University of Virginia Library

'42nd Street':
Escape Then
And Now

By Steve Grimwood
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

What did your parents see at the
movies when they weren't selling
apples on the corner during the
Depression? This perturbing question
will be answered tonight in the
Newcomb Hall Ballroom when the
Second Year Class of the School of
Architecture presents "42nd
Street" for the modest charge of
seventy-five cents.

"42nd Street" was the beginning
of a decade of hallucination in the
midst of the Depression. It, and
about nine other similar films, were
"suggested" into existence by a
little known division of the Roosevelt
administration known as the
Department of Entertainment. Not
only did these films offer an escape
for the poverty-stricken America of
the Thirties, but also provided
countless jobs during their production.
The overabundance of people
and materials gives "42nd Street"
and its predecessors the reputation
for which they are best known. The
sets are lavish, the platinum blondes
are numerous, the direction and
choreography unbelievable.

New Meanings

"42nd Street" can also be
considered racy, but in a subtle
way. Innocent lines take on new
meanings that were not missed by
the audiences of the Thirties, but
may pass by the shock-resistant
viewers of today's films.

Made in 1933, "42nd Street"
was the first sound musical ever
produced. The film itself resembles
a silent movie, and the sound is
strange, a word that is used
whenever anyone attempts to
describe the show. Ginger Rogers
leads an all-star cast which includes
Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Bibi
Daniels, Una Merket, and Warner
Baxter. Busby Berkley handled the
choreography while Lloyd Bacon
directed: and the product of their
efforts can be described as pure
escape, which is exactly what they,
and F.D.R., were looking for.

First Of Its Kind

The Depression was a very apt
description of the Thirties, both
economically and mentally, People
were poor and unhappy, the cinema
offered an escape from the world.
America needed this and the
government and Hollywood were
quick to provide it. "42nd Street"
was the first of its kind, and its
genre lasted during the next decade,
millions of Americans spending
what little they had to see them.
Movies, booze, books and drugs did
a runaway business.

America is known today as the
affluent society, yet we are still
seeking means of escape. Those
who tire of today's methods, or
better yet, those who wish to
combine the old with the new
should not miss "42nd Street." The
price is seventy-five cents, with a
showing at 7 and another at 9.
Munchies will be served, on the
house.