the stock market crash of 1929 and the depression follow almost ruin the american musical theater and in fact it be the final death blow to vaudeville . those behind the curtain be hit as bad a those in front . in an effort to stimulate the show business economy and his own personal economy and out of work theater director james cagney come up with a brilliant idea . stage live relevant prologue to the movie that be be show at the various movie theater that be spring up overnight from the old theater . some other competitor get wind of it and the competition be on . footlight parade be my favorite busby berkeley film . it give james cagney a chance to display some of his versatility a a dancer as well a a tough guy . in his retirement cagney say that while he screen his few and far between musical a lot and he could barely be bother with some of his straight dramatic film . he wish he would do a few more musical in his career and i wish he have . of course the staging of these busby berkeley extravaganza on the stage of a movie palace defy all logic and reason . but it so creative and fun to watch . dick powell get to sing three song in footlight parade and ah the moon be here and honeymoon hotel and and by a waterfall and the last two with ruby keeler further cementing that screen team . ruby sings and dance with powell in the last two and she partner with james cagney in my favorite number from footlight parade and shanghai lil . joan blondell be cagney no nonsense girl friday at the theater . like in blonde crazy and she the one with the real brain in that duo and it her quick thinking that bail him out of some domestic problem he have on top of his theatrical one . one of blondell best screen role . look for dorothy lamour and ann sothern in the chorus a per the imdb page for both of them . john garfield be see briefly in the shanghai lil number . and in a scene at the beginning of the film and producer guy kibbee take cagney to a movie theater where they be show a b western star john wayne . the duke voice be unmistakable . but what even more unusual be that the brief clip show him in a scene with frank mchugh who play another cagney assistant in footlight parade . i think the brother warner be play a little joke there . i have get to believe that clip be deliberate . footlight parade be busby berkeley at his surreal best .