Director:
Roy Del Ruth
Year: 1936
Rating: 7.0
The title of the film is clearly meant for Eleanor Powell. She really was
born to dance. She was brought up by a poor mother after her husband did
a vanishing act when Powell was two years old. Eleanor was told that her
father had died so imagine her surprise when he showed up about twenty years
later. Her mother scrimped enough to have Eleanor attend dancing classes
when she was four. A good investment. By the time she was twelve she was
appearing in clubs and revues making $70 a week and supporting the family.
Somewhere along the way, she took a few lessons in tap dancing - not something
she really found aesthetically pleasing - but again it turned into a good
investment. By the time she was twenty, she was appearing in Broadway and
gaining a reputation as a fine dancer. She was invited to go out to Hollywood
to do a specialty number in George White's 1935 Scandals which she did but
she didn't enjoy the experience and wanted to get back to Broadway. MGM saw
the clip from the film and thought otherwise. She declined their offer and
said thinking they would refuse that she would do it for $1,200 a week. They
accepted. Huge money back then. Especially for someone who had just one film
to their name.
The film they put her in was Broadway Melody of 1936. Initially, just as
one of their young talents to be featured - Robert Taylor, Buddy Ebsen, and
Frances Langford being the other three. But as the film was moving forward
her role kept getting bigger until she was the lead. It was a huge hit and
basically she stayed in Hollywood for the next ten years until she retired
and married Glenn Ford. Her output though was frugal to say the least - about
one film a year. But in that period she was considered the best female dancer
in the business. Her ability to dance every style - though tap dancing was
her money pitch - and her trademark lean way back and kick her leg as high
as the sky - left all contenders in the dust.
In fact, a problem that MGM had was pairing her off with a male partner because
only one person could keep up with her. That was of course Fred Astaire but
they only made Broadway Melody of 1940 together. People thought they danced
too much alike and fans always thought of Astaire and Rogers as the perfect
match though their run of films had come to an end in 1939 with only The
Barkley's of Broadway being made ten years later. So MGM instead chose non-dancing
actors for her and allowed her to dance solo at times in the films. This
time around they picked another actor that they had hope for but didn't really
know what to do with him - he couldn't sing (as this film will testify),
was an awful dancer (same), had a funny slow laid back delivery that was
so different from most of the male actors at the time who could deliver patter
at the sound of speed and at six foot 4 inches he was too tall for a lot
of leading ladies and gawky to boot. He had been in a few films but nothing
had really jumped out. This was of course Jimmy Stewart.
To try and ensure a repeat of the success of Broadway Melody they bring on
some of the same cast with Powell - Una Merkel, Sid Silvers and Ebsen, who
had a dance act in vaudeville with his sister before going into film. His
dancing is the oddest thing ever. And MGM brings on Cole Porter to compose
the music with a couple classics I've Got You Under My Skin and Easy to Love
in the mix. One problem is that some of the songs get less than they deserve
- Stewart sings a few but there is a reason he didn't get into musicals and
Powell for all her dancing talent apparently was a terrible singer and so
is dubbed (as she is in all her films) - and the other singers are ok but
nothing to sing home about. And honestly, in this film Powell's acting is
a bit wooden - but boy can she dance.
The film's plot is pretty simple - three navy boys are on leave and Stewart
takes one look at Powell in a Lonely Hearts Club and falls in love and she
soon with him. Of course, complications rear their expected head and there
is no smooth sailing for our boys. But it is filled with music and more to
my surprise with comedy. There are some very amusing moments in the film
with crackerjack dialogue - and the filmmakers two times just hand the film
over to characters who come out of nowhere to deliver their bit and disappear
- Reginald Gardner as a cop in Central Park manically conducting an imaginary
orchestra and Helen Troy doing a solo three minute phone operator conversation
that cracked me up more than a few times.
In a way this film reminded me of the Japanese Yakuza films of the 1960's
where much of the action is put on hold like a Sting orgasm until the final
scene where all hell breaks out. This has a lot of musical numbers but they
save the big dance from Powell until the finale - a fabulous dance in a show
where she slides down a pole on an art-deco battleship and dances among the
enlisted men and a big patriotic salute with huge phallic naval guns behind
her. It made her iconic.
Info on Eleanor Powell from the terrific book, The Star Machine by Jeanine
Basinger
