42nd Street Page #2

The first eight girls line up

down in front. Come on.

Now lift your dresses up.

Come on, higher.

I want to see the legs.

Yeah, they got pretty faces too.

Turn around. Come on, turn around!

Oh, dear, not a calf in a carload.

- Get the next eight.

- Next eight, come on.

Stick with us,

and you'll come in on the tide.

- Hurry up, hurry up.

- Line up, girls.

Hurry up, girls. Lift your dresses up.

- Do you mind holding Fifi for me?

- Turn around now, please.

All right, back.

Three!

Okay those three on the left.

If I were you, I'd keep them.

I suppose if I don't, you'll have to.

Lorraine again, huh?

Andy, you're a panic.

All right, have it your way.

Mac, okay by special request

of the copyright owner.

- All right, next eight. Hurry up.

- Next eight girls.

What's yours?

Diane Lorrimer. 333 Park Avenue.

And is her homework tough!

Next.

Adams! Arnold!

Kipling!

What's the matter?

Well, what is it, what is it?

What's the matter now?

Must have been a slip-up someplace.

We're a girl short.

Well, that's great. Just great!

We also need a dance director who can

count to 40 without a pad and pencil.

Well, do something! Get another girl.

Are you gonna stand there

and shake a blond out your pantlegs?

- I don't want to butt in...

- A lot of people are like that.

- I can have one up here in the morning.

- That's ducky. I can hardly wait.

Mr. Marsh, you don't have to wait.

And she's a swell dancer too.

You picked her, but she got

eliminated the third time through.

Come out from behind there.

Hey, you, with the legs!

Come out of there.

Quiet! Quiet, please!

Quiet, please!

Well, I'm a... Hey, kid! Hey, you!

Hey, come on, get up.

- The boss wants to see you again.

- Who? Me?

Come on, come on.

All right, she'll do.

They're all yours, Andy.

All right, get in line.

All right, now, everybody.

Quiet, and listen to me.

Tomorrow morning,

we're gonna start a show.

We'll rehearse for five weeks,

and we'll open on scheduled time...

... and I mean, scheduled time.

You'll work and sweat

and work some more.

You'll work days and nights...

... and you'll work between time,

when I think you need it.

You'll dance until your feet fall off

and you can't stand up...

...but five weeks from now,

we're going to have a show.

Some of you have been with me before.

You know it'll be tough.

It'll be the toughest five weeks

that you ever lived through.

Do you all get that?

Anybody who doesn't think he'll like it,

better quit right now.

What do I hear?

Nobody?

Good. Then that's settled.

We start tomorrow morning.

All right, 10:
00 tomorrow morning,

we start with the lyrics.

In practice clothes.

What did I tell him?

This is what I told him:

"No, I won't run your stage

for that money."

Great. You beat Jerry

to the finish by two lengths.

All right, take your positions.

We'll try those routines again.

Quiet! Where do you

think you are, home?

I get back to New York

and I get this wire.

Come on, kids, make it snappy.

All right, Jerry, let's go!

Dorothy, that's your cue.

Things can never be the same now.

I beg your pardon,

but would you mind saying:

"Things can never be the same now"?

- That's what I said.

- You did not.

You said, "Things can

never be the same now."

- I did not.

- You did.

- Who's directing this show?

- She's reading my lines wrong.

- I am not.

- What did you say?

I said, "Things can

never be the same now."

That's right.

Things can never be the same now.

The scene ends with you on the steps,

and you go into the number.

That's where you take his hand.

The scene ends with you two

on the steps, and we go into the duet.

- You're doing fine for a beginner.

- Well, thanks. I'm trying.

I was so scared that first day,

I walked around the block four times...

...before I had the courage to even

come and apply for this job.

It's tough, but you'll get along.

Well, I wouldn't mind, if I could

only get that routine set.

I'll show you those taps.

Come on with me.

Taps?

Say, I can do a tap dance on my ear.

What bothers me is that routine.

Then I'm just what

the doctor ordered. Come along.

Now, look.

Cross over.

You're gluttons for punishment.

Well, Mr...

Well, this boy's showing me.

- I was trying to make her...

- Trying to make her is right.

We'll just let that pass. Now try it again.

- Where you sitting?

- On a flagpole, dearie. On a flagpole.

I always said she was a nice girl.

She's so good to her mother.

She sure is. She makes $45 a week

and sends her mother 100 of it.

Get some feeling into it, will you?

What do you want me to do,

bite my nails?

You've got the busiest hands.

Wait a minute, wait a minute!

It's out.

That'll be enough of that. It smells.

You don't like this number?

Sure, I like it.

I've liked it since 1905.

You think this is a revival?

- It's out. The whole number!

- This number will be a riot.

That's what I'm afraid of.

Dismiss. An hour for lunch.

All right, everybody.

One hour for lunch.

Waiting long, darling?

Well, long enough.

My, but we're grouchy, aren't we?

- Oh, no, not that, but...

- What?

I'm getting tired of

this hiding in doorways...

...sneaking in and out of places

and keeping under cover.

Why, I'm beginning

to feel like a criminal.

There's nothing criminal

in that, is there?

No, there's nothing criminal in that.

I thought we'd better tell you,

it looks like we're in trouble.

That word has a familiar sound.

Are you married too?

This is serious, Julian.

Serious? Did you ever

leave your wife...

...sitting alone in a nightclub,

holding the check?

You know Abner Dillon's

putting up the bankroll for our show.

I knew he wasn't here

because you liked his face.

I don't like his face or any part of him.

He looks like a Bulgarian boll weevil

mourning its first-born.

Well, his interest in our show

is Dorothy Brock.

And his interest is our principal.

Very good. Very, very good.

Even I was able to gather that much.

Yes? Well, we stand a first-rate

chance of having him...

...withdraw his financial support.

Now, did you gather that?

Because dear Miss Brock is two-timing

Abner right under his very nose.

With a fellow who used

to be her partner in vaudeville.

She's come up in the business,

he hangs around.

He's been out of town

and just got back last week.

If Dillon finds out... And if he doesn't,

he's dumber than I thought...

Well, now, wait.

Nobody could be as dumb as all that.

He'll just walk out on us

and we'll be sunk, that's what...

...if we don't do something.

Tried applying dough to the problem?

Give the Romeo 100 bucks.

Get him out of the way.

We might try using a little flint.

You don't know this guy Denning.

That's his name. Pat Denning.

He's not the kind of guy that

gets sent places just like that.

Oh, no, he gets train-sick.

Oh, I see. Hard-boiled, huh?

Well, it's going to be just too bad...

- ...but nobody's gonna ruin my show.

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