Reviews (5)

cagney saves the day
This movie wouldn't be worth watching without James Cagney. Once again he makes a Warner Brothers movie worth watching all by himself. He is always like a big shot of adrenalin and excitement. But the often moribund Pat O'Brien (usually forced to play too noble or too nasty) is fun here, too. This movie proves that James Cagney would have been a better President than Ronald Reagan.

A FUNNY VINTAGE COMEDY WITH GREAT STAR CHEMISTRY
Two crazy Hollywood scenerio writers make a star of an infant yet unborn. Robert Law (Jimmy) and J.C. Benson (Pat O'Brien) - two Hollywood screenwriters, are assigned to write a story for cowboy star Larry Toms, but nothing they write remotely pleases C. Elliott Friday (Ralph Bellamy) a pious Hollywood producer. As they argue, Susie, a divorced waitress (played by the elusive Marie Wilson) delivers lunch. Inspired by her pregnancy, the boys decide to do a Western variation of the classic Hollywood story: Boy meets girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl. Larry protests, but Friday likes the story...Bella and Samuel Spewack copped the 1936 Roi Cooper Megrue Award for their play BOY MEETS GIRL. Because the character of Susie was unwed in the play, the movie version was understandably white-washed for the censor's approval - which ironically dismayed many critics. Marion Davies was considered for the lead, but W.R. Hearst was adamant: it was too risque for her image, he felt. Davies was a well-loved person in real life: all the stars loved her unaffected personality and generousity. But considering that she was Hearst's mistress - this revelation is rather hypocritical, don't you think? At any rate, this is a free-wheeling film version of a hilarious play: a fine satire of the zaniness of Hollywood's screwball comedies, which should please most everyone interested.

The Cagney-O'Brien Rapport
James Cagney and Pat O'Brien star in this screwball comedy about two movie writers (infamous for their antics) working at a struggling studio who need to come up with a hit script for its comboy star, Dick Foran. They stumble on the idea of using the baby of studio waitress Marie Wilson in a film, making the baby and the cowboy an unlikely team. The idea takes off, but creates a lot of complications in the process. Cagney and O'Brien are the whole show, and the interludes where they are not in the scene slow the film down. They have such timing and rapport together they are naturals bouncing ideas and gags off of each other. Watch Cagney in particular and his amazing timing and expressions, and it's not hard to see why he got frustrated by always being given gangster scripts. He had a gift for comedy. The supporting cast is OK, but pales in comparison. The other aspect apart from Cagney/O'Brien that makes this film so successful is the way it makes fun of the behind-the-scenes elements of moviemaking, with its pampered executives making bad choices all the time. This film takes a bite out of Hollywood. With its high energy, satiric slant and the Cagney/O'Brien teaming, this film entertains.

Cagney and O'Brien in a movie about making movies
James Cagney and Pat O'Brien play Robert Law and J. C. Benson, a pair of Hollywood writers who badly need an idea for a picture. They come up with a "Boy Meets Girl" story for Larry Toms (Dick Foran), the studio's cowboy star whose own career is on the downswing. But when the writers come up with a role for the infant son of a studio waitress named Susie (Marie Wilson), the role keeps expanding and the cowboy star becomes more worried. However, there is a happy ending ahead for one and all. This chief charm of "Boy Meets Girls" is the behind-the-scenes look it gives to the movie making industry. The two writers in Sam and Bella Spewack's play were assumed to be based on the notorious bad boy writers Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht. Cagney and O'Brien have developed a definite screen chemistry by this point in their careers. This 1938 film directed by Lloyd Bacon also features Ronald Reagan as an eager young radio announcer. Although he does not have a lot to do in this film, this is where the future President began his lifelong relationships with fellow Irishmen Cagney and O'Brien.

Hollywood never changes
James Cagney and his real life best friend Pat O'Brien are wonderful in this comedy about scriptwriting in Hollywood. It is as funny and fresh as anything you will ever see. A classic send up of Hollywood. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Essentially, a gangster film in a western setting
I like The Oklahoma Kid, mainly because it features 2 of my favorite actors, Cagney and Bogart. It's also an entertaining B-Western picture from Warner Brothers. Don't expect anything profound. Bogart is not nearly as good as he is the John Huston's 1948 masterpeice, Treasure of the Sierra Madre. James Cagney is not nearly as good as he is in Raoul Walsh's 1949 masterpeice, White Heat. However, The Oklahoma Kid is a fun western film, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. A good way to kill 80 minutes. Check it out. ***1/2 (of *****), too bad Amazon doesn't use half-star intervals, huh?

