it hard to say which come out on top and james cagney charm and energy or the mouth open excess of busby berkeley three grand showstopper at the close . i give it a tie and with footlight parade one of the funny and quick of the early thirty musical . although the movie clearly belong to cagney and joan blondell add immeasurably to the good natured story line . and what the story line . it about chester kent ( cagney ) who produce musical and and who now be just about out of business a the talkie take over . he start do prologue and live musical entertainment offer on stage before a movie start . he get the idea to do big one and more of them and move them around the country . he a ball of fire and idea and and he need all the idea he can get to keep relentlessly produce these thing . but a rival be spy on him and steal his idea while nan prescott ( blondell ) and his wise cracking secretary and love him but he too busy too notice while an office girl in black rimmed and round glass ( ruby keeler ) want a chance to dance while his wife turn up say she do not divorce him after all while a blonde gold digger be set her hook in him while his partner be cheat him . my gosh and what next . this may all sound like a lot to digest and but everything happens fast and with cagney bouncing and strutting and striding and finger snapping and bark order and occasionally until the big last number when he go all out singing and dance do a step or two just to show how it do . instead of let put on a show and gang we have we need to build three show in three day and so lock the door and let start rehearse . these three super prologue be go to feature 40 chorine and spectacular effect and will mean a rich contract and with forty kent unit in deluxe movie house . the whole apollo movie house circuit . exhaustion threatens and foot ache and but all those unbilled chorine in skimpy costume ( which include ann sothern and dorothy lamour while you can quickly spot sothern but lamour be more generic ) stay the course and dance their heart out and giggle and chatter and look remarkably unsweaty . and then the curtain go up as each prologue be present in separate movie house and one after the other on the same night and with the owner of the apollo circuit go to determine that night whether he will save chester skin or not . first up be honeymoon hotel with dick powell and ruby keeler in a 9 minute production number that feature a lot of wholesome lasciviousness and with bride and groom ( some might even be marry ) and bedroom and bed and and door with do not disturb sign . then on to the next theater and 11 minute of by a waterfall that probably have the warner brother accountant worry about bankruptcy . this number be so excessive dozen of swim girl and tree and fountain and a huge grotto with waterslides and a giant pool you would never think there be a depression on . berkeley pull out all his trick synchronization and human pattern and leg and arm do all sort of precision thing and he do it in the water and with a lot of underwater photography look up . the girl be sure game . they come up smile with water in their eye and still hit their mark . the whole thing must have be incredibly difficult and exhaust . ruby keeler and who have a couple of quick shot in the water and be the only one who look a bit cautious . and finally and the smash finale . 11 minute of cagney dancing and sing with keeler to shanghai lil and with all sort of bar girl and their customer and unusual in that the race be mix up . there cagney and keeler dancing on the bar and dance on a table and cagney fighting . there be what look like fifty or sixty marching marine and hupping back and forth and rifle toss and catch . then . this be true . a human picture form of franklin roosevelt and the nra eagle . this may be the only hollywood musical production that have ever feature roosevelt and a big federal agency and a bevy of sexy chinese prostitute . that entertainment and folk . it great . of course and chester prologue get the big contract and nan get chester . the movie be full of juicy clichés that make u smile . ruby keeler be so endearing a she earnestly stomp out her tap with her arm fly that you want to help her along . joan blondell make u forget about a lot of hollywood female who might have be more beautiful but who have a lot less wit and personality . the movie and however and belongs to cagney and who grab and shake it and and to berkeley and a man for whom too much be never too much .