User reviews

To get an idea of just how talented a performer Mickey Rooney is, watch his banjo playing in the movie's final number, The Robert E. Lee. At first you may think he's just going through the motions, but he's actually playing the banjo for the last 3 minutes of the movie. His dance numbers are also superb.He was at the height of his popularity when this 1941 movie came out, the #1 Box Office Male Star for 6 years in a row. To say this movie is too sugary, is a cheap shot and you must put it into perspective of when it was made. (The black face number at the end was far from sugary). Rooney dances and imitates Cagney in Yankee Doodle; He does a perfect impersonation of Carmen Miranda in another number and the finale is worth the price of admission. Corny, yes. Talented? precisely.

Despite the fact the Busby Berkeley finale was a minstrel show, I like Babes on Broadway just fine. If you want to see Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland as a team at their peak, this isn't the film. But I like it fine anyway

Mickey is a member of a trio which also consists of Ray McDonald and Richard Quine singing for their supper at a one armed spaghetti joint owned by Luis Alberni. One of the three customers in the joint one night is Broadway girl Friday, Fay Bainter who loves the act and Mickey especially. She spends the rest of the film trying to get ulcer ridden producer James Gleason to hear him and the rest of the talent Rooney collects for that inevitable show he wants to put on.

Of course one of those talents is Judy Garland, another eager young hopeful and the musical highlight of the film is their singing the famous Vernon Duke song, How About You. It's not one of Berkeley's big production numbers, it's done with Mickey and Judy at a piano in her place, but their infectious enthusiasm will grab you immediately. How About You was later done in the fifties with a really fine arrangement by Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby in one of their joint albums.

The other highlight for me is the surreal number done when Judy and Mickey arrive at a long closed theater for their show and are transformed by the spirits of the performers of long ago who headlined in the place. What has to be remembered is that several of these people were actually still alive when Mickey and Judy are imitating them, people like George M. Cohan, Harry Lauder, Blanche Ring. Faye Templeton, Sarah Bernhardt, and Richard Mansfield were long dead or retired by then. Still people in the audience remembered them and Mickey and Judy's reverential treatment to these stage stars of long ago must have struck a chord in movie audiences we can't appreciate today.

The minstrel show finale of course isn't good, yet even that is salvaged somewhat by Judy's singing of Franklin D. Roosevelt Jones. She also recorded it for Decca and the number still plays well today. When Judy does it even in blackface, somehow instead of degrading, it comes out as a tribute, like Fred Astaire in blackface imitating Bill Robinson in Bojangles of Harlem.

My favorite of their joint projects has always been Girl Crazy, still Mickey and Judy are as alive and fresh in Babes on Broadway as ever and it's a great example of matchless chemistry and teamwork.

If you like fast paced Hollywood musicals from yesteryear, then this movie is for you. The story is dated and hokey, but there is a lot of singing and dancing. Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and the rest of the cast is excellent. Rooney demonstrates his versatility as a song-and-dance man and pairs well with Judy Garland who sings several songs and is quite engaging. The finale includes a several-minutes long minstrel sequence which some may find insensitive as it is performed in black face. That notwithstanding, Garland performs a number in black face and in drag (i.e. dressed as a male), which is remarkable. The cinematography is excellent, capturing the dance sequences in all their glory. If judged by current tastes, the movie's style is a curio, an antique. But what is not dated is the energy, vitality and the music itself which would resonate with today's audience.

This big MGM "let's put on a show" musical is obviously a showcase for the over-sized talents of JUDY GARLAND and MICKEY ROONEY.

But it amuses me to see young commentators expressing "shock" and dismay at the blackface routines shown in the big finale. They never knew how popular minstrel shows were, even into the 1940s? Where have they have been living? They never heard of Al Jolson and how he rode to stardom on his blackface routines?

The film actually rises above its clichéd plot whenever Judy takes the spotlight with a song. Never has she looked so radiantly youthful and vibrant. Rooney, while of course obviously talented, tends to ham it up a bit too much whenever he's given the spotlight, which is a little too often for my taste. Fay Bainter does nicely as a patron of the arts while James Gleason gets on the nerves with his frustrated bit as a producer.