The Gangsters Out West
An unlikely James Cagney stars as the Oklahoma Kid, a gunman wanted by the law, who gets mixed up in the fight against the corruption of the newly settled and built Tulsa. Humphrey Bogart (with the great character name of "Whip McCord") has taken over the town, and when the citizens start trying to reclaim their town, Cagney gets drawn into the fight for personal reasons. Unfortunately, as big a fan as I am of Cagney, it's very hard to swallow him as a horseriding gunman. He puts in a good effort at it and seems to be enjoying himself, but he just doesn't fit into the Old West. Of course, Bogart doesn't fit in either. Dressed all in black (a not-so-subtle message about his character), he sneers his way through the film. Rosemary Lane as the love interest doesn't bring much to the character or film, while Donald Crisp as her father and town judge is solid as usual. There's plenty of action and shooting, and there was some potential with the story, but this film isn't much more than a miscast, routine Western. Nonetheless, it's worth a look to see gangsters out West.

The Western That Makes You Laugh
Why would "The Oklahoma Kid" make you laugh? In the first place, as the reviewers said at the time, Cagney went at this role with a grand sense of humor and sparked every scene with something extra to watch for. He and Bogart did their best with what they had to work with and the result is campy western something-or-other. Bogart, dressed in black, does some of his best craven sneering. Cagney, who Bogart said later looked like a mushroom in his 10-gallon hat, looks like he trying hard not to laugh as he gaily goes about the business of revenging his father's death at the hands of Bogart's henchmen. Bogart has the funniest line in the film - and maybe the funniest line he ever uttered in a film: As he sends one of his cowboy goons (played with smiling diffidence by veteran Ward Bond) to bring Cagney to him, he says, "Tell that little squirt over by the piano that I want to see him." Watch carefully and see if Bogart can keep a straight face! Cagney, known as the premiere movie tough guy, knew that he could also look cute in a movie. In this, as in "The Strawberry Blonde, " he cute as a button - a button mushroom!

Bogart as a Cowboy?
Cagney and Bogart as Cowboys is something to behold. Bogart was right Cagney does look like a Mushroom. If you saw the movie in the late thirties,it was fun, however it does'nt hold up that well into the nineties. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Come And Hear The Beat Of Dancing Feet On "42nd Street"
"42nd Street" is truly one of the all-time great movie musicals. It was seen when first released, as a gritty back-stage look inside what "really" happens durning the preparations of a Broadway play.
What is truly amazing about this film, is after some 70 years, "42nd Street" is still a dazzler. It still possess such charm and elegance that to be honest, not even the Broadway musical could beat it!
"42nd Street" tells the story of a young novice chorus girl, Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler) whom is trying to get in her first
Broadway play. She dreams of the bright lights of Broadway, and her name flashing high above. Sawyer will go into that play a youngster and has to come back a star. "42nd Street" throws in a lot of sub-plots dealing with most of it's main characters who include; Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers (Before she got her big break that same year in "Flyin' Down to Rio w\ a then unknown Fred Astaire!), Una Merkel, Guy Kibbee and of course Warner Baxter who plays Julian Marsh, the director of the play. But, none of these sub-plots throw the film off-track. They merely give the film more "color". By the end of the film all the sub-plots coincide with one another.
Another star of the movie I forgot to mention is of course the music itself composed by Harry Warren. The songs include; "You're Getting To Be A Habbit With Me", "Shuffle off to Buffalo", "Young & Healthy", and "42nd Street". It's in "42nd Street" that we see Ruby Keeler show us her steps. While many people today might not be impressed with it, there's something about her, that always holds my interest.
If you've never seen this film before, it really is a must. If you've already seen it, there's no harm in watching it again!
Bottom-line:This Oscar nominated musical is one of the best of it's day. Unforgettable songs, wonderful dancing by Ruby Keeler, and all around charm have made this film a classic!

