42nd Street
1933's 42ND STREET is considered the grandfather of backstage dramas, and all the familiar cliches and tropes are on display. So unless you've managed to avoid films like ALL ABOUT EVE , ALL THAT JAZZ , BLACK SWAN , and a slew of TV movies set in this milieu, it might seem a bit stale. To wit, we have a cynical leading actress, a shy newcomer looking to become a star, a barking, self-doubting, possibly terminally ill director, hungry understudies, sleazy producers and financiers, and so on. Director Lloyd Bacon, working from a screenplay by Rian James and James Seymour, manages a mostly smooth transition between light comedy and melodrama. Much like life behind the scenes of a stage production might be. Peppering this story of the mounting of a Broadway show are snappy lines of dialogue and loads of innuendoes. There are also some candid moments - as when during auditions would be starlets are asked to hike their skirts to show off their gams....
