Born to Dance

19361936
PassedPassed
1h 46min

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

Comedy Musical Romance

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.

Director
- Roy Del Ruth
Writers
- Jack McGowan(screen play)
- Sid Silvers(screen play)
- Buddy G. DeSylva(from a story by)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 nominations total

Videos1

Theatrical Trailer

Theatrical Trailer

Eleanor Powell, Midgie Dare, Doris Davenport, Mary Dees, Edna Mae Jones, Vivian Faulkner, and Wilma Holly in Born to Dance (1936)

Jean Ashton, Myrla Bratton, Midgie Dare, Doris Davenport, Mary Gwynne, Pearlie Norton, Vivian Faulkner, Wilma Holly, Maryette Sheenan, Georgia Spence, Helen MacDonald, Mildred Rehn, Georgia Lee, and Phyllis Moore in Born to Dance (1936)

Eleanor Powell, David S. Horsley, and Harry Strang 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, Eddie Constantine, David S. Horsley, Sid Silvers, and Harry Strang 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)

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

See production, box office, & company info

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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. —Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>

dancing tap dancing dancer new york city rescue 41 more

Taglines
- M*G*M's successor to "THE GREAT ZIEGFELD"
Genres
Certificate
- Passed
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

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

Top review

Pleasant all the way

This is a film that has a minimum plot. Sailors chase girls and along the way, everybody sing and dance. Eleanor Powell shows her talent, tapping in a spetacular specialty number called `Swinging the Jinx Away'. A young James Stewart warbles `Easy to Love' in a charming way. But the real curiosity is to watch Buddy Ebsen. I bet that many people that watched him in TV series such as Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones didn´t had a clue that in his youth he was a very acomplished dancer. The songs by Cole Porter are top notch and `I've got you under my Skin' and `Easy to Love' became standarts. If you like 30's musical, is well worth to take a look in Born To Dance.

helpful•19

4

pcavalcanti
Apr 22, 2000

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

Gross worldwide
- $941,774

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 46min
Color
- Black and White
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

Oscars flashback: Best Original Songs of the 1930s, including ‘Over the Rainbow,’ ‘The Way You Look Tonight’

Oscars flashback: Best Original Songs of the 1930s, including ‘Over the Rainbow,’ ‘The Way You Look Tonight’

Jul 9Gold Derby

Photo Flash: Princess Cruises Celebrates Born To Dance Premiere with Stephen Schwartz

Oct 11BroadwayWorld.com

Eleanor Powell in Born to Dance (1936)

Top Gap

What is the Spanish language plot outline for Born to Dance (1936)?

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