review for Broadway Serenade on AllMovie

Broadway Serenade is a bit of a mess of a musical, but it has a number of things worth seeing. First is star Jeanette MacDonald, in the midst of her Nelson Eddy period but clearly happen to be given a movie that frees her from the MacDonald-Eddy formula. She's a bit looser here, a bit easier to get to know, and in altogether superb voice; her "Un Bel Di" is delicious. Undoubtedly, she would have preferred a part that had more meat on it, a script that was not so trite and contrived, but she still makes the most of the situation and carries the film quite nicely. There's also some fine supporting work from Al Shean and Frank Morgan, and some sets and costumes that are to die for. There's also the bizarre climactic concerto sequence, a fascinating train wreck of a production number that is all wrong but which one still can't tear one's eyes away from. Staged by Busby Berkeley, it's pretentious nonsense, but nonetheless striking for that. As indicated, the screenplay is poor, pretty much from beginning to end, and Robert Z. Leonard's so-so direction does nothing to compensate for this. Lew Ayres is weak in the male lead, and there's no chemistry between him and MacDonald. And although individual numbers are quite winning, the score's "hodgepodge" nature prevents it from seeming like a cohesive whole. Watch it for MacDonald and that final number.