Babes On Broadway (1941)

After struggling to get himself cast in a Broadway show, a young actor (Mickey Rooney) decides to put on a show for orphaned children and raise enough money to send them to the country. His intentions aren't entirely altruistic however. He hopes to use the show as a way of being seen and discovered by a Broadway producer. Directed by Busby Berkeley, this was the third Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland "hey gang, let's put on a show" musical following BABES IN ARMS (1939) and STRIKE UP THE BAND (1940). The recycled plot (if you can even call it a plot) is merely a shell for the many musical numbers. The two highlights are Mickey and Judy introducing How About You? which quickly became a popular standard and the lively Hoe Down production number. The film's big finale is a minstrel show with everybody in blackface which is uncomfortable to watch and made even worse by being an overly long dull production number. But there's no denying the chemistry of Rooney and Garland and you can see why audiences wanted to see more of them together. The U.S. hadn't entered WWII yet but the British were at war and there's a painfully sentimental number with teary eyed British war orphans I could have done without. Also in the cast: Fay Bainter, James Gleason, Margaret O'Brien, Virginia Weidler, Donald Meek, Ray McDonald and Richard Quine who would soon turn to directing films like BELL BOOK AND CANDLE.