BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938 (1937) B/W 110m dir: Roy Del Ruth

w/Robert Taylor, Eleanor Powell, George Murphy, Binnie Barnes, Buddy Ebsen, Sophie Tucker, Judy Garland, Charles Igor Gorin, Raymond Walburn, Robert Benchley, Willie Howard, Charley Grapewin, Robert Wildhack, Billy Gilbert, Barnett Parker, Helen Troy

From Variety's contemporary review of the film: "Much better than its predecessor of 1936, and not far behind the original 1929 Broadway Melody.

"No use getting into the details until Sophie Tucker and Judy Garland are disposed of. Former is somewhere past 40, but when she walks on the screen something happens. Then she steps back and pushes Garland, still in her teens, into the camera foreground. Young Garland gives them 'Everybody Sing,' with a letter to the homefolks.

"Each does numbers solo later on. Judy sings a plaint to Clark Gable's photograph [the legendary 'You Made Me Love You' number which gave the MGM brass an early glimpse of Garland's onscreen power] which is close to great screen acting. Then, to top it off, Soph does 'Your Broadway and My Broadway,' with lyrics which bring in the great names of the past generation.

"Most of the rest is just fill-in between the Tucker and the Garland numbers. There is a lot of plot [by Jack McGowan and Sid Silvers] about a racehorse which is owned by Eleanor Powell, and a Broadway show which Robert Taylor is trying to produce on a short bankroll. Buddy Ebsen handles some first-class comedy bits on his own in addition to his eccentric dancing.

"Music and lyrics by Herb Nacio Brown and Arthur Freed are first rate."

From the website The Judy Room (www.thejudyroom.com), this article about the film:

"Judy Garland had been at MGM for a year and a half before finally making her first feature for the studio. She had auditioned and was signed by the studio in September 1935, and while she had immediate and continued success with audiences through her many radio appearances, MGM just couldn’t figure out how to feature her. That didn’t stop them from loaning her out to 20th Century-Fox in 1936 for a supporting role in her feature debut Pigskin Parade. In that film, she got to sing three songs and received unanimous praise from the critics and audiences. And yet, still nothing at MGM (excepting her 'official' film debut in 1936’s short Every Sunday.

"The events that led to Judy being cast in Broadway Melody had become studio legend long before she left in 1950. Judy’s musical coach and mentor Roger Edens had been working with and coaching her from almost the day she first entered the studio gates. It was Edens who wrote most of the special material for her radio appearances, and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before Judy became a star.

"In early 1937, Edens created a fun take on 'You Made Me Love You' for Judy to sing to Ben Bernie on his radio variety show. She had originally wanted to sing 'Drums In My Heart' a torrid love song Edens had previously arranged for Ethel Merman. He told Judy that she was too young to sing such an adult song and to appease her, he made a deal that if he came up with something that she liked better she would sing that. If not, she could sing 'Drums.' He took 'You Made Me Love You' and framed it with a musical love letter. The joke was that Bernie was one of the last persons in Hollywood to inspire such passion. Judy liked it, and they were all set for the Bernie show when studio chief Louis B. Mayer’s personal secretary (and champion of Judy) Ida Koverman stepped in. She tapped Edens to provide some entertainment for their planned on-set celebration of Clark Gable’s birthday, knowing that it would help bring attention to Judy. With a few lyric changes, Judy performed the song for Gable at the party on February 1, 1937. She was a smash. Reportedly Gable had tears in his eyes and Mayer ordained that a part had to be found for this little girl.

"Contrary to popular belief, Judy was already slated to appear in Broadway Melody when she performed at the Gable party. The song did not get her the part, but obviously the script was altered to allow her to perform it on-screen. It was her first big hit, her first 'signature' song, and she would keep the song in her repertoire (minus the spoken 'Dear Mr. Gable' part) throughout the rest of her life.

"When the film was released, Judy received the bulk of the praise and effectively stole the film from the real stars. Her previous few years of inactivity at the studio were now over. From here on out, she would be working almost non-stop until her time off in 1946/1947 to give birth to daughter Liza Minnelli. The rest, as they say, is history ...."