I really enjoyed the first half of this movie as Bowery theatre managers Oakie and Cook fight each other for audiences by stealing each other's ideas. Lively and fast-paced, with an excellent cameo by Louise Allbritton as Lillian Russell, this is great fun. Then they move to 14th Street and things get bogged down in some silly dramatics about a reluctant star and her composer boyfriend. The third segment picks up a bit with Maria Montez as a fiery star helping the boys get to Broadway. The songs and dances are forgettable - even Donald O'Connor's bit is pretty ordinary - but there is a fabulous comedy routine from Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter. Nice to see the superb Maude Eburne in a small comic part. Pretty good.
Review of Bowery to Broadway