Amusing to see gangly RICHARD QUINE hoofing it up (before he became a film director). The standout dancer is Ray MacDonald, the fresh faced kid who lights up the screen whenever he dances, resembling, in style and acting technique, Donald O'Connor. Tragically he, like others in the cast, ended his life much too soon.

Judy and Mickey do a fabulous version of "How About You?" and Buby Berkeley's genius at staging intricate dance routines is nowhere more evident than in the "Hoe Down" number, probably one of the catchiest of all the musical routines.

There are slow spots and the film could easily have omitted footage to pare it down to a running time of, say, an hour and forty minutes. As it is, you have to be willing to stick with it for the full two hours, something only likely to occur if you're a true fan of Garland and Rooney.

You can catch a brief glimpse of two up and coming stars, Margaret O'Brien and Donna Reed. Reed has a brief moment as a receptionist.

Trivia note: Shirley Temple was originally considered for the Virginia Wiedler role. Might have been OK too, since the part is not that demanding musically and Temple could certainly still do the required amount of hoofing.

Mickey and Judy want to put on a show (surprise) to help orphans. Only Mickey has an ulterior motive -- to impress a big shot producer and get a gig on Broadway. When Judy finds out, it looks like splitsville for the duo. Nice Busby Berkeley musical although it's way too long to have such a thin plot. But the musical numbers with Judy and Mickey are what people care about and most of those are energetic and fun. Film debut of Margaret O'Brien in an adorable bit. Donna Reed has a small part as a receptionist. Mickey and Judy are both perfect, playing parts similar to many others they played. By the way, I love the posters the kids create to advertise the show. One slogan reads: "Do you want rickets on your conscience? Get the kids to the country." Certainly sounds more sincere than some celebrity-endorsed causes in recent years.

What seems to get the most reaction here on IMDb is not surprisingly the minstrel number at the close of the show with all of the actors in blackface. Yes it's dated and offensive but some of the comments here are way over the top. One imbecilic individual even said Mickey Rooney shouldn't have been allowed to work again! Put the Kool-Aid down, kid.

Unfairly maligned by viewers with little or no knowledge of history, "Babes On Broadway" is a reasonably good film that, more than anything else, speaks to us from across the years. It tells us a lot about America in 1941.

Several talented young people, just starting out, try to make it big on Broadway. That's the story premise. The script presents a thin, superficial plot. Dialogue lacks significant subtext. But, of course, the plot's real purpose is to create continuity in a film meant to showcase the musical talents of its two big stars: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. They, along with a large cast, sing and dance in various musical productions, some good, some not so good.

Which leads to my main criticism of this film: the editing. With a thin plot and a runtime of two hours, large chunks could have been chopped out. I have no idea why they included a Beethoven piano performance by a child prodigy; it has no connection to anything. Similarly, the "Hoe Down" musical segment is arguably weak. And, though I commend the producers for acknowledging Great Britain's War efforts, devoted plot elements are thematically irrelevant and overly long.

On the other hand, the best sequence in the film is its grand musical finale, a tribute to the American South. This segment provides a nice contrast to New York's Broadway allure. Dialogue here refers to an "old-fashioned" minstrel show. Most of the songs are from decades earlier. Musical lyrics include the wording "And boy that Southern cooking is okay". Clearly, the intent is to salute the South. So putting performers in black face is entirely appropriate within the well-defined historical context.

Performances are fine. Judy Garland shines. Fay Bainter, ideally cast as a theatrical agent, also gives a good performance. At various points Ray McDonald excels as a tap dancer; he's almost in the same league as Fred Astaire. And impersonating "Brazil bombshell" Carmen Miranda, Mickey Rooney is funny in drag, wearing platform shoes, tawdry women's jewelry, and a flamboyant hat as he sings Miranda's signature song "Mamae Eu Quero". Throughout the film Rooney exudes confidence, energy, and a highly animated persona.

The film's sets and costumes, dialogue about tough times, as well as the selected music and the big accent on tap dancing, combine to give viewers a pretty good feel for American pop culture in the early 1940s. It's by no means a perfect film. But it's worth watching, mostly for nostalgia, as representative of an era that is gone forever.

