NEW ULM – One of the oldest genres of film is the musical and New Ulm Film Society will be starting its new musical film series with genre standard, “42nd Street.”

The film screening will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at the New Ulm Public Library.

The film was released in 1933 and is based on a novel by Bradford Ropes. Both the novel and the musical tell the story of what happens backstage as a theatre troupe plans a production of a  musical called “Pretty Lady.” The film is considered an ensemble story, with no main character. The story follows several different threads, many of which have the potential to unravel the entire production before it hits the stage.

The star of the play is actress Dorothy Brock played by Bebe Daniels. She has been dating a wealthy businessman named Abner Dillon, played by Guy Kibbee, who is financing the musical “Pretty Lady.” At the same time, Dorothy has started seeing her old vaudeville partner Pat Denning, played by George Bent. If Abner finds out, that could mean curtains for the production.

At the same time, the musicals director Julian Marsh, played by Warner Baxter, is facing major health issues caused by the stress of direction. Marsh is desperately in need of a hit production after he lost most of his wealth in the then-recent Stock Market Crash.

Backstage drama continues to undermine the musical, but amidst it all, fresh young actress Peggy Sawyer, played by Ruby Keeler, has an opportunity to become a star.

If the setup for this musical sounds familiar, it is because “42nd Street” has served as an inspiration for countless other films and plays about the drama of putting on a show. It is a cornerstone film in the musical genre. Without “42nd Street,” it is possible the film musical would never have taken off as a popular genre.

Musicals had long been a part of stage musicals, but it took a little longer to be successful on film. In the early days of cinema, back in the silent film-era, it was impossible to produce a musical. Then in 1927, “The Jazz Singer” was released as the first “talkie.” As the title suggests, the movie features a lot of jazz music. As soon as sound was an option for movies, studios rushed to create musicals. The only problem is that many of the first musicals were not very good. Part of the problem was that fans of stage musicals were interested in seeing the performances live with elaborate choreography. Camera limitations in the late ’20s and early ’30s made it difficult to film dance numbers and the choreography was not interesting. As a result, many of the early film musicals were financial bombs. By 1930, no one was making musicals anymore. The decision to make “42nd Street” in 1933 was something of a gamble, but the studio producing it, Warner Bros., was desperately in need of a hit. The studio was facing bankruptcy and took a risk on adapting a popular book by Brandford Ropes. Ropes had actually written “42nd Street” as an exposé on how chorus girls were often exploited. Ironically, the story would increase the popularity of stage musicals.

Though it seemed unlikely “42nd Street” would be a success, it benefited from having one of the best choreographers in the business: Busby Berkeley.

Berkeley would become famous as one of the best musical choreographers; his name became shorthand for elaborately crafted dance numbers. Many of his shows featured complex geometric patterns with dozens of chorus girls that would mesmerize audiences. Much of Berkeley’s choreography work was too big to fit on a traditional theatre stage. On film, since the camera could move and change perspective his choreography worked better and gave a reason audiences to see a musical in the cinema.

In the end, “42nd Street” was a huge hit for Warner Bros. The film saved the studio from bankruptcy and proved that the musical could work on film if you had the right talent in front of the camera and behind it.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “42nd Street” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the movie’s place in film history.