The Broadway Melody is arguably the first movie musical; its success kicked off decades of ever-more-elaborate musicals from MGM. The Broadway Melody was also the first sound movie to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It spawned four (sorta) sequels and a remake. One of its songs ("You Were Meant For Me") has been performed by everyone from Bing Crosby to Gene Kelly to Sting.
So, considering that The Broadway Melody broke so many barriers and achieved every quantifiable measure of a successful film, why has it been consigned to the dustbin of cinema history? Ryan explores this forgotten relic and presents a theory regarding its faded luster.