After All These Years, 42nd Street Still Delivers
The breakthrough musical of 1933 is still a light and fun video to watch. Often remembered for being the first musical to incorporate a plot, 42nd Street dazzles with its lavish production numbers, especially the title song plus "Shufffle Off To Buffalo" and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me." Though the jokes may be corny and the sexual innuendoes stale by 21st century standards, I found myself laughing at loud and thoroughly enjoying the dazzling camera tricks and kaleidoscopic overhead shots. But one of the best treats of all was watching the greats from a bygone era performing at the peak of their careers. Warner Baxter is superb as the director desperate to produce a hit while Guy Kibbee shines as the lecherous producer. Bebe Daniels is memorable as the leading lady who twists her ankle on opening night and Ruby Keeler, in her movie debut, is the spunky girl plucked from the chorus line to save the show. Others in the all-star cast include Ginger Rogers, George Brent, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins, and more.

42nd Street is definitely a toe-tapping good time that fans of movie musicals will enjoy.

very funny
this is one of my all time favorite movies. I think that the humor is wonderful, and the cast, sining and dancing are just fine. Ruby Keeler is simply adorable as Peggy Sawyer, Bebe Daniels is rightly used as the fading star, Warner Baxter, Ned Sparks, and Guy Kibbee make the most of their parts. Una Merkel is ducky as wisecracking Larraine, and a scene stealing Ginger Rogers is a gem. ALthough I loved her in dramatic roles, stright comedy, and with Fred Astaire, there's something about the way she examplifies a wisecracking-secondlead-chorine that is just so wonderful. I believe that this is one of Ginger's best performances, that goes for the whole cast. A similar film with mostly the same cast, (Ginger, Guy, Ned, Ruby, and Dick Powell, and chorus dancers) and the same famous Busby Berkeley overhead shots, watch Goldiggers of 1933. I think that these two are some of the funniest musicals ever made.

"Hear the beat of dancing feet..."
I just saw this movie last night. It is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The songs are fantastic (except for 'I'm Young and Healthy') and the dances are mesmorising. I love the plot and how it shows the backstage life of Broadway plays. The plot does, however, fall short at times. The only thing that bothered me about this film was how abrupt the ending was. It just ends and leaves so many questions unanswered. Otherwise, this is a great movie.

This movie is "getting to be a habit with me"!
42nd STREET is an absolutely wonderful film! This landmark in the history of movie musicals remains fresh and timeless. Oscar- winner Warner Baxter leads a magnificent all-star cast as the director of the Broadway production PRETTY LADY. This film was a turning point in the careers of Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers. Ruby Keeler makes a strong impression in her debut and star-making role, but silent film star Bebe Daniels, as the tempermental leading lady who breaks her ankle on the eve of opening night, probably gives the best performance. The screenplay is structured, tight, and overflowing with delightful vignettes and observations about the theatre, while maintaining a perfect balance between comedy and surprisingly powerful drama. Busby Berkeley's stupendous choreography make the three finale numbers classics. Harry Warren's melodies and Al Dubin's lyrics are memorable in such standards as SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO and YOUNG AND HEALTHY. Everything from the set decoration and costumes to the cinematography are perfect. This nostalgic piece of movie magic is among the greatest motion pictures ever produced. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Come And Hear The Beat Of Dancing Feet On "42nd Street"
"42nd Street" is truly one of the all-time great movie musicals. It was seen when first released, as a gritty back-stage look inside what "really" happens durning the preparations of a Broadway play.
What is truly amazing about this film, is after some 70 years, "42nd Street" is still a dazzler. It still possess such charm and elegance that to be honest, not even the Broadway musical could beat it!
"42nd Street" tells the story of a young novice chorus girl, Peggy Sawyer (Ruby Keeler) whom is trying to get in her first
Broadway play. She dreams of the bright lights of Broadway, and her name flashing high above. Sawyer will go into that play a youngster and has to come back a star. "42nd Street" throws in a lot of sub-plots dealing with most of it's main characters who include; Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Dick Powell, Ginger Rogers (Before she got her big break that same year in "Flyin' Down to Rio w\ a then unknown Fred Astaire!), Una Merkel, Guy Kibbee and of course Warner Baxter who plays Julian Marsh, the director of the play. But, none of these sub-plots throw the film off-track. They merely give the film more "color". By the end of the film all the sub-plots coincide with one another.
Another star of the movie I forgot to mention is of course the music itself composed by Harry Warren. The songs include; "You're Getting To Be A Habbit With Me", "Shuffle off to Buffalo", "Young & Healthy", and "42nd Street". It's in "42nd Street" that we see Ruby Keeler show us her steps. While many people today might not be impressed with it, there's something about her, that always holds my interest.
If you've never seen this film before, it really is a must. If you've already seen it, there's no harm in watching it again!
Bottom-line:This Oscar nominated musical is one of the best of it's day. Unforgettable songs, wonderful dancing by Ruby Keeler, and all around charm have made this film a classic!

