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I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

While "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933" had very strong story lines, the follow-up with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, "Footlight Parade", did not, presenting more of a revue like structure to this entertaining account of the creation of prologues to big movie events, traveling around New York City from theater to theater to put on a quick show. James Cagney puts aside his machine gun and grapefruit to play director and hoofer, showing another side to his many talents in the somewhat racist "Shanghai Lil" production number where Ruby Keeler replaces "R's" with "L's". While this number is artistically excellent, it is comparable to all of the blackface numbers utilized in minstrel and vaudeville show as well as many movies who would continue to have Caucasians playing non-whites in both singing and non-singing roles throughout the golden age of movies.Much better artistically and definitely more timeless is the delightful "By a Waterfall", the elaborate, rather lengthy production number that is Busby Berkley's follow-up to his 1932 Sam Goldwyn film "The Kid From Spain" which opened with a similar water musical number. Ruby's also in this with her regular partner Dick Powell. The number is an absolute delight from start to finish. She puts on a cat suit and sings "Sittin' on a Backyard Fence", a delightful mini-number where little Billy Barty plays a mouse. As a sequel to "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" from "42nd Street", "Honeymoon Hotel" is perfectly witty as relatives invade an eloping couple and house detectives remind them that "You're in Jersey City, and not in Hollywood". Once again, Barty (who also had a fun little cameo in "Gold Diggers of 1933") appears, playing Keeler's baby brother who is accidentally "left behind".What exists of a story surrounds Cagney's battles with ex-wife Renee Whitney while his assistant Joan Blondell pines for him. Warner Brothers contract players Frank McHugh, Ruth Donnelly, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Claire Dodd also add amusing moments to the proceedings. Definitely one of the musicals that woke up to the censors for what they believed to be needed changes in movie good taste, "Footlight Parade" remains an easy on the eye treat that isn't going to tax your brain, but will provide some very interesting insight to the styles of entertainment that the country was enjoying during the early years of Roosevelt's presidency as the country struggled to move out of the depression. There's no depression here, however, so just enjoy all the silliness and the best of what Busby Berkley could do.

Why it's dumb: First off, for the first half of this musical there are really no production numbers. Second, the sets for the musical numbers in the second half could not have been built on a movie theater stage, and not overnight...which is what the plot was about. Third, both in terms of singing and dancing (at least in this film), Ruby Keeler could do neither.And yet, it works! And here's why it works: First, James Cagney in a refreshing non-gangster role. Second, Joan Blondell in a very appealing role as secretary/love interest. Third, Frank McHugh in what seemed at first to be poor casting turns in a very entertaining performance as a dance director. Fourth, some nice humor by Hugh Herbert. But most importantly, a nice plot even with its holes; some musicals are high on musical numbers, this one is almost the reverse.

Thoroughly fun early musical, whose plot I need not belabor (it having been elaborated here by many others). Only two things I want to mention: how amazing it is that this film is made concerning the transition to talkies and early musical prologues in the cinema--barely three years after the real thing happened.And then the part I simply could not believe! Cagney's character gets his inspiration for a Busby Berkeley musical number by watching young black children playing in the spray of a fire hydrant. All it needs it to have them replaced with 'beautiful white bodies' he says! And a splendiferous number it is... but oh how times have changed!

This is a truly dopey movie--and you probably will be surprised just how over-the-top it is, but it's all so amazingly garish and silly, you just have to see it! From 1929 (with "Broadway Melody") through the early-mid 1930s, Hollywood made a huge number of absolutely amazing musicals--ones that were so big and crazily choreographed that they defy description. While in all these cases, they were supposed to be stage productions being put on for an audience, there is no way this could have been the case--particularly because many of the on-stage antics could never have been seen by the audiences sitting many rows away. "Footlight Parade" is probably the most ridiculous example of this, as underwater stunts and antics taking place BEHIND portions of the set are what the movie audience sees--and a live audience would have not a prayer of seeing! You truly have to suspend disbelief with this and the many crazy stunts involving huge fountains, diving scantily-clad ladies, sets which make Broadway's "Phantom" set look petite and simple and the most bizarre choreography is the norm!!! As far as the film goes, it's not all music, though the entire final portion of the film (almost half an hour) is. The story, for what it is, is very simple and consists of Jimmy Cagney trying to have a successful career as a producer of short musical numbers which preceded movies in theaters. But, a rival is somehow stealing all his ideas and he has to figure out how to stop them. All the while, it's 100% obvious to everyone but Cagney that his stalwart assistant (Joan Blondell) is infatuated with him.Along for the rider are Dick Powell with his VERY high but high quality singing voice and Ruby Keeler--who could dance. As for her singing and Cagney's it was, to put it bluntly, pretty bad. It isn't that they sang horrible like Alfalfa, but they simply sounded like an average person off the street and no better. But the star of this isn't the dancing or music, but Busby Berkeley. While I did not adore the final musical extravaganza, it was simply amazing--and it's probably the best thing he ever did. While not as insane as the choreography from "Flying Down to Rio" (with dancers on the wings of planes in mid-air!!), it was much more complex than the routines done in similar films like "42nd Street" or any of the Broadway Melody movies. Amazing...simply amazing...and silly.