Movie Movie (1978)

Two different stories set in the 1930s but both a homage to the so called Golden Age of Hollywood: DYNAMITE HANDS is a B&W boxing movie about a delivery boy (Harry Hamlin) studying to be a lawyer at night who becomes a boxer to get fast money so he can get enough for an operation for his kid sister (Kathleen Beller), who is losing her sight. BAXTER'S BEAUTIES OF 1933 is a color musical about a terminally ill Broadway producer (George C. Scott) who wants to produce one last big hit before he dies. Directed by Stanley Donen (FUNNY FACE). This is an affectionate parody of 1930s genre films, specifically by Warner Brothers (here called Warren Brothers). If you're a film buff, there's a lot of charm throughout and Donen and his writers don't condescend to the movies they're satirizing (much like Mel Brooks tribute to westerns and horror movies in 1974). Alas, in spite of sterling reviews, the movie died at the box office. Some of the cast (like Scott) appear in both movies while some (like Hamlin) only appear in one of them. Fun stuff. Among other cast members: Art Carney, Eli Wallach, Barbara Harris, Trish Van Devere, Red Buttons, Ann Reinking, Barry Bostwick, Michael Kidd, Jocelyn Brando and Rebecca York.