PS TO GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933

I forgot one of my main points in the last post about the early Depression musical GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 and that final production number unlike any before or since, in terms of subject matter and approach. And that is how absent this kind of treatment of our own times and struggles are in popular works of art.

In fact this number puts to shame in my mind most of the romantic comedies of the past few years for not dealing with some of the central and most important challenges of the present. For a better illustration of what I mean here's that final number, be sure to at least watch it into the first four minutes to get the full impact of how great Joan Blondell was at making the sometimes cliched emotions in the lyrics real for her audience, but also how politically astute and brave the number is in its details. Especially that little dramatic bit about 3:25 in: