42nd Street (film)

42nd Street
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLloyd Bacon
Screenplay by
Based on42nd Street
by Bradford Ropes
Produced byDarryl F. Zanuck
Starring
CinematographySol Polito
Edited by
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
[1]
  • March 11, 1933 (1933-03-11) (US)
[1]
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$439,000[2][3]
Box office$2.3 million[4][5][3]

42nd Street is a 1933 American pre-Code musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, with songs by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It stars an ensemble cast of Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers.

Adapted from the 1932 novel of the same name by Bradford Ropes, the film's screenplay was written by Rian James and James Seymour, with uncredited contributions by Whitney Bolton. The story revolves around the cast and crew rehearsing for a Broadway show at the height of the Great Depression.

42nd Street was one of the most successful motion pictures of 1933, earning almost $1.5 million at the box office. At the 6th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Best Picture.

In 1998, 42nd Street was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In 2006, the film was ranked #13 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest musicals of all time.

A Broadway stage adaptation debuted in 1980, winning two Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

  1. ^ a b 42nd Street at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ Sedgwick, John (October 25, 2000). Popular Filmgoing in 1930s Britain: A Choice of Pleasures. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859896603 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 13 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  4. ^ Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) p 942, accessed April 19, 2014
  5. ^ "WHICH CINEMA FILMS HAVE EARNED THE MOST MONEY SINCE 1914?". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. March 4, 1944. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012.