While Mickey Rooney did tend to overact throughout his career and not all his jokes worked, one cannot deny he was multi-talented and that his chemistry with Judy Garland (have always been a big fan of her) was unmatched. This is true in 'Babes on Broadway'.

'Babes on Broadway' is my least favourite of their musicals ('Babes in Arms' had its problems but was a little better as an overall film regardless of its bowdlerised treatment of the musical), but Garland and Rooney and their chemistry are what saves the film. It works well as a musical, but fares problematically as an overall film, one can totally see the appeal but there are definitely understandable reasons as to why it won't click with others.

The story is very contrived and the sentimentality and corniness went well overboard in places. Was willing to forgive that it was structurally thin, the contrivances and problematic tone less so. There is some wartime patriotism which feels both out of place (tonally it feels odd with the rest of the film) and heavy-handed, and some of the editing is on the bloated side, some of it not serving much relevance to the story.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest criticism that 'Babes on Broadway' has gotten is regarding the "black-face" finale. Some of the criticism here has been over-the-top and I have seen plenty of classic period musicals to know that black-face routines were common at the time (it's very like being familiar with racial stereotypes in cartoons), still doesn't stop me not particularly caring for them. Wasn't offended as such here, but the finale did come over as overblown, rather tasteless and it has aged badly (even when judging it by 1941 standards and not by 2017 standards).

However, even when not in Technicolor, 'Babes on Broadway' still looks lovely in crisp black and white and with elegant production design. As said, on the musical front (production values, songs, vocal performance, arrangements, choreography and dancing) 'Babes on Broadway' fares significantly better. The songs are very pleasant and lively, "How Are You", "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" and "Hoe Down" faring best, "Chin Up, Cheerio" is enthusiastically performed but a bit patronising. The choreography mostly has energy and tenderness, really appreciated "Hoe Down's" intricacy.

Of the humour, Rooney's hilarious and pretty amazing impression of Carmen Miranda is a big standout. Garland does well too with her imitation of Sarah Bernhardt. Some nice fun wit and charm in the script, and Berkeley directs more than competently. 'Babes on Broadway' more often than not has a lot of energy and charm.

Fay Bainter, James Gleason and Donald Meek are very good in their roles (then again they could phone in a performance and still be good), and Margaret O'Brien is adorable in a short pre-fame appearance. Ray McDonald's dancing is pretty incredible. At the end of the day though it is Rooney and Garland that make 'Babes on Broadway' worth watching. Rooney clearly has fun, even if he does overdo it at times, while Garland, on radiant and touching form, is even better. Their chemistry is wonderful.

Overall, uneven film but Rooney and Garland delight hugely. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of those Hollywood 'Let's put on a show!' movies that were so popular in that bygone era. Such ha sense of sadness, though, when you realize that so many of the stars died young(Judy Garland-47, Ray McDonald-34, Virginia Weidler-41). Mickey Rooney, always a little high-strung, outdoes himself here, as he seems a 78RPM record, while everyone else is moving at 33 1/3. The minstrel number at the end is really quite embarrassing by today's standards, but it was the sort of thing they could get away with in those days. Quite a few of the standard 'view from above' shots common in Busby Berkeley films. I found it interesting as a look back at a bygone time that never really was.

The third (and arguably least interesting) of the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney musicals directed by Busby Berkeley, this time featuring Rooney in the more prominent role of a penniless supper-club hoofer in New York City who organizes a benefit for unfortunate children in order to attract Broadway producers; Garland, playing a failed telephone operator and singer, falls for Rooney despite the fact he's a selfish heel (which she calls him on). Fantasy youths in a fantasy New York putting on a fantasy show, but if you're attracted to overeager, ambitious kids who sing and dance tirelessly, it might be enjoyable. Rooney, who constantly has one eye on the camera and never stops playing to the back rows, has one very fine scene where he shows Judy his new watch; otherwise, whether dressed up as a Scottish rogue, a farm yokel, or Carmen Miranda, Rooney is brashly predictable. He's comfortable on-screen, all right--too comfortable. His pandering for praise begins to strike one as inhuman, and when he tries for a quiet moment it isn't too convincing ('show-stopping' performances such as this caused Rooney to fall out of favor in Hollywood for years). Following 1938's "Babes In Arms" (for which Rooney got an Academy Award nomination) and 1940's "Strike Up the Band", Busby Berkeley seems to have fallen into a trap himself; the musical numbers have no lift (just empty cant), and the patriotic slant the story soon adopts is an uncomfortable match-up. One classic song, "How About You?", garnered the picture its only Oscar nod (it didn't win, which is a crime). Margaret O'Brien has a funny bit, as does a little boy pianist who is funnier than all the older kids put together. ** from ****

