Fourth Of July Thread: 'Footlight Parade' and the Way We Were

Featuring tough guys (Cagney, singing and dancing), tough dames (Joan Blondell, fabulous as ever) and the greatest Busby Berkeley number of all time, “Shanghai Lil,” which begins in a Chinese drug den and turns into — you have to see it to believe it — from the depths of the Depression comes a stirring patriotic ode to the greatness of America and perfect for the Fourth of July:

[youtube 5SxplGbP9J4 nolink]

There’s a full clip of the “Shanghai” sequence on You Tube, but alas, without its sound track, so if you’ve never seen this 1933 classic, you’re really missing something. Run right out for a glimpse of the way we were.