Never forget this was the closing number in Gold Diggers of 1933, which is a little bit like ending Seven Brides for Seven Brothers with a scene from All Quiet on the Western Front. Joan Blondell and Etta Moten, man.
“Jack L. Warner and Darryl F. Zanuck (the studio production head) were so impressed that they ordered it moved to the end of the film, displacing ‘Pettin’ in the Park,’” which, can you imagine? “Which number should we use to close out the movie? The massive anti-war epic that calls out a government that’s abandoned its veterans? Or PETTING IN THE PARK? God love the 1930s.
This movie is everything.
WAIT. What about he part at the beginning of the movie where Ginger Rogers sings We’re in the Money in PIG LATIN?! This entire movie is fantastic.
I absolutely adore Joan Blondell- she’s always the greatest part of any movie she’s in.
I always wondered if she was doing her own singing in this, or if they dubbed her voice. (My partner is a film historian, but neither of us has been able to find out).
OMG I AM SO EXCITED THAT YOU POSTED THIS BECAUSE THIS IS MY FAVORITE NUMBER FROM A 30s MOVIE EVER BECAUSE IT’S SO HEARTFELT AND SERIOUS AND I DIDN’T REMEMBER THE EPONYMOUS FORGOTTEN MAN UNTIL I SAW THIS NUMBER AND THEN I CRIED OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG MALLORY THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR BRINGING ATTENTION TO THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT SONG THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU
PS: Why on earth has no one covered this weird, wonderful, jazzy-ass, belt-worthy song? I spent half an hour on YouTube one time trying to find it and I can’t.
Mrs_Peel: I’ve never seen/heard her sing in any other movie so I assumed it wasn’t her.
THIS CHOICE HAS CONFUSED AND DELIGHTED ME FOR YEARS. May all political protests be in the form of out-of-the-blue elaborate musical numbers in otherwise cheery vaudeville reviews. Also “Pettin in the Park” is a level of ridiculousness that I am still not quite over: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQCPDY_ZJpM
Oh my god, thank you for making it so easy to compare and contrast these two numbers. The creepster little boy! I am so offput, but in the most amused way possible.
Amazingly, that creepster little boy is Billy Barty, one of the most famed little people of Hollywood.
That is so damn bonkers. And I’m terrified by the kids.
Off-topic, but it’s 1930s Hollywood. I don’t know if people are familiar with this; I had never seen it before yesterday.
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/katharine_hepb…
I’m dying to know the context in which that costume was worn, because it doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with the movie.
I think she says it was for a costume party (and silver moth was the name of her plane).
Ethan Mordden said Hepburn was dressed as “a Martian lounge singer.”
The flunky who says, “Everybody onstage for the ‘Forgotten Man’ number” is Busby Berkeley.
Zanuck supposedly said the only man he ever thought about going to bed with was Tyrone Power cause he was prettier than most of the showgirls
Wait why do I know that
Because it is an excellent thing to know.
This is the only song I remember from Gold Diggers of 1933. So it worked!? How sad is it that we already didn’t care about World War One by 1933. It wasn’t even called World War One then!
JESUS CHRIST, INTERWAR HOLLYWOOD
My god, this is BRUTAL. The bit with them marching in the parade, and then marching in the rain, and then wounded and just walking, not marching…
‘Same!! I’m rarely moved by old movies. The build-up from parade and on to the end to me was riveting.
I saw this in an old-fashioned movie palace a few summers back. It was lovely and memorable (clearly), I miss Austin sometimes, the end.
Joan Blondell is one of my favourite classic era actresses, and the one I would most like to be like. My eyes are quite big and I like a good wisecrack, so fingers crossed…
More of these please!! 🙂 Can your commenters also point to other clips of cool movies? The song and the build-up of the emotion here are amazing.
I like that part where Maya Rudolph starts singing… But seriously, is it just me, or is that whole cigarette exchange just dead-sexy? What an amazing number.