"Babes on Broadway" is the third of four pairings of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in MGM musical revue films. And, it's a very good one. Besides the two stars, a number of other top actors and entertainers are part of this film. Fay Bainter, Donald Meek and James Gleason are the old-timers; and a number of young hoofers and singers add to the music show. Busby Berkeley also directs this one, and gives us some excellent samples of his music and dance extravaganzas.

The film has several very good songs – many of them popular then or from the past. The "Hoe Down" number and routine are very good, and the closing finale is a showcase of talent for Rooney and company. In one scene, Mickey as Tommy and Judy as Penny daydream and imagine themselves playing scenes and numbers by famous entertainers of the past. Penny does Faye Templeton singing "Mary's a Grand Old Name," Blanche Ring singing "Rings on My Fingers and Bells on My Toes" (Irish brogue and all), and Sarah Bernhardt dialog in French. Tommy mimics Richard Mansfield in Cyrano de Bergerac, and plays Sir Harry Lauder, in kilt and cane, singing "She's Ma Daisy." He sings George M. Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Boy," and in the finale he does a hilarious mimic of Carmen Miranda.

Besides his dancing and song, Rooney in this film plays the banjo and piano. His musical talents were as big as anyone's. He could also play the bass and drums – both like a pro. Some reviews think Rooney is overacting. But his mannerisms aren't hammy or mugging the camera. They are part of the energy and liveliness of his persona. While some people may not like it, that's what his character is and was meant to be, and most of the public in those days thoroughly enjoyed that type of entertainment.

One or two reviews thought the British school kids scene wasn't necessary or was out of place. I don't think so. Remembering that this was during the war, and that England had been getting blitzed by Germany, I think this was a nice touch. Hollywood had a sense of patriotism and pulling together during the war, and it served our country and allies very well. If anything, this is a small tribute to the movie industry for its contributions in helping lift the spirits of people at home and abroad.

This is a fun and enjoyable song and dance film. What's not to like? Today, people spend $50 to $100 for tickets to a single concert, few if any of which have near the variety of wholesome stage entertainment.

This movie CANNOT be reviewed in terms of current times. It is ridiculous to even think it can. Of course NOW to see a black face routine would be totally unacceptable (and that is as it should be) but you have to remember WHEN this movie was made and base reviews on that. The musical routines for the most part are excellent. Mickey DOES overact horribly but you can't really blame all that on him. Busby Berkley was the director and he should have toned it down. It is obvious that one young person who said that Mickey should never have had a career has obviously never seen the TV movie BILL. With good direction, Mickey is a fabulous actor. Judy shines in anything and everything she ever did, even when it was hokey (and this movie definitely had some bad jokes). I am just sorry that Virginia Weidler did not have a longer career and that she died so young. If you want to see her in something brilliant, watch THE PHILADELPHIA STORY where she plays Katharine Hepburn's younger sister.

This movie is a product of its times. But these times aren't much better. Which is worse, black face routines or movies with gratuitous sex and blatant violence, blood, and guts? Racism is a horrible thing but it goes on in movies even today (in films made by Caucasian and African-Americans). What makes the black face routine even worse is that it was totally unnecessary to the plot and they could have done something better.

