He says talking pictures are a fad-like mah-jongg. “Footlight” begins with a news ticker informing Kent and Thompson (and us) what I assume everyone in 1933 knew-SILENT PICTURES ARE FINISHED-but Kent’s not convinced. So is our hero, this great musical idea man, not the brightest bulb? You know those scenes in movies where they make the protagonist seem sharp by making them right on an historical moment-like Michael Corleone anticipating the Cuban Revolution in “The Godfather Part II”? They do the opposite with Kent. And this after separating from a woman so rotten she deserves the grapefruit in the face Cagney delivered to Mae Clark in “Public Enemy.” How does he reward her? By dating her friend, Vivian Rich (thin-eyebrowed Claire Dodd, forever playing the other woman). Who figures all this out? Kent’s secretary, Nan Prescott (Joan Blondell), who’s not so secretly in love with him. And there are profits, but Kent’s partners, the production team of Si Gould and Al Frazier (Guy Kibbee and Arthur Hohl), are cheating him.
Turns out Gladstone is stealing all their stuff because Kent’s trusted assistant, Thompson (Gordon Wescott), is a spy. Also because he might not be that smart.īetween Gladstone stealing all our stuff and you saying there are no profits, I’m getting pretty well fed up.
And he’s scrambling because new technology (talking pictures) has made his talents outmoded (kinda sorta), so he’s struggling to keep up. His mouth moves faster than our minds.Ĭagney’s character, Chester Kent, talks fast in part because he’s scrambling. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.Has anyone in the movies ever talked as fast as James Cagney talks in “Footlight Parade”? Cagney’s patter is always rat-a-tat-tat, but here it’s so zippy it makes Cary Grant’s dialogue in “His Girl Friday” seem positively pensive. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.įor librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access.
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