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IMDbPro

Born to Dance

  • 19361936
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,537
3,386
Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936)
Sailor Ted meets at the Lonely Hearts Club of his friend Gunny's wife, Jenny, a girl, Nora Paige, and falls in love. Nora wants to become a dancer on Broadway. Ted rescues the Pekinese of Lucy James, a Broadway star during a public relations campaign on his submarine. Lucy falls in love with Ted, and Ted is ordered by his Captain to meet her in a night club, in spite of the fact that he has a date with Nora. Nora, who lives with Jenny and her and Gunny's daughter, doesn't want to hear anything from Ted, after she spotted a picture of Ted and Lucy in the morning paper. Lucy convinces her manager Dinehart to stop the press campaign and tells him that she would leave the production, if another photo or article of her and Ted is published. Nora has become her understudy, and she begins to think her behaviour to Ted over. Suddenly she is fired after Dinehart told her to dance a number Lucy James called undanceable. But when Ted is told the whole story, he knows what to do.
Play trailer4:39
1 Video
60 Photos
ComedyMusicalRomance
On leave, a sailor falls in love with a young lady aspiring to become a Broadway dancer, but their relationship is jeopardized by an established Broadway star, who is also enamored by him.On leave, a sailor falls in love with a young lady aspiring to become a Broadway dancer, but their relationship is jeopardized by an established Broadway star, who is also enamored by him.On leave, a sailor falls in love with a young lady aspiring to become a Broadway dancer, but their relationship is jeopardized by an established Broadway star, who is also enamored by him.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
20,537
3,386
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Roy Del Ruth
    • Writers
      • Jack McGowan(screen play)
      • Sid Silvers(screen play)
      • Buddy G. DeSylva(from a story by)
    • Stars
      • Eleanor Powell
      • James Stewart
      • Virginia Bruce
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Roy Del Ruth
    • Writers
      • Jack McGowan(screen play)
      • Sid Silvers(screen play)
      • Buddy G. DeSylva(from a story by)
    • Stars
      • Eleanor Powell
      • James Stewart
      • Virginia Bruce
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 46User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 4:39
    Theatrical Trailer

    Photos60

    Eleanor Powell, Midgie Dare, Doris Davenport, Mary Dees, Edna Mae Jones, Vivian Faulkner, and Wilma Holly in Born to Dance (1936)
    Born to Dance (1936)
    Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart and Virginia Bruce in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart and Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936)
    Buddy Ebsen, Jacqueline Daix, Mary Dees, Gay DeLys, Alice Jans, Edna Mae Jones, Jean Joyce, Geraldine Robertson, Ginger Wyatt, and Jean Vernon in Born to Dance (1936)
    Buddy Ebsen and Sid Silvers in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart and Virginia Bruce in Born to Dance (1936)
    Buddy Ebsen, Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce, and Raymond Walburn in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart, Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce, Juanita Quigley, and Sid Silvers in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart, Buddy Ebsen, Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce, Jay Johnson, Una Merkel, Del Porter, Sid Silvers, L. Dwight Snyder, The Foursome, Ernie Feutz, and J. Marshall Smith in Born to Dance (1936)
    James Stewart and Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eleanor Powell
    Eleanor Powell
    • Nora Paige
    James Stewart
    James Stewart
    • Ted Barker
    Virginia Bruce
    Virginia Bruce
    • Lucy James
    Una Merkel
    Una Merkel
    • Jenny Saks
    Sid Silvers
    Sid Silvers
    • 'Gunny' Saks
    Frances Langford
    Frances Langford
    • 'Peppy' Turner
    Raymond Walburn
    Raymond Walburn
    • Capt. Dingby
    Alan Dinehart
    Alan Dinehart
    • McKay
    Buddy Ebsen
    Buddy Ebsen
    • 'Mush' Tracy
    Juanita Quigley
    Juanita Quigley
    • Sally Saks
    Georges
    • Georges
    Jalna
    • Jalna
    Reginald Gardiner
    Reginald Gardiner
    • Policeman
    Barnett Parker
    Barnett Parker
    • Floorwalker
    J. Marshall Smith
    • Member of The Foursome
    L. Dwight Snyder
    • Member of The Foursome
    Jay Johnson
    • Member of The Foursome
    • (as Ray Johnson)
    Del Porter
    • Member of The Foursome
    • Director
      • Roy Del Ruth
    • Writers
      • Jack McGowan(screen play) (from a story by)
      • Sid Silvers(screen play) (from a story by)
      • Buddy G. DeSylva(from a story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Cole Porter picked James Stewart for the male lead and later said he sang "Easy to Love" as well as any professional singer. A dubbing track was prepared with baritone Jack Owens, but it was decided that Stewart's tenor voice was perfect for the song. In That's Entertainment! (1974), Stewart said, "The song had become a huge hit, even my singing wouldn't hurt it."
    • Goofs
      The opening scene is set aboard a submarine entering New York Harbor while submerged at periscope depth. Her skipper would have brought her in while surfaced - the risk of collision in a busy port is substantial.
    • Quotes

      McKay's Telephone Operator: [on phone with her friend] Oh say guess who I seen at Club Continental last night? Lucy James with that sailor she met through a Pekingese. Believe me he's a sea-goin' thrill if I ever seen one. What's he like? Well, tall - sort of the answer to a maiden's prayer on stilts. Honest he must be six feet four and that's just two inches shorter than a totem pole. Oh but he's got a smile like concentrated vodka. Vodka! Oh it's a Japanese drink made out of panther blood I think.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits are shown over a female figure tap-dancing on stage.
    • Connections
      Edited into Grand Central Murder (1942)
    • Soundtracks
      Rolling Home
      (1936) (uncredited)

      Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

      Sung by The Foursome, Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen, James Stewart and chorus

    User reviews46

    Review
    Top review
    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".
    helpful•4
    3
    • Kalaman
    • Dec 14, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 27, 1936 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nacidos para bailar
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Catalina Island, Channel Islands, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $941,774
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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