In 1933, the studios turned a corner, transforming caricatures into characters. In Warners’ 42nd Street, the show’s director is conspicuously unmarried and invites one of his assistants to visit him because he is lonely. In Footlight Parade, Francis (Frank McHugh) asks Kent (James Cagney) to audition a special friend: “I simply had to tell you. This boy, Scott Blair. He’s a discovery. Just loads of talent and personality.”
