Footlight Parade

Footlight Parade is a 1933 American PreCode musical film starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell and featuring Frank McHugh, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert and Ruth Donnelly. The movie was written by Manuel Seff and James Seymour from a story by Robert Lord and Peter Milne, and directed by Lloyd Bacon, with musical numbers created and directed by Busby Berkeley. The films songs were written by Harry Warren music and Al Dubin lyrics and Sammy Fain music and Irving Kahal lyrics, and include By a Waterfall, Honeymoon Hotel, and Shanghai Lil.

Chester Kent James Cagney replaces his failing career as a director of Broadway musicals with a new one as the creator of musical numbers called prologues, short live stage productions presented in movie theaters before the main feature is shown. He faces pressure from his business partners to constantly create a large number of marketable prologues to service theaters throughout the country, but his job is made harder by a rival who is stealing his ideas, probably with assistance from someone working inside his company. Kent is so overwhelmed with work that he doesnt realize that his secretary, Nan Joan Blondell, has fallen in love with him, and is doing her best to protect him.Kents business partners announce that they have a big deal pending with the Apolinaris theater circuit, but getting the contract depends on Kent impressing Mr. Apolinaris with three spectacular prologues, presented on the same night, one after another at three different theatres. Kent locks himself and his staff in the offices to prevent espionage leaks while they choreograph and rehearse the three production numbers. Kent then stages Honeymoon Hotel, By a Waterfall, featuring the famous Human Waterfall, and Shanghai Lil, featuring Cagney and Ruby Keeler dancing together. ........

Source: Wikipedia