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Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical film released by MGM in 1935, despite the title. It was a follow up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, which had been released in 1929, although beyond the title and some music there is no story connection with the earlier film. The thin plot involves a young dancer (played by Eleanor Powell) who tries to convince a promoter (played by Robert Taylor) that she should be given a chance to star in a new Broadway musical. Things become complicated when she begins impersonating a famous French dancer not realizing the dancer is only the figment of a gossip columnist's imagination. The film co-starred Jack Benny as the gossip columnist and also features Una Merkel, Buddy Ebsen, Vilma Ebsen, and June Knight.
The film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss Hart, Jack McGowan and Sid Silvers. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film features a variety of musical acts, as well as some bizarre comedy moments involving Jack Benny and a recurring character who demonstrates numerous forms of snoring.
The highlight of the film is an extensive musical number at the end built around the theme song "Broadway Rhythm". Beginning with Frances Langford (appearing as herself) singing the first few verses, the number moves on to a succession of dance routines including a manic routine featuring Ebsen and his sister, before climaxing with a glimmering tuxedo-clad Eleanor Powell giving an athletic tap performance surrounded by men in top hats and tails.
Powell became a major MGM musical star as a result of this picture, and would appear in the next two entries in the Broadway Melody series: Broadway Melody of 1938 and Broadway Melody of 1940. (Neither of these films were related to each other in terms of storyline.) This also marked Ebsen's film debut. In an interview promoting 1994's That's Entertainment III, dancer Ann Miller claimed that MGM was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time this film was made, and it became so popular it helped make the company profitable again.* During his first musical number, Buddy Ebsen is seen wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, despite it advertising a character from a rival studio. This was also Ebsen's first major film with MGM.*
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