TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1940), directed by S. Sylvan Simon, is a lightweight, updated partial remake to the ever popular Academy Award winner of THE BROADWAY MELODY (MGM, 1929). While the update could have been titled BROADWAY MELODY OF 1940, this latest edition as TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY, based on the original story by Edmund Goulding, is more of a second feature (74 minutes) and showcase for young Lana Turner. Supported by such screen veterans as Joan Blondell and George Murphy, it also displays Turner's rare ability as a singer and dancer, but soon proving her future success in the movies would be in dramatic roles instead.
The story begins in Rome City, Nebraska, where Trooper One, Molly Mahoney (Joan Blondell), runs a dancing school for children along with Trooper Two, her kid sister, Pat (Lana Turner), Dismissing their class to listen to the radio program, "Oddities of the Air," as hosted by Mr. Boyle (Don Wilson), by which Trooper Three, Eddie Kearns (George Murphy), Molly's fiance, happens to be auditioning one of his composed songs with a song and dance. Eddie wins audience approval and a spot in Buddy Bartell's (Richard Lane) upcoming musical show. Telephoning the good news to Molly, he invites the girls to take the next bus out to join him for a possible audition. Upon their arrival, Molly and Pat do a song and dance for Bartell, whose main interest is more on Pat. To keep Pat under his employ, he offers Molly a night club job working as a cigarette girl. Regardless of this humiliation and wanting Pat to succeed in show business, Molly accepts the job. As Pat finds herself becoming more interested in Eddie during dress rehearsals, she decides to spend more time with her sponsor, Chat Chatsworth (Kent Taylor), so not to come between Molly and Eddie's plans for marriage. Problems arise when Molly discovers from Jed Marlowe (Wallace Ford), a reporter friend of hers, that Chatsworth is a womanizer with five ex-wives with intentions on having Pat as wife number six. Others in the cast include Otto Hahn (Ito); Lloyd Corrigan (Judge Hennessey); and Edward Gargan (The Policeman),
The distinction between TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY and THE BROADWAY MELODY are its acting and production numbers. Though the original 1929 had its merits of success, its over-the-top acting among the leading actresses (Bessie Love and Anita Page) along with brief production numbers consisting of cart-wheels and back flips by ensembles, both weaken the original for contemporary viewers. Blondell, in her role originated by Bessie Love, gives a more natural performance as does Lana Turner's carnation to Anita Page's kid sister performance. For being Turner's movie, it is Blondell who proves herself more of a real trooper than the others.
The production numbers, well choreographed by Bobby Connolly, consisting of "My Wonder One, Let's Dance" (sung by George Murphy); "Broadway's Still Broadway" (dance rehearsal dance with Lana Turner) and reprise of "My Wonderful One, Let's Dance" (performed by Murphy and Turner) are entertaining enough, but not as memorable in scoring as the 1929 original that produced such classic tunes as "You Were Meant for Me." George Murphy, like Charles King, displays good showmanship in the entertainment department, yet it was Murphy who lasted a lot longer as a movie actor than the heavily New York accented Charles King, whose movie career ended in 1930.
As much as TWO GIRLS ON BROADWA Y is not a scene by scene remake to THE BROADWAY MELODY, it does lead to a similar structure to the original. Never distributed on video cassette but available on DVD, both TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY and THE BROADWAY MELODY can be seen and compared whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies cable television. (**1/2)
The story begins in Rome City, Nebraska, where Trooper One, Molly Mahoney (Joan Blondell), runs a dancing school for children along with Trooper Two, her kid sister, Pat (Lana Turner), Dismissing their class to listen to the radio program, "Oddities of the Air," as hosted by Mr. Boyle (Don Wilson), by which Trooper Three, Eddie Kearns (George Murphy), Molly's fiance, happens to be auditioning one of his composed songs with a song and dance. Eddie wins audience approval and a spot in Buddy Bartell's (Richard Lane) upcoming musical show. Telephoning the good news to Molly, he invites the girls to take the next bus out to join him for a possible audition. Upon their arrival, Molly and Pat do a song and dance for Bartell, whose main interest is more on Pat. To keep Pat under his employ, he offers Molly a night club job working as a cigarette girl. Regardless of this humiliation and wanting Pat to succeed in show business, Molly accepts the job. As Pat finds herself becoming more interested in Eddie during dress rehearsals, she decides to spend more time with her sponsor, Chat Chatsworth (Kent Taylor), so not to come between Molly and Eddie's plans for marriage. Problems arise when Molly discovers from Jed Marlowe (Wallace Ford), a reporter friend of hers, that Chatsworth is a womanizer with five ex-wives with intentions on having Pat as wife number six. Others in the cast include Otto Hahn (Ito); Lloyd Corrigan (Judge Hennessey); and Edward Gargan (The Policeman),
The distinction between TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY and THE BROADWAY MELODY are its acting and production numbers. Though the original 1929 had its merits of success, its over-the-top acting among the leading actresses (Bessie Love and Anita Page) along with brief production numbers consisting of cart-wheels and back flips by ensembles, both weaken the original for contemporary viewers. Blondell, in her role originated by Bessie Love, gives a more natural performance as does Lana Turner's carnation to Anita Page's kid sister performance. For being Turner's movie, it is Blondell who proves herself more of a real trooper than the others.
The production numbers, well choreographed by Bobby Connolly, consisting of "My Wonder One, Let's Dance" (sung by George Murphy); "Broadway's Still Broadway" (dance rehearsal dance with Lana Turner) and reprise of "My Wonderful One, Let's Dance" (performed by Murphy and Turner) are entertaining enough, but not as memorable in scoring as the 1929 original that produced such classic tunes as "You Were Meant for Me." George Murphy, like Charles King, displays good showmanship in the entertainment department, yet it was Murphy who lasted a lot longer as a movie actor than the heavily New York accented Charles King, whose movie career ended in 1930.
As much as TWO GIRLS ON BROADWA Y is not a scene by scene remake to THE BROADWAY MELODY, it does lead to a similar structure to the original. Never distributed on video cassette but available on DVD, both TWO GIRLS ON BROADWAY and THE BROADWAY MELODY can be seen and compared whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies cable television. (**1/2)