Broadway Melody of 1936

A great film and such terrific fun, one that does almost everything right. Vilma Ebsen's, personal opinion this is, inexperience shows in a rather bland performance.

Small town girl Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell) tries to convince her high school sweetheart Bob Gordon (Robert Taylor), who is now a Broadway producer, to cast her in his new show.While I prefer the Broadway Melody of 1940, this Broadway Melody is still a delight, and was much better than I remembered.

This movie actually does better as a comedy than a musical. Jack Benny delivers some great lines and has an appealing sidekick.

From 1935, we have another in series of musical films (much like the Gold Digger series) starring Jack Benny. A Broadway producer wants to put on a show but he needs the backing of a woman (who also wants to star) to get the show off the ground.

Something was very different in the making of this 1936 musical. Robert Taylor actually does some singing here and he isn't bad at all.

Copyright 16 September 1935 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. New York opening at the Capitol, 18 September 1935.

Why would anybody spend two hours watching a 77 year old movie? The short answer is "because it's a lot of fun.

Robert Taylor is a Broadway producer and Eleanor Powell is his ex-girlfriend from Albany who wants a chance in his Broadway show in "Broadway Melody of 1936," also starring Jack Benny, Sid Silvers, Buddy and Vilma Ebsen, June Keith, Frances Langford, and Una Merkel.

A musical that does just what you expect, really. Decent songs, a sarcastic comedy foil (Jack Benny), a romantic couple (Robert Taylor and Eleanor Powell), a couple of talented friends (Buddy and Vilma Ebsen), and a wafer-thin plot which includes female impersonation, silly accents, and a daydream musical sequence.