Born to Dance (1936)

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:

Rescue | Sailor | Dancer | Submarine | Dance

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:

The dress that Virginia Bruce throws on the floor and refuses to appear in is the same dress worn by Jeanette MacDonald in San Francisco (1936), a few months earlier.

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:

Jenny Saks: Gunny, Sally is our child.
Gunny Saks: That's a fine time for telling me.
Jenny Saks: Why?
Gunny Saks: I've joined the the Navy again
Jenny Saks: I'll see you in four years.

Movie Connections:

Featured in That's Entertainment! (1974)

Soundtrack:

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean

Character actors shine! Movie a wellspring of comedy.

There are so many reasons to like this musical comedy. Firstly, the Cole Porter songs. Secondly, the bits with character actors: Charles Trowbridge as a model home spokesman with stiff upper lip (movie butlers probably took notes); Reginald Gardiner as a policeman in Central Park who conducts an invisible orchestra (his wild, flopping hair and frantic moves are much like Danny Kaye as a music teacher in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 1947); Helen Troy as McCoy's telephone operator must be the inspiration for Lily Tomlin's snooty switchboard gal on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the late 1960s; and Virginia Bruce singing 'Love Me, Love My Pekinese' is sheer Gilbert & Sullivan in its wit (the cast is smiling behind the lead stars because they know it's a very funny number.

As for the stars, Elenore Powell is especially good at tap dancing and OK at singing. James Stewart has charm and good looks but hardly dances, and he sings much like Fred Astaire (who was a top-notch dancer). In fact, Elenore Powell, in this screenplay, is a dancer who's an understudy for a singer. This detail is never explained.

This movie may have been a wellspring not only for comedy but also for a music video. The big finale number 'Swingin' The Jinx Away' is set on a typical musical comedy battleship, with its big guns pointing out at the camera. It looks like that idea was used for Cher's 1991 music video 'If I Could Turn back Time', only using a real battleship.