After All These Years, 42nd Street Still Delivers
The breakthrough musical of 1933 is still a light and fun video to watch. Often remembered for being the first musical to incorporate a plot, 42nd Street dazzles with its lavish production numbers, especially the title song plus "Shufffle Off To Buffalo" and "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me." Though the jokes may be corny and the sexual innuendoes stale by 21st century standards, I found myself laughing at loud and thoroughly enjoying the dazzling camera tricks and kaleidoscopic overhead shots. But one of the best treats of all was watching the greats from a bygone era performing at the peak of their careers. Warner Baxter is superb as the director desperate to produce a hit while Guy Kibbee shines as the lecherous producer. Bebe Daniels is memorable as the leading lady who twists her ankle on opening night and Ruby Keeler, in her movie debut, is the spunky girl plucked from the chorus line to save the show. Others in the all-star cast include Ginger Rogers, George Brent, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins, and more.

42nd Street is definitely a toe-tapping good time that fans of movie musicals will enjoy.

very funny
this is one of my all time favorite movies. I think that the humor is wonderful, and the cast, sining and dancing are just fine. Ruby Keeler is simply adorable as Peggy Sawyer, Bebe Daniels is rightly used as the fading star, Warner Baxter, Ned Sparks, and Guy Kibbee make the most of their parts. Una Merkel is ducky as wisecracking Larraine, and a scene stealing Ginger Rogers is a gem. ALthough I loved her in dramatic roles, stright comedy, and with Fred Astaire, there's something about the way she examplifies a wisecracking-secondlead-chorine that is just so wonderful. I believe that this is one of Ginger's best performances, that goes for the whole cast. A similar film with mostly the same cast, (Ginger, Guy, Ned, Ruby, and Dick Powell, and chorus dancers) and the same famous Busby Berkeley overhead shots, watch Goldiggers of 1933. I think that these two are some of the funniest musicals ever made.

"Hear the beat of dancing feet..."
I just saw this movie last night. It is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. The songs are fantastic (except for 'I'm Young and Healthy') and the dances are mesmorising. I love the plot and how it shows the backstage life of Broadway plays. The plot does, however, fall short at times. The only thing that bothered me about this film was how abrupt the ending was. It just ends and leaves so many questions unanswered. Otherwise, this is a great movie.

This movie is "getting to be a habit with me"!
42nd STREET is an absolutely wonderful film! This landmark in the history of movie musicals remains fresh and timeless. Oscar- winner Warner Baxter leads a magnificent all-star cast as the director of the Broadway production PRETTY LADY. This film was a turning point in the careers of Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers. Ruby Keeler makes a strong impression in her debut and star-making role, but silent film star Bebe Daniels, as the tempermental leading lady who breaks her ankle on the eve of opening night, probably gives the best performance. The screenplay is structured, tight, and overflowing with delightful vignettes and observations about the theatre, while maintaining a perfect balance between comedy and surprisingly powerful drama. Busby Berkeley's stupendous choreography make the three finale numbers classics. Harry Warren's melodies and Al Dubin's lyrics are memorable in such standards as SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO and YOUNG AND HEALTHY. Everything from the set decoration and costumes to the cinematography are perfect. This nostalgic piece of movie magic is among the greatest motion pictures ever produced. ... Read more

Description

A couple of fast-talking Hollywood screenwriters(James Cagney and Pat O'Brian) attempts to come up with a script beyond the reoccurring boy meets girl theme. Soon they are successful, as they feature a waitress friend's infant child in a western movie and make him a star. This satirical comedy was screenwritten by Samuel and Bella Spewack, adapted from their Broadway play. Co-starring Ralph Bellamy and Ronald Reagan. Year: 1938 Director: Lloyd Bacon Starring:James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran ... Read more

Reviews (5)

cagney saves the day
This movie wouldn't be worth watching without James Cagney. Once again he makes a Warner Brothers movie worth watching all by himself. He is always like a big shot of adrenalin and excitement. But the often moribund Pat O'Brien (usually forced to play too noble or too nasty) is fun here, too. This movie proves that James Cagney would have been a better President than Ronald Reagan.

