Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III April 12, 2022

The fourth and final entry in MGM's popular Broadway Melody series (and the first to reach Blu-ray), Norman Taurog's Broadway Melody of 1940 follows earlier installments released in or around 1929, 1936, and 1938. Connected in name only -- aside for a few cast members and songs, of course -- these four films follow skilled young singers and dancers moving from small-time shows to the lights of New York City, often also adding in a bit of romance for good measure. Spawning a handful of popular songs and Academy Award wins in the process, the Broadway Melody franchise stayed popular even during cinema's transition into the Hays Code years. Although viewed now as a pure product of the era, they're still comfortably familiar with strong musical performances that stand the test of time.

This solid 1940 outing features not one, but two young hopefuls: Johnny Brett (Fred Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy), tired of performing for little to no money and all but ready to throw in the towel. Fate mercifully steps in when big-time producer Bob Casey (Frank Morgan) is impressed with their act, as he's looking for one young up-and-comer to team with established Broadway star Clare Bennett (Eleanor Powell, who also starred in the 1936 and 1938 films). Assuming Bob to be a bill collector rather than a talent scout, Johnny gives him the name of his dance partner instead of his own... but when King scores an audition and lands the gig, there's obviously a rift in the team. That initial case of mistaken identity doesn't make for a rock-solid dramatic foundation -- or at least a believable one -- but what follows is a mostly charming romantic drama in which Johnny stands by his increasingly egotistical (and alcoholic) buddy, Clare falls for one of them, and we get a few damn good song-and-dance numbers in the process.

All four entries in the Broadway Melody series achieved some kind of popular or historically important landmark. The original 1929 film was not only MGM's first musical (as well as the first of the "talkie" era) but the first to feature a Technicolor sequence, and it won Best Picture at the 2nd Annual Academy Awards... despite not being a great film in hindsight. The 1936 revival was the first "sequel" to earn a Best Picture nomination and featured the first lead role for Eleanor Powell. The 1938 film turned young Judy Garland into an overnight sensation -- mainly for her performance of "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" -- and even lead to her casting in the next year's enduring classic The Wizard of Oz. While this 1940 film was no launchpad for a future megastar, its reliably good performances included the long-awaited team-up of Astaire and Powell, considered two of the finest musical dancers of their generation; during each shared routine, their enthusiasm is infectious. It's also notable for a few memorable Cole Porter songs including the timeless "Begin the Beguine", dramatically performed in two parts as part of the film's finale.

Although certainly not bulletproof from a dramatic perspective, Broadway Melody of 1940 still plays well enough on the small screen thanks in large part to Warner Archive's outstanding Blu-ray presentation: combining another rock-solid restoration with lossless audio and a mixture of era-specific and retrospective bonus features, it's certainly worth a purchase -- even as a potential blind buy -- for genre enthusiasts. Although it's unknown if Warner Archive will follow suit by releasing all three earlier installments, continued support of the boutique label couldn't hurt.

Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Another day, another brilliant Blu-ray restoration from Warner Archive. This new 1080p transfer is reportedly taken from a recent 4K scan of original nitrate preservation elements (usually indicating two or more sources), with a full range of silvery grays and a fantastic amount of image detail that looks remarkably consistent from start to finish. Even the slightly less impressive stretches don't look to be one or two generations away from the original negative and, as a whole, it's just a wonderfully resolved and film-like picture with no obvious signs of excessive digital noise reduction, edge enhancement, compression artifacts, posterization, or even dirt and debris; in short, more solid work from Warner Bros.' most reliable arm for purist-grade presentation quality. Although I have not compared it to Warner Archive's own 2014 DVD, it wouldn't surprise me if this transfer was a head-and-shoulders improvement over that disc as it offers a clear visual upgrade from WB's standard-def "snapper case" DVD released all the way back in 2003.

Last year, Warner Archive's now-quiet YouTube channel uploaded several clips showing off this new restoration including a full three-minute opening clip, Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell dancing, and the film's theatrical trailer.

Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although I'm likewise unsure of the source material used for Warner Archive's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix, this split mono track is at least serviceable despite the presence of a few baked-in problems. A lightly gauzy distortion lingers with sporadic background hiss that hinders a few conversations, although most interactions are clean and problem-free. Likewise, the original score and songs by Cole Porter, Roger Edens, and Walter Ruick enjoys a solid dynamic range with only a few instances of strain on the high end, while background effects are balanced nicely. But there's very little room for improvement on what is essentially an 80+ year-old recording and, for the most part, it's a solid effort.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature, but not the extras. This is pretty annoying since the DVD edition that most of them were sourced from did in fact have optional subtitles available. It's perhaps my only ongoing hang-up regarding Warner Archive releases, and one that I hope is addressed at some point.

Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with yellowish poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. A handful of vintage bonus features are on board, including era-specific pre-show entertainment and even a retrospective piece; all are ported over from earlier discs like Warner Bros.' own 2003 DVD.

• Cole Porter in Hollywood: "Begin the Beguine" (9:43) - This 2003 piece, narrated by Ann Miller and written & directed by Peter Fitzgerald for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, is painfully short with only a few behind-the-scenes tidbits and archival footage concerning this noteworthy production. As such, it pales in comparison with similar DVD-era retrospective pieces but is still worth a once-over for fans of the film.

• Our Gang Comedies: "The Big Premiere" (10:34) - This 1940 MGM short, directed by Edward Cahn, was the 188th episode of the long-running comedy series and features the kids causing all sorts of trouble at a big-screen premiere of the fictional war-time drama Gun Boats. Although it hasn't been released yet as part of a proper Blu-ray collection, the commendably ongoing ClassicFlix collections will get there someday.

• MGM Cartoon: "The Milky Way" (7:58) - Directed by Rudolf Ising and co-produced by Fred Quimby, this scientifically ridiculous but cute 1940 Technicolor 'toon won that year's Oscar for Best Animated Short film (the first non-Disney film to do so) and has been released on home video twice before, both as part of Warner Bros.' appropriately-named Academy Awards Animation Collection and the Marx Brothers' Go West. This marks the short's Blu-ray debut, however, and it's been nicely restored with lossless audio to match.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:31) - This lively promotional piece can also be seen here.

• Song Selection - Instant access to Broadway Melody of 1940's 13 musical numbers, listed below.

• Main Title
• Please Don't Monkey with Broadway
• All Ashore
• Between You and Me
• Il Bacio
• I've Got My Eyes On You
• Italian Café Routine
• I Concentrate on You
• I Concentrate on You - Pas de Deux
• Begin the Beguine - Part One
• Begin the Beguine - Part Two
• I've Got My Eyes On You - Finale
• End Title and Cast

Broadway Melody of 1940 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

MGM's fourth and final entry in a popular musical series, Broadway Melody of 1940 is a likable film with great visuals, memorable songs, and a landmark once-and-done pairing for top talents Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell. Fans of the cast and crew will certainly enjoy revisiting this one, and it's even a pretty safe blind buy for genre enthusiasts too. Part of this hearty recommendation is owed to Warner Archive's predictably solid Blu-ray package, which offers yet another top-notch restoration and a few light but enjoyable extras to boot. It's a bargain at the current price point.