Roxie Hart (1942)

Set in 1920s Chicago, an ambitious showgirl (Ginger Rogers) confesses to a murder just for the publicity. After her husband (George Chandler) shoots a "burglar" in their apartment, she is convinced by a theatrical agent (Nigel Bruce) to claim she did it. As she becomes the center of a sensational trial, she gains the fame she has always sought. Based on the play CHICAGO by Maurine Dallas Watkins (previously filmed in 1927) and directed by William A. Wellman (THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY). A cynical but wickedly funny look at the lengths people will go to for publicity and America's obsession with sleazy crimes. Next to her movies with Fred Astaire, this is my favorite Rogers performance. This is the film she should have gotten her Oscar for, not the mundane KITTY FOYLE (1940). With one exception, the cast is splendid down to the smallest roles. The exception is George Montgomery as a reporter. Granted it's an uninteresting part but he brings nothing to the party except his good looks. The original play and this film formed the basis for the Oscar winning musical CHICAGO (2002). With Adolphe Menjou, Lynne Overman, Phil Silvers, Sara Allgood, Spring Byington, Helene Reynolds and Iris Adrian.