Moments of Movie Wisdom: American Independence Day During Wartime

A promo shot from the 1941 film "Babes on Broadway." (MovieStillsDB)

Commentary

The month of July’s only national holiday is American Independence Day. This should be one of the most important celebrations in our country, but many people are more interested in the chance to party than understanding why we celebrate this day. Even consistently calling it the Fourth of July instead of Independence Day lessens the holiday’s true significance. It’s a beautiful reminder of what Independence Day really means to see classic films which depict its celebration, not just on the fourth but throughout the month of July.

Today’s moment of movie wisdom is from “Babes on Broadway” from 1941. It takes place 57 minutes into the 118-minute film. In this scene, the main characters, ambitious would-be Broadway performers, pair a musical block party with an Independence Day celebration, since it’s on the Fourth of July. The guests of honor are British children seeking refuge from World War II. As Judy Garland sings “Chin Up! Cheerio! Carry On!” the faces of the teary-eyed children are overshadowed with images of London, in its pre-war beauty. This is a very touching scene, which shows the tragic impact the war was having on England before Pearl Harbor.

This movie follows the Three Balls of Fire, a male trio trying to break into Broadway. Tommy Williams (Mickey Rooney), Ray Lambert (Ray McDonald), and Morton “Hammy” Hammond (Richard Quine) are passionate song and dance men, but Tommy is the brains behind the organization. They almost get a chance to audition for a Broadway show after an influential manager, Jonesy (Fay Bainter), loves their performing, but their generous invitations to friends spoil their chances.

A promo shot of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney from the 1941 film "Babes on Broadway." (MovieStillsDB)

One day, Tommy meets another young hopeful, singer Penny Morris (Garland), whose father is a music teacher. The two become fast friends, and maybe something more. They begin planning to put on a show, featuring Penny as the leading lady. Tommy decides that all they need is a worthy cause as a platform for their show to put them in business. He finds the perfect cause in the local orphan’s home where Mr. Morris works. Penny thinks he’s very noble to raise money to get the youngsters to the country for the summer, but she’ll be disappointed to learn that he is more concerned with attracting the notice of Broadway producers than actually helping the orphans.

The Scene

The scene takes place in a neighborhood in New York City, where our young friends are holding their block party. There’s a band stand, and a huge group of energetic dancers performs the finale of a synchronized farm-style number called “Hoe Down,” which we saw in its entirety earlier. The sidewalks are crowded with excited onlookers; people are even leaning out of their windows to watch the show. The whole street is decked out in patriotic patterns. The film is in black and white, so you can’t actually see the red, white, and blue, but the stars and stripes are unmistakable.

As the number ends, we see Tommy and Penny on the bandstand, discussing who should address the audience. By this point, Penny has discovered her new friend’s ulterior motives in planning the show, so she will barely speak to him. He encourages her to go to the microphone instead, and she explains the purpose of the block party and the show they plan to perform. Afterward, she reluctantly calls Tommy over to the microphone to introduce the guests of honor, the British refugees.

Jimmy Connors (Mickey Rooney) and Mary Holden (Judy Garland) star in a musical story about a young man's aspirations to have a band. (MovieStillsDB)

Using a shortwave transatlantic hookup, the children are able to talk to their parents over the radio right there. After a tender reunion over the radio for two of the children, Penny’s younger sidekick, Barbara Jo (Virginia Weidler), introduces her song.

Its Significance

“Babes on Broadway” was one of the first American movies to acknowledge World War II. Although England officially declared war on Germany in September 1939, Americans didn’t want to acknowledge yet another military conflict with Germany just twenty years after “the war to end all wars.” This movie received its New York premiere on December 31, 1941, just a few weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack pushed the United States onto both fronts of World War II. The scene with the British children is very moving and yet basically unrelated to the rest of the story. Nevertheless, it is very pertinent to the characters’ development.

Tommy admits in the prior scene that he’s just using the orphans as a platform for funding his show. Similarly, the radio hookup with the British refugees presents an excellent publicity opportunity. Anyone who has tried to fund an independent theatrical endeavor can’t blame the enterprising lad; it takes a lot of ingenuity and money to get a production off the ground! However, that’s no excuse for misleading people with false sentiment. Seeing Penny’s reaction to his disregard for the orphans has such a deep impact on Tommy that he is practically a background figure in the Fourth of July scene, letting Penny take the spotlight instead.

A lobby card from the 1941 film "Babes on Broadway." (MovieStillsDB)

Penny, on the other hand, is truly concerned about the British children who have been separated from their parents by bombing in London, as well as the local orphans. Her rendition of “Chin Up! Cheerio! Carry On!” is very emotional, inspiring, and genuine, showing that this character has her priorities in the right order. She loves performing and wants to put on a show as much as anybody, but she knows that success is no good if you have to knock people down to achieve it.

An Emotional Moment

Every time I watch this scene, I’m deeply moved by its patriotic, wartime beauty. The sound of the children’s voices singing the tender melody are enough to touch you, but when the images of London are projected over the beautiful, tear-stained faces of the children, I have to fight back tears myself. Thinking about these painful times is very stirring, so just imagine how impacting this would have been in 1941!

This is a beautifully patriotic, emotional moment in an amazing musical with an extremely talented cast of young performers. Rather than a departure, it’s an important highlight, since it reinforces the message that talent and success are no good without compassion and generosity.