Ahh, musicals. A tough genre; mostly unwatchable except for certain show-stopping individual numbers (which is the reason compilation films like 'That's Entertainment' are so much more enjoyable). Obviously a minstrel finale is in itself cringe-worthy, but this movie has so much more to cringe about. There's that, now comically risible, putting-on-a-show-in-our-backyard story line; and of all people to direct such a set-up you get Busby Berkeley. The "kids" have no money and pull strings right and left to get that show they just got to put on (sure, it's for orphans and rickets and whatnot, but the sweaty desperation of the would-be talent is all about the need to show off in front of an audience) and when they do put on the show it is GIGANTIC with what looks like a hundred hoofers and singers, all tightly choreographed in that elaborately tricky Berkeley style. And, in the hope-you-ignore-it category, these poor kids somehow manage to scrape together hundreds of matching costumes for every number (I guess that old theatre they have access to is a treasure trove of perfect fit, mint-edition clothing, from hoe-down jeans to tuxedos). Sure, it's all fantasy, and the plot is mostly non-existent, but the writers could have tried a little harder considering the enormous amount of energy on screen... or should I say the enormous amount of Mickey Rooney on screen. Woo-wee! The young Rooney has a dynamo inside his dynamo! He all but comes out at you in 3-D to grab your throat and demand that you be impressed. It's a nitro of prodigious talent and a glycerin of overwhelming ego that nearly explodes the film to Rooney-flavored smithereens. And so only a giant talent like Judy Garland can compete with him, and that's possibly why they appear together so often in films. She looks great, sounds great and charms in her usual wistful manner. She wears well, unlike Rooney, who captivated audiences at the time with his ham-fisted theatrics but now repels for the most part. But the film does contain some notable features: like the first appearance of the truly talented Margaret O'Brien, all of age four, and on camera for all of one minute. There's also a young Donna Reed in a bit part, and even Rooney's father, Joe Yule, gets a bit as James Gleason's assistant. It also features future director Richard Quine ('Bell, Book and Candle', etc.) in a rare, though colorless, acting role as a part of Rooney's performing team. And once-famed popular culture critic Alexander Woollcott, part of the famous Algonquin Round Table, has a bit at the beginning. Garland sings "How About You" which became a hit song in 1942 (for Tommy Dorsey, not Garland). It was written by Harburg & Lane, who had only recently worked together. In 1947 they would create the smash musical 'Finian's Rainbow' on Broadway (which coincidentally, has racist components to it that also makes it hard for audiences today to take, much like the minstrel stuff in 'Babes on Broadway'). So, there are some things to gather from this otherwise dated hash. And dated doesn't just mean the story line or minstrel theatrics, but also the heavy dose of British wartime material, including a number extolling their prideful "stiff upper lip" attitude and presented with re-settled English children crying into the camera. And with Garland crying and Virginia Weidler crying and Rooney always ready to burst into tears, this film almost suffers from dehydration!

I admire a lot of the musical parts of BABES ON BROADWAY. "How About You" is a lovely song, and Rooney and Garland are sweet together performing it (and all their other scenes). The Carmen Miranda spoof is funny, the "Hoe Down" number is wonderful, and the three boys do a nifty routine about New York in the beginning.

However. B.O.B. has, I think, the most bland prefab plot and dialogue of any Judy-Mickey musical, and that takes up more time in the film than the songs and dances--and even those aren't ALL good, especially the one Garland sings in honor of the British refugee children. Richard Quine, Ray McDonald and Virginia Weidler are charming and interact just great with the two stars; if the story had more of those three, if there were more attempts at humor, and if everything was less sappy (or if the sappiness at least felt more sincere), then I would like the film, but as it is, my fast forward button gets a workout every time I watch it.

I recommend this movie if you can get it on laser disc. That format will allow you to jump from one musical number to another with the push of a button, while avoiding a story-line that drags, drags, drags.

Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney do their best--and their best is pretty darn good--but they are served well only by (most of) the musical numbers. Most of their spoken scenes are from hunger. Granted, the couple of musical numbers that don't work really don't work, but the ones that do really do. In addition, Mickey Rooney has calmed down from his distemper-filled early years, and Judy Garland gives a performance that shows why she inherited Mary Pickford's title of "America's Sweetheart."

