42nd Street
1933 · Movie · NR · 89 min · ★ 6.9 · 90% critics
A struggling Broadway producer bets everything on a new show, pushing the cast through intense rehearsals as money troubles and backstage drama mount. When a sudden setback hits right before opening night, an inexperienced chorus girl is thrust into the spotlight and must rise to the moment.
Also known as Forty-Second Street · ·42nd Street·
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Streaming on HBO Max.
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Details
- Years
- 1933
- Release date
- 1933-03-11
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Critic score
- 90/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (215 votes)
- Budget
- $439,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic backstage musical with snappy, slightly risqué humor and a big final payoff; Not for you if you dislike old-fashioned acting or slow build-ups like in Footlight Parade or Gold Diggers of 1933.
Pros: lively backstage energy; catchy songs; big dance spectacle | Cons: thin romance plot; uneven performances; dated gender politics
Themes
- philadelphia, pennsylvania
- musical
- stage show
- director
- dog
- rehearsal
- broadway
- pre-code
- fainting
- chorus girl
- eviction
- financial crisis
- +2 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Sound · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · nominated
Cast & crew
Warner Baxter
as Julian Marsh
Bebe Daniels
as Dorothy Brock
George Brent
as Pat Denning
Ruby Keeler
as Peggy
Guy Kibbee
as Abner Dillon
Una Merkel
as Lorraine Fleming
Ginger Rogers
as Ann
Ned Sparks
as Barry
Dick Powell
as Billy Lawler
Allen Jenkins
as Mac Elroy
Directed by Lloyd Bacon