Broadway (1942) DVD-R

Starring George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Janet Blair, Broderick Crawford, Marjorie Rambeau, Anne
Gwynne, S.Z. Sakall
Directed by William A. Seiter

Print: black/white
Runtime: 91 min.
Genre: musical
Print Quality: B

In this musical, which manages to look back with nostalgia upon prohibition and the
depression (no small accomplishment), George Raft plays George, a hoofer looking back on
his glory days. His memories are triggered when The Paradise Club, a nightspot where he
used to work, is about to be turned into a bowling alley. In the Roaring '20s, George and his
partner Billie (Janet Blair) were a star attraction at The Paradise, run by Nick (S.Z. Sakall).
George wants his relationship with Billie to be as graceful off-stage as on, but he has
several rivals vying for her affections, including gangster Steve (Broderick Crawford) and
policeman Dan (Pat O'Brien). Marjorie Rambeau plays Lil, modeled after brassy nightclub
owner Texas Guinan. Raft actually worked for Guinan in his early days as a dancer, and he
gets a chance to show off his fancy footwork accompanied by a number of classic tunes,
including 'Alabamy Bound', 'Yes Sir, That's My Baby', 'Sweet Georgia Brown', and 'I'm Just
Wild About Harry'. Broadway was a loose remake of the 1929 Merna Kennedy vehicle of the
same name.