I was reading that no one watches the old Mickey-Judy musicals anymore, so, seeing that this year, 2022, is the 100th anniversary of Judy Garland's birth, i decided I would dive into their old musicals starting with Babes In Arms and then Strike Up the Band. I now just finished Babes On Broadway and I'm really struck by the use of Blackface in the finale. Blackface was also used in Babes In Arms. It's a curiosity of the times, but it's not very flattering to watch these days. There is even a whole song about doing a minstrel show and blacking up with burnt cork. I was listening to the commentary from 2007 and there wasn't even a mention of Blackface in the commentary. We've come a long way in twenty plus years. It all now seems just wrong, but keep in mind, this was over 80 years ago. In spite of all that, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's stars shine in this movie. Very talented. Mickey even plays the banjo.

This is a follow-up of sorts to the 1939 "Babes in Arms", also starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland as two of the New York kids yearning for a Broadway career. The character names are different but the director is the same and both movies share a similar sensibility and feel. The kids love music and singing and want to put on a show that could get them to Broadway.

Also, as with the 1939 movie there are a number of song and dance production numbers, the final one featuring a cast of black-face performers, something that would be taboo today but it gives a good glimpse into the movie-making standards of that time.

I also smiled at the restaurant chalk boards with meals and prices, mostly 20 cents to 35 cents. In today's money (2023) that would equate to about 4 to 7 dollars.

Overall a fine, entertaining movie. Mickey Rooney is a dynamo and Judy Garland sings beautifully.

My husband coerced my 12 year old daughter to sit through this film which she felt mildly entertaining... until they rolled out that minstrel show finale, and then she was just amazed and appalled. I hadn't seen the film and was actually rather shocked, but it led to a very interesting discussion with our daughter about the accepted social conventions of the times, so off-putting to us now but the performers at the time seemed quite oblivious to the possibility is causing offense. I think my daughter, for the first time, 'got' the importance of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement in a way that no text book could explain. To that extent, the film was a valuable time capsule. The rest of it was rather blah "let's do a show stuff," although my daughter said Andy Rooney reminded her of Leonardo Dicaprio and after awhile I saw what she meant.

We speculated that the sleaziness of movies these days would present a time capsule of its own for future audiences, who will probably be amazed at how crass and sex-obsessed our current culture is. At least I hope that's the case. I'm so maxed out on sleaze and the effect it's having on my daughter, I seriously consider moving to another country sometimes. Anway, this movie is harmless fluff with good hearted values on the one hand and mindlessly offensive racism on the other.

Judy and Mickey made more than one movies with the "let's put on show" theme running throughout the movie, and this is no exception . But in all of Judy's films , I always thought she really left her mark on this one . For one, she has never looked fresher than here . She seems literally luminous in this movie . Of all the Judy / Mickey movies, I felt this was by far the strongest and the best of this captivating duo .

I've never seen a Judy Garland/Micky Rooney musical. They did a number of them in the 30s and 40s. They seem to have disappeared. Watching this one I can see why.

Within the first 10 minutes I was ready to turn it off. The plot is OLD (Garland and Rooney putting on a show), the dialogue is terrible and the jokes are SO bad. Also Rooney overacts horribly. But I stayed with it. When Garland showed up--about 15 minutes in--the movie got bearable. She was so young, beautiful and full of life. She made me stay with it. When the songs and dances came on they were great--and there's a hoedown number that stops the show. And Fay Bainter is very good as a theatrical agent. There's also a very bizarre sequence with Garland and Rooney in an empty theatre playing different characters--it's WAY too long and gets kind of dull. And this has an interesting subplot about WWII and British children. Still I can't recommend this.

Rooney is just horrible--he overacts in the dramatics and he REALLY overacts in the musical numbers--I was embarrassed just to watch him. That drags down the movie and the big finale was a minstral show with the cast in blackface! I realize in 1941 that was considered OK but it's terribly racist today (for the record I'm a white guy). I tried to look past that but I couldn't. And it's too long (almost 2 hours).

I'm giving it a 6--but I really can't say I liked it. The 6 is for Garland and some of the numbers.

This was the first Arthur Freed (1939--MGM) production featuring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Even by the standards of 1930s--this--as well as the other three--were fairly miserable productions. Rooney must be the most annoying actor Hollywood ever produced. And this does not take away what talent he had for dancing, miming, singing. By contrast, Judy Garland produces excellence whenever she appears. The songs are more than memorable--they are worthy of the Great American Songbook. But like the other three, the film grows tiresome after one viewing--I'm good for another twenty years before I see it again. But one would never say "My Fair Lady", "Three Penny Opera", "Gigi", Rodgers & Hammerstein, or Kern & Hammerstein, or Astaire & Rogers ever are tiresome. Those films always seem enjoyable with every presentation.

