Born to Dance (1936)

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Movie Info

A never-completed stage musical was the source for the MGM superproduction Born to Dance. The plot is another three-sailors-on-leave affair, with Ted (James Stewart), Mush (Buddy Ebsen) and Gunny (Sid Silvers, who also co-wrote the script) romancing the eminently romanceable Nora (Eleanor Powell), Peppy (Frances Langford) and Jenny (Una Merkel). Nora aspires to become a dancing star, but her career nearly ends before it begins when she inadvertently comes between Broadway luminary Lucy James (Virginia Bruce) and her producer-lover McKay (Alan Dinehart). If anyone watching back in 1936 really cared about the plot, they probably weren't music lovers. The lovely Cole Porter score (his first written directly for the screen) includes "I've Got You Under My Skin", sung by Virginia Bruce to James Stewart, and "Easy to Love", warbled by Stewart to Eleanor Powell. Highlights include Reginald Gardiner's impersonation of a symphony-conducting traffic cop (a routine he'd previously performed on stage) and Eleanor Powell's climactic tap routine on board an art-deco battleship (a sequence later re-deployed for the climax of 1944's I Dood It).

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Cast

Eleanor Powell
as Nora Paige
James Stewart
as Ted Barker
Virginia Bruce
as Lucy James
Una Merkel
as Jenny Saks
Sid Silvers
as Gunny Saks
Frances Langford
as Peppy Turner
Raymond Walburn
as Capt. Dingby
Alan Dinehart
as James "Mac" McKay
Buddy Ebsen
as Mush Tracy
Juanita Quigley
as Sally Saks
Reginald Gardiner
as Policeman
Barnett Parker
as Floorwalker
James Flavin
as Submarine Officer
Georgi Vasilyev
as Himself
Jalna
as Herself
Dennis O'Keefe
as Man in Club Lobby
Jay Johnson
as The Foursome
Anita Brown
as Anita, the Maid
Charles Coleman
as Waiter
Mary Dees
as Girl
Jonathan Hale
as Hector, the Columnist
Jean Joyce
as Girl
John Kelly
as Recruting Officer
George King
as Assistant Stage Manager
Fuzzy Knight
as Pianist
Wally Maher
as Reporter
Franklin Parker
as Reporter
Harry Strang
as Sailor
Charles Trowbridge
as Store Demonstrator
Helen Troy
as Telephone Operator
John Tyrrell
as Reporter
Bobby Watson
as Costume Designer/Assistant Stage Manager
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Critic Reviews for Born to Dance

All Critics (3)

Pleasant musical tries hard.

Dec 29, 2017 | Full Review…
Classic Film and Television

Pleasantly breezy musical romantic comedy.

Apr 28, 2008 | Rating: B | Full Review…
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The original songs by Cole Porter aren't all memorable, but they are lively and two of them are among is classics: "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Easy to Love."

Apr 6, 2008 | Full Review…
Seanax.com
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