Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940

The Screwball Soprano at the mid-point of Broadway Melodie 1940 (1940) was not Carmen D’Antonio dubbed by Lois Hodnott. She was Charlotte Arren. Her pianist was her husband Johnny Broderick. Arren and Broderick were a famous Vaudeville act and appeared in other films as well.

A similar screwball performance by Arren and Broderick of Il Bacio appears in the 1937 film Calling All Stars (1937). The performance in the 1937 film proves that Ms. Arren’s performance in Broadway Melodie 1940 (1940) was not dubbed.