A FUNNY VINTAGE COMEDY WITH GREAT STAR CHEMISTRY
Two crazy Hollywood scenerio writers make a star of an infant yet unborn. Robert Law (Jimmy) and J.C. Benson (Pat O'Brien) - two Hollywood screenwriters, are assigned to write a story for cowboy star Larry Toms, but nothing they write remotely pleases C. Elliott Friday (Ralph Bellamy) a pious Hollywood producer. As they argue, Susie, a divorced waitress (played by the elusive Marie Wilson) delivers lunch. Inspired by her pregnancy, the boys decide to do a Western variation of the classic Hollywood story: Boy meets girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl. Larry protests, but Friday likes the story...Bella and Samuel Spewack copped the 1936 Roi Cooper Megrue Award for their play BOY MEETS GIRL. Because the character of Susie was unwed in the play, the movie version was understandably white-washed for the censor's approval - which ironically dismayed many critics. Marion Davies was considered for the lead, but W.R. Hearst was adamant: it was too risque for her image, he felt. Davies was a well-loved person in real life: all the stars loved her unaffected personality and generousity. But considering that she was Hearst's mistress - this revelation is rather hypocritical, don't you think? At any rate, this is a free-wheeling film version of a hilarious play: a fine satire of the zaniness of Hollywood's screwball comedies, which should please most everyone interested.

The Cagney-O'Brien Rapport
James Cagney and Pat O'Brien star in this screwball comedy about two movie writers (infamous for their antics) working at a struggling studio who need to come up with a hit script for its comboy star, Dick Foran. They stumble on the idea of using the baby of studio waitress Marie Wilson in a film, making the baby and the cowboy an unlikely team. The idea takes off, but creates a lot of complications in the process. Cagney and O'Brien are the whole show, and the interludes where they are not in the scene slow the film down. They have such timing and rapport together they are naturals bouncing ideas and gags off of each other. Watch Cagney in particular and his amazing timing and expressions, and it's not hard to see why he got frustrated by always being given gangster scripts. He had a gift for comedy. The supporting cast is OK, but pales in comparison. The other aspect apart from Cagney/O'Brien that makes this film so successful is the way it makes fun of the behind-the-scenes elements of moviemaking, with its pampered executives making bad choices all the time. This film takes a bite out of Hollywood. With its high energy, satiric slant and the Cagney/O'Brien teaming, this film entertains.

Cagney and O'Brien in a movie about making movies
James Cagney and Pat O'Brien play Robert Law and J. C. Benson, a pair of Hollywood writers who badly need an idea for a picture. They come up with a "Boy Meets Girl" story for Larry Toms (Dick Foran), the studio's cowboy star whose own career is on the downswing. But when the writers come up with a role for the infant son of a studio waitress named Susie (Marie Wilson), the role keeps expanding and the cowboy star becomes more worried. However, there is a happy ending ahead for one and all. This chief charm of "Boy Meets Girls" is the behind-the-scenes look it gives to the movie making industry. The two writers in Sam and Bella Spewack's play were assumed to be based on the notorious bad boy writers Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht. Cagney and O'Brien have developed a definite screen chemistry by this point in their careers. This 1938 film directed by Lloyd Bacon also features Ronald Reagan as an eager young radio announcer. Although he does not have a lot to do in this film, this is where the future President began his lifelong relationships with fellow Irishmen Cagney and O'Brien.

Hollywood never changes
James Cagney and his real life best friend Pat O'Brien are wonderful in this comedy about scriptwriting in Hollywood. It is as funny and fresh as anything you will ever see. A classic send up of Hollywood. ... Read more