Although the 1938 edition of the musical series boasts Robert Taylor and Eleanor Powell as its top-billed stars, the real surprises are found further down the cast list. Chief among them: a young Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones) as a scruffy, laid-back hoofer seemingly out of place and occupation amongst Broadway’s top hats and ballgowns. There’s also a brief musical interruption by 15-year-old Judy Garland in only her second feature film role, still rough around the edges as she paves the way for The Wizard of Oz five films down the road.
Buy Broadway Melody of 1938 from Movie ZyngThe barely coherent “plot” involves suave producer/composer Steve Raleigh’s (Taylor) attempts to mount a new Broadway production starring his hand-picked unknown star, Sally Lee (Powell). She dreams of making it big, but she’s also a horse girl, leading her to happily divert her attention away from rehearsals to training a racehorse who could help to finance the production. That’s about the extent of the core story, with constant interruptions by different performers tagging in for non-narrative musical performances, a requisite of the film’s variety-show format. Ebsen and George Murphy show off their dance skills, vaudeville comedian Willie Howard shoots for some laughs, and “red hot mama” Sophie Tucker dazzles with her earthy, full-throttled songs.
Taylor is a boring choice for leading man, a stiff mannequin who blandly delivers his line readings but doesn’t sing or dance. He’s clearly coasting on looks alone, where the film demands a talented stage performer to match its vaudeville nature. Powell is up to the task, falling a bit short in her acting but more than compensating with some fantastic tap dancing. The cast puts on a fine show, with the final act abandoning all story pretense in favor of simply rolling out the production numbers, but it falls well short of the superior 1940 edition that wisely paired Powell with Fred Astaire. Watch for the odd sight of the gangly, hunched Ebsen tapping away, early Garland, and Powell’s solid performance in her second of three Melody films.
Buy Broadway Melody of 1938 from AmazonThe Warner Archive Blu-ray continues their welcome tradition of providing a full-featured imitation of the 1930s theatrical experience, including two live-action shorts, a Fitzpatrick Traveltalks short about the wonders of Peru, and a classic MGM cartoon. Audio only bonus features are an MGM Good News radio show promoting the film, a radio trailer, and musical outtakes and alternate takes. The black-and-white feature film is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio, with DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono. While the transfer is free of defects, the original cinematography and staging are fairly flat and unremarkable, sorely needing the magic touch of Busby Berkeley instead of director Roy Del Ruth. Sound is also just competent, with a bit of scratchiness and overall thin presentation.