Part of the problem and the film's leitmotif is high school students acting like grownups. Think a high school production of Hamlet. No matter how good it is, the production is still a high school production of Hamlet. And while both Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland were in fact teenagers in this film--that only added to the annoyance level. (Mickey was 17 or 18 when the film was made; Judy was about 15 or 16--so they were high school age kids.) And the viewer sorta had to wonder just how tall everyone was. Mickey at 5'2" and Judy a little taller; Guy Kibbee, etc...) During the Minstrel Show Mickey and Judy seemed to shine with excellence as dancers, such infectious enthusiasm. The Minstrel Show would have been part of the memory of most actors of that era. They had seen Minstrel shows as part of American Theatre. The Blackface of the Minstrel was not intended as an insult to Black Americans. (The Jim Crow laws were intended to insult Black Americans.) In the end, for me, the series of four films was more annoying than anything else. While the songs were great, while the production values were excellence--the combination of Freed and Busby Berkeley saw to that--while the talent was superb and rendition of songs was superb--the end product couldn't transcend the limitations of poor storyline, and Mickey Rooney's annoying personality. (And yet I can't think of anyone who should have played against Judy Garland in these vehicles.)

Before you think Babes on Broadway is a sequel to Babes in Arms, know that it isn't. Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland star, and Busby Berkeley directs, but one hasn't anything to do with the other. Mickey is one of a trio in a small-time song and dance act, alongside Ray McDonald and Richard Quine, and they get discovered by famous Broadway producer Fay Bainter. Fay gets the idea of putting on a show with hopes that the crusty theater owner James Gleason will like it and help put it up on Broadway.

It's pretty silly, though not as silly as Babes in Arms, and masquerades as a movie when it's really a glorified talent show of children, with Richard Hall playing a piano concerto, Margaret O'Brien delivering, "Please don't send my brother to the chair!" after her mother hoists her on top of James Gleason's desk, and Ray McDonald tap dancing. It does know it's silly, and almost makes fun of itself. "Here we are, almost as if we planned it," Mickey and Judy grin awkwardly as they sit together at a piano bench before Judy breaks into "How About You?" As scene change music, the same Schubert theme used in The Wizard of Oz is played. Don't watch this movie as a how-to of getting your show on Broadway. Dress rehearsals are performed before fundraising and final cast lists. Costume changes take five seconds, and producers will actually drop everything and watch a bunch of kids sing lousy songs. Just like the unrelated 1939 flick, the movie ends with a gigantic production number in blackface, and you'll also see Mickey crossdressing and giving a Carmen Miranda impersonation. If you know anything about his personal life, you might remember the story that he met his future first wife Ava Gardner on the MGM lot while dressed in that particular costume.

Keep your eyes peeled for a young, pre-discovered Donna Reed. You'll recognize her; you'll see a beautiful young woman as Fay's secretary, and you'll think to yourself, "She looks like Donna Reed!" You'll also see Donald Meek as a backer on Mickey's side, Virginia Weidler, and Sidney Miller as part of the cast of the children's show.

The only part of the film that's not ridiculously silly or cringeworthy is when Judy Garland sings "Chin Up, Cheerio, Carry On," to a group of visiting English children. As the rousing song inspires the troops to our neighbors across the pond-this movie was released in December 1941-and to the Americans who were enlisting or getting ready to, the English children are shown with tears streaming down their faces. It was a chilling reminder that although the children were having fun singing and dancing, the adults had to fight an extremely scary war.

One fun part of the movie is seeing Mickey perform "Yankee Doodle Dandy" as George M. Cohan. James Cagney played the full biopic the following year, but since both had famously infectious and intense energy, it's cute. I hope Mickey wasn't disappointed he didn't get the bigger part in 1942. If you want to see that one minute without sitting through the other two hours, check out the clip on YouTube.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. This is a Busby Berkeley movie, and in the final production number there are a couple of spinning camera movements that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"