CAST:
Dick Powell (Gary Blake),
Madeleine Carroll (Mimi Caraway),
Alice Faye (Mona Merrick),
Braća Ritz: Al Ritz,
Harry Ritz,
Jimmy Ritz

SCRIPT:
Gene Markey,
William M. Conselman

PHOTOGRAPHY:
Lucien N. Andriot

Synopsis:
Gary Blake directed a new musical at Broadway, starring the Ritz Brothers and Mona Merrick, who plays “the richest girl in the world” in a short satiric sketch. Rich Mimi Caraway and her father come to the premiere and she realizes that the musical is a parody of her life. She complains to Gary and wants him to delete the sketch from the musical but he refuses her request. In time, they get to know each other and fall in love, which enrages Mona as she is also in love with Gary. On the Avenue is a highly underrated gem from the 1930s and one of Alice Faye's best musicals for Fox. It is less well-known than Faye's other Fox musicals such as "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "That Night in Rio" and "Hello, Frisco, Hello". But "On the Avenue" has a taste and class of its own, not to mention lots of great and rollicking tunes including the memorable "Slumming on Park Avenue", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", and "This Year's Kisses".



About the film: Pleasant stroll for musical fans On the Avenue is one of the more enjoyable backstage musicals of the 1930s. It is different from many others of the genre in that it's concerned with a show that has already opened, rather than one that is steaming ahead toward opening night. Avenue also benefits from a script in which the pieces all fall into place naturally; the plot has its holes, but the film has such an amiable feeling that the viewer is willing to overlook them. While the dialogue is not in a class by itself, it has a certain combination of whimsy and winsomeness to it that is quite appealing. Of greater importance, Avenue boasts a first-class Irving Berlin score that includes the infectious "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," the slightly melancholy "This Year's Kisses," and the beguiling "You're Laughing at Me." Avenue is also helped by a solid cast, with Dick Powell providing a smooth sound in the songs and an easy charm in his scenes, while Madeleine Carroll is an imperious rich girl who still manages to win hearts. Alice Faye is in top-notch form, pouring creamy tones into her singing and imbuing her character with a combination of vulnerability and sauciness that's quite touching. The Ritz Brothers are given too much screen time for their own good, as is the cringe-inducing Stepin Fetchit, but Cora Witherspoon's breeziness helps to compensate for them. Smoothly directed by Roy Del Ruth, Avenue is a pleasant stroll for musical fans. (Craig Butler, AMG Review)

b/w, 89 min