times, she seems almost achingly self-conscious of the camera, which I think carries over to the audience. Since her career ended soon after, I hope she found a more fitting line of work. Then there's the Yacht Club Boys, surely one of the worst novelty acts of any period to rant and somersault on the same screen.

Anyway, the plot couldn't be more familiar—the problems of putting on a big-time musical. Weirdly, we never get to see the actual show, which ordinarily would be the boffo climax. Considering the many eye-catching musicals from Warner Bros., this one looks like the least of the litter. Too bad.

Stagestruck's biggest asset is the performance of Joan Blondell as the Paris Hilton heiress of the day. Blondell plays Peggy Revere which is a takeoff on Peggy Hopkins Joyce whose antics back in the 30s kept the tabloids buzzing the way the Hilton twins do today. Blondell overacts outrageously, but it's all to the good.

Warren William plays ego-maniacal producer Fred Harris which is also a takeoff of producer Jed Harris. Legend has it that Jed Harris was as full of tricks and deviltry that Warren William's character in Stagestruck is. It's very similar to the John Barrymore character in 20th Century. In fact looking at William's profile it's like looking at a poor man's Barrymore. But that is unfair because Warren William did a lot of good work on screen.

Dick Powell is the director here and he gets a couple of good songs to sing. Mostly he has to act annoyed at Blondell and falling for newcomer Jeanie Madden. Since Powell and Blondell got married right after this film, that may have been the biggest performance in the movie.

Jeanie Madden was the love interest. Ruby Keeler had departed Warner Brothers so Powell got a new Ruby, a singing Ruby. Ruby Keeler's singing voice was as flat as her dramatic delivery. Madden couldn't dance, but she sang beautifully especially in the duet with Powell, Fancy Meeting You. But her acting was as bad as Ruby's and she was gone after two more films.

There was a quartet in the film called the Yacht Club Boys and they had a couple of funny bits, especially one in Warren William's office where William plays a straight man for them (and looks like he's having a ball doing it). I suppose they were too similar in style to the Ritz Brothers over at 20th Century Fox so they were gone after this film.

It's a funny film on its own merits, but unless you know who Peggy Hopkins Joyce and Jed Harris were, a lot of the lines will be lost on you.