Le règne de la joie

The story of Broadway MELODY OF 1938 is not so much zany as just simply bizarre. Raised on a horse farm where she also somehow learned to sing and dance, Eleanor Powell goes to New York in search of fame and fortune on the Great White Way, where she meets (a) George Murphy and Buddy Ebsen, two horse trainers who are also dancers; (b) Robert Taylor, a producer determined to star her in his new show; and (c) one of the horses from her farm. When the horse comes up lame, Eleanor rescues him--and before too long it becomes necessary for the horse to win the big race in order to finance the show!

Eleanor Powell was MGM's great dancing star of the era, George Murphy was one of the screen's most reliable hoofers, and Buddy Ebsen was renowned as a character actor with an eccentric dance style--all three have tremendous star quality and they generate several charming moments. But today the film is chiefly recalled for two supporting players: Sophie Tucker and Judy Garland.

Sophie Tucker had been a great stage star for more than 20 years when this film was made, and MELODY offers one of her rare screen appearances: with her no-nonsense, no-holds-barred style, she leaves little doubt about why she was so celebrated--especially when she launches into her signature song "Some of These Days." Garland, on the other hand, was just really beginning her film career, a slightly chunky teenager with a great big voice--and after putting it through the bullseye with a knockout performance of "Everybody Sing" she nailed the audiences of the day with her famous version of "You Made Me Love You," sung to a photograph of Clark Gable. It was the stuff dreams are made of, and from that moment on her film career was straight up all the way.

The stars knock themselves out to make it fun, and very often it is. But as a whole, it never really seems work in a consistent sort of way. When all is said and done, Broadway MELODY OF 1938 is the sort of show that you watch for certain scenes rather than for the show itself, which is considerably less than the sum of its parts. Recommended for 1930s musical fans, but even they will likely find very thin stuff indeed.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Okay, so the plot lines on these "Broadway Melody" movies are pretty thin. But the dancing and the music are great! This one has the inimitable Sophie Tucker running a boarding house for out-of-work performers, and Judy Garland as her pre-teen daughter. Judy sings some wonderful songs in this, including "You Made Me Love You," to a fan photo of Clark Gable. And Eleanor Powell -- what a hoofer!

What we have here is one of those none-too-inspired screenplays which the players are forced to pep up by shouting their lines at the top of their voices! Alas! Only Billy Gilbert can get away with this sort of stratagem. The others just seem ridiculous. However, never mind the silly story (this is one of the very few musicals with a horse-racing background), the movie's chief assets are its song and dance numbers, including a box-car dance with Eleanor Powell, George Murphy and Buddy Ebsen, two songs by Judy Garland (including the justly famous, "You Made Me Love You"), and. topping them all, a very lively and vastly amusing romp in the rain by Powell and Murphy. The movie was choreographed by the vastly under-rated Dave Gould and attractively photographed in black-and-white by William Daniels (although I understand Ray June worked on the film too).

Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Buddy Ebsen and Robert Wildhack reunite for "Broadway Melody of 1938," not to be confused with "Broadway Melody of 1936" which is better. The 1938 film also stars Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, Robert Benchley and Binnie Barnes.

Taylor is now a producer named Steve instead of Robert, and Powell is newcomer to Broadway Sally Lee. Instead of knowing Steve from Albany, she now comes from a farm. Wildhack is doing scientific work on sneezing instead of snoring this time, and Buddy Ebsen still dances but has actually quit show business. The plot concerns the usual getting the money for a Broadway show, with horse racing thrown in for good measure.

The musical numbers are nowhere near as good as in the past, but we do have the young Judy singing her "You Made Me Love You" to Mr. Gable and "Some of These Days" belted out by Sophie Tucker. At 15, Garland had a very mature voice and was adorable. What a gift.

It was also a rare treat to see Sophie Tucker. Here she plays Judy's mother and runs a rooming house for actors. Charles Igor Gorin plays an opera singing barber and sings the Toreador Song and Largo al factotum very well. As you'll see, the horse thinks so too.

Taylor looks fabulous and provides the eye candy and Powell's dancing is great. There are some cute bits in the movie as well. The finale is absolutely enormous. Good fun.

Broadway Melody of 1938 is one of those pure escapist type films that folks in the Thirties paid their money to see. It's a nice film combining both a backstage and a racetrack story with one of the most eclectic casts ever assembled for a film.

What can you say when you've got dancing covered by Eleanor Powell, George Murphy and Buddy Ebsen, the varied singing styles of Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker, and Igor Gorin and such incredible character actors as Raymond Walburn, Charley Grapewin, Billy Gilbert, and Robert Benchley. All of them such great performers and such vivid personalities there's no way that the film could be bad.

Almost lost in the shuffle are Robert Taylor and Binnie Barnes who don't sing or dance and aren't colorful. But Binnie Barnes is one fine actress and she's the villain of the piece as Raymond Walburn's wife who was once part of the chorus, but wants not to be reminded of from where she came. She's jealous of Eleanor Powell and has a thing for Taylor.

As did half the young women in America in 1937. Though the part doesn't call for any kind of real acting, Robert Taylor shows every bit as to why he was such a screen heart throb that year. He's the nice guy producer/director who gets caught in a crunch between his financial backer Raymond Walburn and his wife and the girl of his dreams, Eleanor Powell. Walburn is in the role that Guy Kibbee had in 42nd Street and he does it well with his own avuncular touches.

Powell is not just an ambitious hoofer as are Ebsen and Murphy. She's also the owner of race horse upon whose performance everyone's future eventually rides. Just how the racetrack and backstage are woven into the same plot you have to see the film for.

Vocal highlights are provided by Judy Garland who sings her famous Dear Mr. Gable version of that old Al Jolson song, You Made Me Love You. She also sings Everybody Sing which is a number I personally like a whole lot better. Honest Indian.

Sophie Tucker is her mother who owns and operates a theatrical boarding house where half the cast lives. She's an old trooper herself and of course she gets to sing her famous theme, Some of These Days.

Other material that the MGM songwriting team of Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown did not provide for this film are a couple operatic arias sung by the great concert singer Igor Gorin. He sings Largo Al Factotum from The Barber of Seville and the Toreador Song from Carmen. I'd venture a guess that Louis B. Mayer signed Gorin for this as an effort to keep his other two singers Nelson Eddy and Allan Jones in line. In fact Eddy and Mayer did not get along and Jones would be leaving MGM the following year. Gorin is in fine voice, but did not have much screen presence and has very few spoken lines. I don't think that was an accident.

Broadway Melody of 1938 is one of MGM's best musicals from the Thirties and how can you not like a film with as much talent as this one is loaded with, honest Indian.