For those of you who know me, I wouldn't be the target audience for a Busby Berkeley movie. And for those of you who know me, I'll check out anything once. I decided to watch Footlight Parade, it stars Jimmy Cagney as a guy whose stage shows are being pushed out by talking pictures.
The film has some questionable logic when it comes to economics and they introduce several plot points that are resolved a little to quickly and conveniently at times, but it's a fun ride and I'd recommend checking it out.
The second most fascinating thing is some of the racism of the time. Cagney's character suggests a show done in black face and there are several female dancers with eye makeup that make them resemble asian hookers, but what do you expect in 1933.
Now here is the number one fascination for me. The rat kid! Or maybe rat adult of miniature proportions, I'm not entirely sure. In a sequence where all of the dancers are done up as cats for this routine, there's a bit with this dude...
It's totally surreal. There is a second routine later on that is basically about fucking at the "Honeymoon Hotel" and this kid/man shows up again and it really makes you wonder how old he is.
So rat guy was just an eye rubbing experience for me. There was also the half naked white women in an opium den, but by that point I was willing to expect and accept anything.
So if you've never seen Footlight Parade, it's well worth the time and now I've got to go see what else Mr. Berkeley has in store for me.
