Double Feature - Born to Dance and The Broadway Melody of 1940

Hi, folks! Today, I have not one, but two classic musicals from MGM in the 1930's and early 40's. Both feature star dancer Eleanor Powell tapping to music by Cole Porter (with two hit ballads from each), great supporting casts, and spectacular final numbers. Hope you've strapped on your dancing shoes!

Born to Dance
MGM, 1936
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Starring Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Buddy Ebsen, and Virginia Bruce

The Story: Nora Page (Powell) arrives in New York with not a cent to her name, hoping to become a Broadway star. She's given a place to stay by Jenny Saks (Una Merkel), who runs a boarding house. Jenny got married to a man she barely remembers in a marathon dance contest, and now she's a single mother with a very inquisitive child (Juanita Quigley). Her husband turns out to be Seaman "Gunny" Saks (Sid Silvers), who just left the Navy with his buddies Mush Tracy (Buddy Ebsen) and Officer Ted Barker (James Stewart). Tracy and Barker waste no time courting waitress Pepper Turner (Frances Langford) and Nora respectively.

The three couples are coming along quite well...until Broadway star Lucy James (Virginia Bruce) and her pekingese board the ship where the trio of Navy officers work. Ted rescues her dog when it jumps overboard, making him a sensation. Neither he nor Lucy are overly thrilled when her agent (Alan Dinehart) insists on splashing their non-existent "romance" on the front page of every paper in town. Ted gets Nora the understudy role in Lucy's Navy-themed show to prove he has no interest in her. All the publicity is unnerving Lucy, who lashes out and orders Nora fired. It doesn't help that Nora, trying to stand up for Jenny, has lied and said that Jenny's daughter was hers. It takes intervention from their friends to finally get the two together and onstage, where they belong.

The Song and Dance: Like The Boy Friend, this movie's at it's best when it focuses on the romances and the cast. Powell and Stewart have a charming, down-home chemistry that makes their scenes together really adorable, even when the plot contrivances in the second half kick in. Ebsen doesn't have much to do, though he does get two good dance solos in. Merkel and Silvers are also fun as the comics, in a plot line that actually seems a little racy for the mid-30's.

Favorite Number: "Hey Babe Hey," the number where the three couples meet for the first time, is a lovely group dance number that shows off Ebsen's eccentric dancing and feels spontaneous and fun. "Swingin' the Jinx Away," the huge finale with Powell tapping like mad around thousands of Navy seamen and two big guns, is probably the most famous routine from this movie, and one of the numbers Powell is most associated with. It really comes off as a little too much of everything today, going on for at least five minutes or so too long. This movie's two standards are far better-served. Stewart serenades Powell in the park with "Easy to Love" (and doesn't sound too bad, despite his protests otherwise in That's Entertainment), while Bruce introduces a languid "I've Got You Under My Skin." ("Under My Skin" was nominated for an Oscar.)

What I Don't Like: Bruce was fine when singing the goofy "Love Me, Love My Pekingnese" with the crew, but she's less believable as a spoiled diva later in the film. Her ranting is more stiff than passionate. Most of the plot is pretty much piffle, especially in the second half, when a couple of explanations would probably fix everything well before the fade-out.

The Big Finale: I believe it's out of print now, but if you love the cast, Cole Porter, or the Busby Berkley imitations of the 1930's, it's worth tracking down.

The Broadway Melody of 1940
MGM, 1940
Directed by Norman Taurog
Starring Eleanor Powell, Fred Astaire, George Murphy, and Frank Morgan

The Story: We change things up a bit here by making Powell the diva and her leading men the ones looking for their big break. King Shaw (Murphy) and Johnny Brett (Astaire) are doing their act for free in a dance hall when producer Bob Casey (Morgan) catches the show. He thinks Johnny would be perfect to compliment his star Clare Bennett (Powell). Johnny mistakes him for a bill collector when he shows up at their door and tells him he's King, making Casey offer King the part. Johnny still wants to help out, but ends up falling for Clare when she has lunch with him. It doesn't help that all the attention is giving King a big head, making him miss rehearsals. He's so drunk on opening night, Johnny goes on for him, but lets King think he did it. An angry Clare reveals the truth. Now King has to get his partner back and put the right man onstage.

The Song and Dance: Powell's a bit less believable as a tough-minded diva than as a starry-eyed dreamer, but her leading men more than ably pick up the slack. This was Astaire's first role at MGM since 1933's Dancing Lady, and he works quite well with both Powell and Murphy.  Morgan gets some nice moments when he realizes his mistake and while squiring an attractive but empty-headed southern belle to a night club.

Favorite Number: Two of the most amazing dance routines ever committed to celluloid can be found in this film. "Jukebox Dance" was Eleanor Powell's own favorite of her numbers, and she and Astaire go to town in a challenge routine that reveals which partner is really the better dancer. This movie's most famous routine is the finale, "Begin the Beguine." No flash, no guns, no chorus. Just two of the top tap dancers in the world and a platoon of mirrors, giving us perfection from every angle. Other standards include Astaire's solo "I've Got My Eye On You," danced with Powell's compact, and "I Concentrate On You."

What I Didn't Like: While slightly more substantial than in Born to Dance, the plot is still more of an afterthought than anything. Though he pairs well with Astaire, Murphy's cockiness can be harder to take, especially when his ego is inflating later in the film. (No wonder he went into politics later.)

The Big Finale: Unlike Born to Dance, this one is easily found on DVD (currently via the Warner Archives). If you're a fan of Astaire, Powell, or dancing in general, this is one beguine you'll most certainly want to begin.