Recently, I wrote an article about a (largely) unheard of film of Judy Garland's career. Released the same year as 'The Wizard of Oz' (aka my favourite film of all time), 'Babes in Arms' seemed to slip under everybody's radar.
Here is my account of witterings as to why this came to be the unsung hero of Judy's career. Serving as something of a biopic. Sort of. Ish.
“…We're not her kind of people - or yours, either. We belong in show business.”
Anybody who desires to fully understand the ethos of popular culture in 1930s America need look no further than Busby Berkeley’s 1939 ‘Babes in Arms’. During a time of great economic depression, cinema served as the perfect escape for those that longed for a better tomorrow and for them to fantasize over their ‘American Dream’.
Starring an 18-year-old Mickey Rooney and a 16-year-old Judy Garland, ‘Babes in Arms’ directly connected with teen/young adult audiences of the time. It tells the ‘rags to riches’ story of two young Vaudevillians struggling to find their way into show business. With both Rooney and Garland coming from prestigious ‘well-to-do’ backgrounds themselves, the film served as a looking glass into a social construct that the majority of the audience would/could never get a glimpse of. Garland was already proving her worth as an icon and as something of a star talent; starring in no less than 9 features with Rooney. Head of production company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Louis B. Mayer proceeded to present a fantasy version of the ‘all-American kid’ who, through all adversities could mount any obstacle and succeed. The film’s principal aim to highlight the significance of class, and how talent and success can be a trait of anyone – not just those from a rich and wealthy background. It offers hope. One scene in particular showcases Rooney’s character Moran having a lunch date with his girlfriend, Dody – a well-to-do actress who understudies for Shirley Temple with a retinue of butlers and footmen. Throughout, he is apologising for his squeaky shows and appearance as opposed to hers. This offers not only a contradiction of these two characters, but allows audiences to maintain a sense of communication and connection with Rooney. He understands the trials and tribulations that go with being a working-class, everyday guy.
His most iconic (and the film with which Garland is continued to be most identified with) feature ‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939) was, arguably, his greatest achievement in portraying a sense of the fantastical – as well as being (at the time) Garland’s finest hour; kick-starting her prominence and promise as a leading lady in her own right.
It is interesting that some 70 years later, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ continues to maintain significant cinematic success, yet ‘Babes in Arms’ – along with features such as ‘Strike Up The Band’ (1940), ‘Love Finds Andy Hardy’ (1938) and ‘Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry’ (1937) receive very little acclaim nowadays. If at all.
Although nominated for 2 OSCARS (‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ and ‘Best Music’), ‘Babes in Arms’ seems to have slipped under the radar in terms of standing out and standing the test of time. This is perhaps a testament that, sometimes, a film can fall victim to representing a specific period of time/a particular era that, watching at a later date, becomes insignificant and out-dated. Unfortunately, ‘Babes in Arms’ is guilty of this.
Representative of its specific era, ‘Babes in Arms’ does not hold back in terms of showcasing 1930s popular culture in its entirety. As well as being representative of the decade’s youth audience, the feature also portrays popular, traditionalist entertainment. The opening skit is ‘Oh, Susanna’ performed in blackface. This kind of racist ‘humour’ was a stock element of many 1930s musicals and comedies; including those made by the leftist Marx brothers. Although a common practice of the time, this Vaudevillian activity is nowadays considered incredibly old-fashioned and embarrassingly racially insensitive. Such practices could never translate to a youth audience of today’s generation.
It seems to be a reminiscent trait that continues to be played out by popular teen icons over the years such as Donny Osmond or, indeed, Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus – just how long will this image last and how long will their success and credibility last? For Garland, it was her teen years that paved the way for her continued success and longevity in the entertainment industry that allowed her to be (and continue to be) viewed as a star. She is remembered for far more than the string of films she did in her early years and is viewed for the icon she has become following the success of such features. ‘Babes in Arms’ is indefinitely a feature that, today, is lost in translation. It can only be viewed nostalgically and serve as a historic ode to a time that has since ceased to exist. Today, in a world that is a myriad of cable channels, the internet and computer games, children and young adults will only become exposed to the musicals of Rooney and Garland if their parents make a point of doing so.
Lauren Harrison.
