Dramatic School (1938)

Aspiring actress Louise Muban attends the prestigious Paris School of Drama during the day and works at a dreary factory assembling gas meters at night. She daydreams and "acts" her way ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert B. Sinclair

Writers:

Ernest Vajda (screen play), Mary C. McCall Jr. (screen play),

Stars:

Luise Rainer, Paulette Goddard, Alan Marshal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luise Rainer	...	Louise
Paulette Goddard	...	Nana
Alan Marshal	...	Andre D'Abbencourt
Lana Turner	...	Mado
Genevieve Tobin	...	Gina Bertier
John Hubbard	...	Fleury (as Anthony Allan)
Henry Stephenson	...	Pasquel Sr.
Gale Sondergaard	...	Madame Charlot
Melville Cooper	...	Boulin
Erik Rhodes	...	Georges Mounier
Virginia Grey	...	Simone
Ann Rutherford	...	Yvonne
Hans Conried	...	Ramy
Rand Brooks	...	Pasquel Jr.
Jean Chatburn	...	Mimi

Storyline

Aspiring actress Louise Muban attends the prestigious Paris School of Drama during the day and works at a dreary factory assembling gas meters at night. She daydreams and "acts" her way through life, and her fellow students at school begin to suspect her stories are just that - fabrications. After Louise begins to weave an actual meeting with a debonair playboy into a fantasy of club dates and romance, her co-student Nana discovers the lie when she too meets the playboy. Nana sets a trap for Louise, and the result is an end to one fantasy and the realization of another.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | student | reference to joan of arc | reference to shakespeare's romeo and juliet | teacher | 

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Taglines:

Glory for one! Oblivion for thousands! This was the world she dared to conquer!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Coups de théâtre

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hans Conried's film debut.

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Soundtracks

"I've Got a Heavy Date"
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Johnny Green
Lyrics by Gus Kahn

User Reviews

Plush cast in what is basically a B-film from MGM...

DRAMATIC SCHOOL was obviously designed as a star vehicle for LUISE RAINER, the European actress whose career fizzled after winning two Oscars in the mid-'30s. Her acting here is even more mannered than usual, aside from seeming eccentric as compared to the more natural acting styles of others in the cast. And it's quite a cast--a whole bevy of up-and-coming young stars on the Metro lot.

PAULETTE GODDARD gets most of the footage as a glamorous and scheming bad girl while LANA TURNER, VIRGINIA GREY and ANN RUTHERFORD play more conventional types.

But oddly enough, in a film concentrating on its young female talent, the picture is stolen by ALAN MARSHAL in the film's only substantial male role--elegant, debonair, sophisticated and as handsome as any matinee idol. And the other scene stealer is none other than GALE SONDERGAARD as a drama instructor who lets jealousy get the upper hand in dealing with her students.

It's all formula stuff, interesting only for the cast and offering very little in the way of a credible plot. LUISE RAINER's "magic" as a performer eludes me. I never cared for her artificial poses and her Joan of Arc sequence is ludicrous.

Worth noting is RAND BROOKS (he was Charles Hamilton in GWTW) as a young actor who can't act. A clever bit of typecasting.