42nd Street - 1933

Henry B. Walthall originally had a large role including a key scene in which he died on stage during rehearsals. Almost all of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.

The following cast was considered: - Warren William or Richard Barthelmess instead of Warner Baxter - Kay Francis or Ruth Chatterton instead of Bebe Daniels - Loretta Young instead of Ruby Keeler - Joan Blondell instead of Ginger Rogers - Glenda Farrell instead of Una Merkel - Frank McHugh instead of George E. Stone.

Ginger Rogers took the role of Anytime Annie at the urging of director Mervyn LeRoy, whom she was dating at the time.

In one of the opening scenes, Bebe Daniels is reading the February 20, 1932 issue of The New Yorker magazine, with its trademark top-hatted Manhattanite on the cover. This is not the premiere issue (2/21/1925), as previously thought. The New Yorker runs the premiere cover once every year on the date closest to the date of the first issue in 1925. A close comparison of the covers from the 1932 and 1933 anniversary covers (available at the New Yorker web site) shows this to be the one from 1932.

The film was so financially successful that it saved Warner Brothers from bankruptcy.

When it premiered in New York City at the Strand Theatre in March 1933, Variety reported that some of the musical numbers were projected on the enlarged grandeur wide screen.

The movie's line "Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!" was voted as the #87 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

The movie's poster was as #7 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.

Film debut of Ruby Keeler.

Illness prevented Mervyn LeRoy from directing, so he handed the reins over to Lloyd Bacon.

Movie was adapted as a Broadway musical and opened in 1980 starring Jerry Orbach and Tammy Grimes.

This film, released on March 9, 1933, single-handedly rescued the movie musical, which had been considered a money losing proposition since mid-1930. Early "all talking, all dancing" musicals typically suffered from severe camera restrictions coupled with poor musical staging, soured the public on the genre in general (Universal's huge losses from the lively King of Jazz (1930) had put an unofficial moratorium on the musical) and no other studio wanted to risk producing one. Warners, at the time of the film's release, had Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) nearing completion and pre-production plans were well underway for Footlight Parade (1933), all utilizing the talents of Busby Berkeley. The success of this film would convince Radio Pictures to produce Flying Down to Rio (1933) (released that December). Other major studios would continue to shy away from musicals throughout 1933, although Paramount would proceed with plans to produce the lavish Murder at the Vanities (1934) toward the end of the year.

The original Broadway production based on the movie "42nd Street" opened at the Winter Garden Theater on August 25, 1980, ran for 3486 performances, won the 1981 Tony Award for the Best Musical and was nominated for Best Book for a Musical.

'42nd Street' is the tenth longest running show on Broadway.

As a publicity stunt, a train called 'The 42nd Street Special' traveled from Hollywood to New York City arriving in time for the opening at the Strand theater on 8 March 1933. On the train were Warner contract players who were called to the stage after the movie was shown (according to the review in The New York Times). Included were Joe E. Brown, Tom Mix and his horse, Bette Davis, Laura La Plante, Glenda Farrell, Lyle Talbot, Leo Carrillo, Claire Dodd, Preston Foster and Eleanor Holm.

Lyle Talbot is listed in a modern source for the role of "Geoffrey Waring," but he did not appear.

Both Harry Warren and Al Dubin are credited onscreen for both music and lyrics, but no songs are credited onscreen. However, Warren wrote the music for all the songs recognized and listed in the soundtrack, and Dubin the lyrics for those songs which were sung.

Cast of 42nd Street

Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director
Bebe Daniels as Dorothy ("Dottie") Brock, star
George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner
Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer
Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer
Una Merkel as Lorrain Fleming, chorine
Ginger Rogers as Ann ("Anytime Annie") Lowell, chorine
Ned Sparks as co-producer Barry
Dick Powell as Billy Lawler, the juvenile lead
Allen Jenkins as Mac Elroy, the stage manager
Edward J. Nugent as Terry, a chorus boy
Robert McWade as co-producer Jones
George E. Stone as Andy Lee, the dance director