This movie CANNOT be reviewed in terms of current times. It is ridiculous to even think it can. Of course NOW to see a black face routine would be totally unacceptable (and that is as it should be) but you have to remember WHEN this movie was made and base reviews on that. The musical routines for the most part are excellent. Mickey DOES overact horribly but you can't really blame all that on him. Busby Berkley was the director and he should have toned it down. It is obvious that one young person who said that Mickey should never have had a career has obviously never seen the TV movie BILL. With good direction, Mickey is a fabulous actor. Judy shines in anything and everything she ever did, even when it was hokey (and this movie definitely had some bad jokes). I am just sorry that Virginia Weidler did not have a longer career and that she died so young. If you want to see her in something brilliant, watch THE PHILADELPHIA STORY where she plays Katharine Hepburn's younger sister.
This movie is a product of its times. But these times aren't much better. Which is worse, black face routines or movies with gratuitous sex and blatant violence, blood, and guts? Racism is a horrible thing but it goes on in movies even today (in films made by Caucasian and African-Americans). What makes the black face routine even worse is that it was totally unnecessary to the plot and they could have done something better.
This movie is a product of its times. But these times aren't much better. Which is worse, black face routines or movies with gratuitous sex and blatant violence, blood, and guts? Racism is a horrible thing but it goes on in movies even today (in films made by Caucasian and African-Americans). What makes the black face routine even worse is that it was totally unnecessary to the plot and they could have done something better.