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In the movie Gold Diggers of 1933, the scene that precedes "Remember My Forgotten Man" has Dick Powell, whose character has composed the song, previewing it for Ned Sparks who plays an idealistic would-be producer of a show depicting Depression Era America. The dilemma is that the idealistic producer doesn't have the money to put the show on. The problem is solved when Dick Powell's character, who turns out to be very wealthy, supplies not only the song but the needed funds as well. The show's stars, of course, are played by the leading characters in the movie, a typical device in "backstagers." So Powell, Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler star in both the movie and show within the movie. The performance of "Remember My Forgotten Man" is the climax of both the show within the movie and the movie itself. The "forgotten man" of the title is the World War I veteran who has fallen on hard times.
"My Forgotten Man" from Gold Diggers of 1933 is performed by Joan Blondell (dubbed when singing by Marian Anderson), Etta Moten and chorus. Choreographer and director of musical numbers Busby Berkeley was inspired by the May 1932 World War I veterans' march on Washington, D.C. (The clip above shows only an abbreviated portion of the full number, which so impressed the studio heads at Warner Bros., Jack Warner and Darryl F. Zanuck, that they rearranged the movie to make it the climactic scene.)
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