Go Into Your Dance (1935)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Bradford Ropes (story)
Earl Baldwin (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

Al Howard may be a star on Broadway, but he is no longer welcomed by any producer. It seems that he...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Producer | Club | Broadway | Mexico

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Al Jolson	...	Al Howard
Ruby Keeler	...	Dorothy 'Dot' Wayne
Glenda Farrell	...	Molly Howard, aka Lucille Thompson
Barton MacLane	...	Duke Hutchinson (as Barton Mac Lane)
Patsy Kelly	...	Irma 'Toledo' Knight
Akim Tamiroff	...	Mexican in La Cucaracha Cantina
Helen Morgan	...	Luana Wells
Sharon Lynn	...	Nellie Lahey (blonde showgirl) (as Sharon Lynne)
Benny Rubin	...	Drunk in La Cucaracha Cantina
Phil Regan	...	Eddie 'Teddy' Rio
Gordon Westcott	...	Fred
William B. Davidson	...	Tom McGee (as William Davidson)
Joyce Compton	...	Showgirl in cafe
Joseph Crehan	...	H.P. Jackson

Also Known As:

Casino de Paree (UK)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #665)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Robert Florey directed added scenes and retakes for the film.

Quotes:

Molly Howard, aka Lucille Thompson: What happened?
Dorothy Wayne: Well, man meets girl, girl meets husband, husband meets man, man meets sidewalk.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The CooCoo Nut Grove (1936)

Soundtrack:

Whittlin' My Wood

High Class Entertainment

Go Into Your Dance is a significant film because it is the only one to star married couple Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler. The two have an odd relationship on the screen which seems to reflect their coupling off-screen. Who would have ever thought that a pompous jazz singer would marry an innocent chorus girl? Though their relationship was wrought with problems and eventually led to divorce, it is one of the big romances of early Hollywood.

Jolson stars as Al Howard, a popular Broadway star who has neglected to show up to his own premieres one too many times; he's sunk. His concerned sister (Glenda Farrell) does all she can to knock some sense into him and revive his career. Teaming him with a chorus dancer (Keeler) seems to do the trick, but he fails to recognize how much his new partner loves him.

Jolson is wonderful as always here. His personality is a bit flamboyant, but he is still able to maintain his status as a romantic lead. His presence seems to have helped Keeler as well; this is her best performance to date. There are times when you might catch yourself believing everything she says and getting wrapped up in her parts of the story. In previous films, it seems all she had to do was be cute and dance, but here, acting kicks in. Farrell is a favorite of mine, a sassy actress with a heart of gold. She peps up every film she's in, and she's beautiful to boot. Also making appearances is Patsy Kelly in a small comic role and Helen Morgan as the girlfriend of a gangster with eyes for Al.

The music is pretty good for such a forgotten film. Keeler is introduced in a simple chorus number called "A Good Old Fashioned Cocktail" that utilizes props and costume changes. Jolson gets to sing about his Mammy, but his standout song is "A Quarter to Nine," an upbeat, catchy song about anticipating a date. Morgan is outstanding singing an understated but powerful "The Little Things You Used to Do." "Latin From Manhattan" is another catchy, carefree song that should be better known. Last, we have the title song, "Go Into Your Dance" which is much more forgettable than the others.