Babes on Broadway (1941)

73% of users liked it
(372 ratings)

Advertised as a sort of sequel to MGM's Babes in Arms (1939), Babes on Broadway reunites the two stars of the earlier film: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Rooney is the guiding force of a group of young showbiz hopefuls who are trying to make it on Broadway. When things look darkest, he goes into… More Advertised as a sort of sequel to MGM's Babes in Arms (1939), Babes on Broadway reunites the two stars of the earlier film: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. Rooney is the guiding force of a group of young showbiz hopefuls who are trying to make it on Broadway. When things look darkest, he goes into his "Say, kids!" routine, rousing his companions to put on their own show. Highlights include a sequence in which Rooney and Garland go through a series of imitations of past theatrical greats. As cute and perky as Garland is, she has nothing on the "Carmen Miranda" takeoff performed--in full makeup and platform shoes--by the ubiquitous Rooney. Babes on Broadway ends with a typically overproduced production number stage by the film's director, the immortal Busby Berkeley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Busby Berkeley
Written By: Fred F. Finklehoffe
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1941 Wide
On DVD: Sep 25, 2007

Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
there are a lot of now-mysterious impressions of famous Broadway stars of the period, but otherwise the show is pretty darn good.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Rousing but corny musical.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A superb sequel to Babes in Arms, also directed by Berkeley, this musical sees Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney impersonate Carmen Miranda, George Cohan; the couple's appearance in black face was not controversial at the time.