The hijinks of 14th Street move to mid-town in this delightful musical which takes "42nd Street's" Julian Marsh (Warner Baxter) to Broadway and into society after his easy money off of Union Square gives him the means to tackle Times Square. Only the first ten minutes of this movie shows him actually working in Burlesque; His girly-show revues with low-down comedy (a la "Sugar Babies" and "The Nance") become more elaborate and mainstream on Broadway, and very soon, he's the most prominent producer of musical revues on the "Gay White Way". His attendance at the auction of broke socialite Mona Barrie gives him an introduction to society even though their initial meetings does not leave her with a good impression of him. But a broke socialite needs a rich man to keep her in furs, and when he suggests a marriage of convenience to her to get his name in the society columns, she jumps at the chance, even though she's in love with a boorish opera singer. Standing in the background is the tough but love-lorn Alice Faye whom he considers to be "one of the boys", not realizing the extent of her affections. Of course, the relationship between Baxter and Barrie comes to a sudden end, and it is up to Faye & Baxter's assistant (Jack Oakie) to come to his aid to bring him back to the top of Broadway once again.There are so many great moments in this film that it is difficult to single out individual scenes, but I have to give a special thumbs up to the inclusion of "Fats" Waller as the elevator man who gets to do his specialty in the finale of the finger-snapping "I've got my Fingers Crossed", making you wish all the more that he had another big number. The glorious "I'm Shooting High" is the other big production number, performed with gusto by Miss Faye and later repeated on Broadway in the burlesque musical "Sugar Babies" with equal aplomb by the legendary Ann Miller. With her Jean Harlow like platinum blonde hair and husky voice, Alice has a natural screen presence, a combination of sweet and sassy, and at times, she really just comes across so easy-going that the fact that she doesn't seem to be even acting makes her all the more likable. Dixie Dunbar is adorable as Baxter's secretary. All the archetypes of the Broadway scene are present, with a few gay references thrown in that the Hays code didn't pick up on. I wanted to see more of the comic burlesque routines that sometimes really cut close to the border of good taste, but then again, good taste was something that burlesque never tried to emulate. As Baxter himself learns after taking wife Barrie's advice and producing something more sophisticated, he falls flat on his face and must return to the tried and true method of entertainment: scantily clad females singing and dancing, low down comic routines, and those fun little blackouts that usually ended with the orchestra playing the quick little "tah-dah" notes that indicated to the audience that they could laugh and applaud with the usually corny but often funny punch line.

If you've watched many musicals (particularly Fox musicals), then you'll have a strong sense of déjà vu when you watch it. In other words, the script is the exact same script that you've seen before and will see again if you watch any more musicals from this era it's . Without even searching IMDb, I recall having seen the exact same script (with very minor changes) in "Alexander's Ragtime Band". And, considering that Warner Baxter stars in the film, it can be compared in many ways to "42nd Street".Here is the clichéd story outline. Baxter is super-successful at what he does best--Burlesque-inspired musicals for the masses. However, he meets a highbrow society dame and loses his focus--trying to make sophisticated shows instead of his usual fare. Naturally, they flop. In addition, he has another woman who adores him but he just doesn't see it. Late in the film, this woman (Alice Faye) returns and unknown to him finances his comeback. Only then, when he's back on top, does he realize that he's loved her all along--and the film ends with them in the clinch.Unfortunately, this one has relatively bland songs and a terribly muted performance from Baxter. Regardless why, it's just a rather well made but dull musical with nothing distinguished to offer. I did appreciate, however, that the two female dancing leads were a bit chunky--a nice acknowledgment that not all ladies are size 4!

Kerry Bolton (Baxter) decides to take his vaudeville revue to Broadway and succeeds with one hit show after another. Helping him along are blonde singer Pat Doran (Alice Faye) who helps arrange the musical numbers and Joe Cooney (Jack Oakie) who ... well I could never figure out how he was being helpful - to Bolton or the plot. Oakie is used to much better comic effect in later Fox films such as "Tin Pan Alley". Somewhat formulaicly, Bolton overlooks the adoring girl right under his nose (Pat) and falls for a society woman, Mrs. Rosalind Cleve, who is flat broke. She plays hard to get, mainly because she thinks Bolton is vulgar, but she eventually lets him catch her because his money helps her overlook what she considers his rougher points. Pretty soon she's changing Bolton both personally and professionally. She convinces him his shows are low-brow and persuades him to alter his style. The new shows may have class but what they lack are paying customers. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Pat has left for England to try and forget Bolton when she gets the news that Pat's career, money, and of course his fair weather wife are gone. How will all of this work out with Bolton's exuberance and self-confidence crushed by his recent bad judgment in both women and his work? Watch and find out.There are really some catchy songs and good numbers in this one, and with Alice Faye singing how can you really go wrong? There's also some fine tap dancing with Fats Waller on piano as an elevator operator who finally gets his big break. There are also some numbers that are reminiscent of Busby Berkeley's work over at Warner Brothers about this time. Gregory Ratoff has a very small but quite funny role as a Depression era forgotten man posing as a millionaire. You'll see the plot coming at you from a mile away, but the point is musical escapism, and at that it succeeds quite well.

Entertaining Fox musical, reminiscent of the great Warners backstage musicals of the early 30's. It even features Warner Baxter in the title role. He, of course, played the production manager in "42nd Street," probably the best known of those Warners musicals. Some favorite moments: Alice Faye singing a brief "Whose Big Baby Are You?" in a rather brief outfit; The "Shooting High" number, with the group around a piano, has a pleasingly impromptu feel about it; Cute little Dixie Dunbar's great tap dancing, in a number featuring Fats Waller. Alice Faye was a wonderful performer who isn't as well known today as many stars from the golden age of Hollywood. You can catch this and other Alice Faye musicals if you have Fox Movie Channel.