Born to Dance (1936)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Jack McGowan (story) &
Sid Silvers (story) ...

Release Date:

27 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Comedy

Tagline:

M*G*M's successor to "THE GREAT ZIEGFELD"

Plot:

Sailor Ted meets at the Lonely Hearts Club of his friend Gunny's wife, Jenny, a girl, Nora Paige, and falls in love...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Rescue | Dancer | Dance | Submarine

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Eleanor Powell	...	Nora Paige
James Stewart	...	Ted Barker
Virginia Bruce	...	Lucy James
Una Merkel	...	Jenny Saks
Sid Silvers	...	'Gunny' Sacks
Frances Langford	...	'Peppy' Turner
Raymond Walburn	...	Captain Percival Dingby
Alan Dinehart	...	James 'Mac' McKay
Buddy Ebsen	...	'Mush' Tracy
Juanita Quigley	...	Sally Saks
Georges	...	Himself, Dance Speciality (as Georges and Jalna)
Jalna	...	Herself, Dance Specialty (as Georges and Jalna)
Reginald Gardiner	...	Central Park Policeman
Barnett Parker	...	Model Home Demonstrator
The Foursome	...	Sailor Quartette

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #2707) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Allan Jones was intended for Ted Barker, but the role went to James Stewart.

Goofs:

Continuity: Gunny Saks is visible on the sub's sail, despite being put to the brick, where he is visible in the following scene.

Quotes:

Gunny Saks: But Jenny, I'm your husband.
Jenny Saks: Don't remind me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in We Must Have Music (1942)

Soundtrack:

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean

My Second Viewing

I saw "Born to Dance" again. This is my second viewing and I'm happy to say I liked it even more than my first viewing. In my previous comment, I mentioned that it is a passable boy-meet-girl yarn and how Eleanor Powell's tap dancing is as exciting as her other musicals at MGM. But now I realize that most of the credit goes to director Roy Del Ruth who is becoming one of my favorite directors of the classic era. There is something about his movies that I find appealingly graceful and exhilarating, especially movies like "On the Avenue", "My Lucky Star", "Folies Bergere de Paris" and "Lady Killer". "Born to Dance" is one of Del Ruth's brightest efforts, though it is slightly below those aforementioned movies. The best numbers are "Easy to Love" and "I Got you Under My Skin".