Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Directed by Roy Del Ruth. Starring Robert Taylor, Eleanor Powell, Jack Benny, Sid Silvers, Una Merkel, Buddy Ebsen, Vilma Ebsen, Robert John Wildhack, June Knight, Nick Long Jr.

Considerably superior to the Broadway Melody from 1929, which remains the worst Best Picture Oscar winner in history, but this 1936 comedy is still no more than a pleasant but forgettable bit of fluff overstuffed with a mostly middling set of musical numbers (one good song and one good dance performance—not overlapping—but that’s about it). Powell comes to the big city to get a shot at glory with Broadway producer Taylor (her high school sweetheart, no less), but he’s distracted by a newspaper columnist (Benny) out to ruin his career. A few mild laughs squeak through, but the farce construction is too obvious not to see coming three steps in advance, and there’s too much of Ebsen’s hayseed talent. If you like the idea of hearing a wide variety of snoring sounds from Wildhack, however… (I could crack a joke about that being the sound of the audience, but the movie supplies one of its own). Songs include “I’ve Got a Feelin’ You’re Foolin’”, “Broadway Rhythm”, and “You Are My Lucky Star”. Dave Gould became the nascent winner of the short-lived Oscar category Best Dance Direction. Powell’s singing voice was dubbed by Marjorie Lane. Two more “melodies” would follow: of 1938 and of 1940.

54/100