Babes on Broadway

Infobox Film
name = Babes on Broadway


caption = Promotional movie poster for the film
director = Busby Berkeley
producer = Arthur Freed
writer = Fred F. Finklehoffe
narrator =
starring = Judy Garland
Mickey Rooney
music =
cinematography = Lester White
editing = Fredrick Y. Smith
distributor = Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
released = 1941
runtime = 118 min.
country = U.S.A.
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:3548
imdb_id = 0034485

"Babes on Broadway" is a 1941 musical movie starring Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Fay Bainter, and Virginia Weidler and directed by Busby Berkeley. Donna Reed and Margaret O'Brien have bit parts.

Songs include: "How About You?", "Hoe Down", "Bombshell from Brazil", and "Chin Up, Cheerio, Carry On", "Franklin D. Roosevelt Jones", as well as such standards as "Mama Yo Quiero", "The Yankee Doodle Boy", and "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee".

The movie ends with a minstrel show performed by the main cast in blackface.

This was the 3rd film in the 'Back-yard Musical' Series. Others included Babes In Arms (1939), Strike Up The Band (1940) and Girl Crazy (1943)

"Good News" (1947) and "Summer Stock" (1950) were also planned to become part of the series, although Judy Garland starred in the latter with Gene Kelly.

The film was stalled part way through production when Judy Garland secretly flew to Las Vegas to wed her first husband David Rose. She was 19 years old.

DVD Release

"Babes on Broadway" will be released on DVD for the first time as part of Warner Bros. 5-disc DVD set The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection on September 25, 2007. The set will contain "Babes on Broadway", "Babes in Arms", "Girl Crazy", and "Strike Up the Band", as well as a fifth disc containing bonus features on Mickey and Judy. [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RT99FG Amazon.com: The Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collection (Babes in Arms / Babes on Broadway / Girl Crazy / Strike Up the Band): Movies & TV: Mickey Rooney,Judy Garland ] ]

Cast

*Mickey Rooney - Tommy Williams
*Judy Garland - Penny Morris
*Fay Bainter - Miss 'Jonesy' Jones
*Virginia Weidler - Barbara Josephine 'Jo' Conway
*Ray McDonald - Ray Lambert
*Richard Quine - Morton 'Hammy' Hammond
*Donald Meek - Mr. Stone
*Alexander Woollcott - Himself
*Luis Alberni - Nick
*James Gleason - Thornton Reed
*Emma Dunn - Mrs. Williams
*Anne Rooney - Jenny
*Donna Reed - Jonsey's Secretary
*Margaret O'Brien - Maxine, Little Girl at Audition
*Ava Gardner - Pitt-Astor Girl

Musical Numbers

*"Babes on Broadway" (Main Title) (MGM Studio Chorus)
*"Anything Can Happen in New York" (Mickey Rooney, Ray McDonald, and Richard Quine)
*"How About You?" (Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney)
*"Hoe Down" (Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Six Hits and a Miss, The Five Musical Maids, and MGM Studio Chorus)
*"Chin Up! Cheerio! Carry On!" (Judy Garland, St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers, and MGM Studio Chorus)Ghost Theater Sequence:
*"Cyrano de Bergerac" (Mickey Rooney as Richard Mansfield)
*"Mary's a Grand Old Name" (Judy Garland as Fay Templeton)
*"She's Ma Daisy" (Mickey Rooney as Harry Lauder)
*"I've Got Rings On My Fingers" (Judy Garland as Blanche Ring)
*"La Marseillaise" (Judy Garland as Sarah Bernhardt)
*"The Yankee Doodle Boy" (Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland)

*"Bombshell from Brazil" (Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Richard Quine, Ray McDonald, Virginia Weidler, Anne Rooney, Robert Bradford, and MGM Studio Chorus)
*"Mama Yo Quiero" (Mickey Rooney)

Minstrel Show Sequence:
*"Blackout Over Broadway" (Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Ray McDonald, Virginia Weidler, Richard Quine, Anne Rooney and MGM Studio Chorus)
*"By the Light of the Silvery Moon" (Ray McDonald)
*"Franklin D. Roosevelt Jones" (Judy Garland and MGM Studio Chorus)
*"Old Folks at Home" (Eddie Peabody on banjo, dubbing for Mickey Rooney)
*"Alabamy Bound" (Eddie Peabody on banjo, dubbing for Mickey Rooney)
*"Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" (Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Virginia Weidler, Anne Rooney, Richard Quine, and MGM Studio Chorus)
*"Babes on Broadway" (Finale) (Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Virginia Weidler, Ray McDonald, Richard Quine, and MGM Studio Chorus)

References

External

*imdb title|id=0034485|title=Babes on Broadway
* [http://www.thejudyroom.com/discography/soundtracks/babesbway2.html The Judy Garland Online Discography "Babes On Broadway" pages.]
* [http://www.jgdb.com/babes.htm Babes On Broadway Page.]