| Academy Awards, USA | |||
| Year | Result | Award | Category/Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Won | Oscar | Best Music, Original Song Harry Warren (music) Al Dubin (lyrics) For the song "Lullaby of Broadway". |
| Nominated | Oscar | Best Dance Direction Busby Berkeley For "Lullaby of Broadway" and "The Words Are in My Heart". | |
Warner Bros.
Directed by Busby Berkeley
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(DVD, Warner Bros.)
Busby Berkeley directs the entire film this time around, not just the dance numbers. It's a modest improvement to the last entry. A posh New Hampshire hotel is the setting, where leading man Dick Powell is a young hotel clerk. He gets hired by a filthy rich woman to chaperone her daughter for the summer, and they waste no time in falling in love. Meanwhile, she plans the annual "milk fund" benefit, which is where Berkeley gets to indulge in his usual production fantasies. I must admit to being impressed by the sheer number of pianos on display. Adolphe Menjou is the eccentric producer, having a blast in the role. In fact, Berkeley makes the non-production numbers relevant by injecting them with a screwball sense of humor, something sorely lacking as far back as 42nd Street, and is not afraid to criticize his overblown production numbers by pointing out the absurdity of it all.
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