Born to Dance

A silly product of 30s Hollywood was these endless and mindless silver screen confections. Girls, legs, Top hats and catchy songs with smiling glitter covered dancers . Enhanced to the point of a manic dream through the captivating magic of black and white. It a swell escape from the boring, politically and culturally vacant movies that litter the entertainment space of modern American films. People had dreams, the big show, bright lights and those hypnotic legs !

I just love this movie! So many great stars. I really love watching Buddy Ebsen. So much talent! They all do. It’s a feel good old school movie from my favorite decade of old movies. Rent or buy you won’t be disappointed.

Elenor Powell is one of my favorite dancers. Really enjoy this film of hers.

This is one of my favorites. Have some fun and spirited dance routines as well as some beautiful ones. The scripting and the acting out of the relationship between James Stewart and Elinor Powell was believable and very enjoyable to watch. Great scripting of the humor that was woven in Making this movie very enjoyable to watch.

Eleanor Powell at her pinnacle. Character more likeable and singing better than later films.

Loved the movie. VHS in very good condition.

If ever a person was truly "born to dance," it was Eleanor Powell--the first of MGM's great dancing stars and a performer still considered by many to be the single finest tap dancer to emerge from Hollywood. And with the 1936 film BORN TO DANCE, MGM offered Powell the single finest film of her entire career. Although extremely lightweight, the story of three sailors and their romantic complications has a very playful tone and witty script--which forms the perfect frame for a memorable score by the celebrated Cole Porter. The musical numbers are staged with a more subtle flash than one normally finds in 1930s musicals, and there are several complex ensemble numbers and the memorable "Easy to Love" and "I've Got You Under My Skin."Not only was Powell a greatly gifted dancer, she was a clever commedian with a pleasing singing voice, and her playful performing style is particularly charming in such numbers as "Rap-Tap on Wood" and "Swinging the Jinx Away." Her leading man, somewhat surprisingly, is none other than James Stewart--and although he wasn't really a singer or a dancer he does extremely well with both, and he and Powell make a very entertaining couple. The entire cast is their equal, with Phil Silvers and Una Merkle amusing as bickering lovers, Buddy Ebsen demonstrating his remarkable talents as both eccentric dancer and clever comic, and Virginia Bruce the perfect femme fatale. Everything about the film sparkes and shines, right down from the sets to the polished performances. If you enjoy classic musicals of the 1930s, BORN TO DANCE is a must have! Strongly recommended.

This film is standard musical fare. A woman (Eleanor Powell) goes to the city to make it big on Broadway. She meets a wisecracking friend (Una Merkel) who inadvertently introduces her to the man of her dreams (Jimmy Stewart) who as part of a publicity stunt, dates the star of the Broadway musical Powell is understudying for.The music in this film is obviously dubbed and lip-synched to. The actors ham it up; adding to the cheesiness is the fact that they just randomly burst into song unprovoked. This cuts all ties with reality. This is purely escapism. Most of the songs are forgettable, especially the opening song. The finale is incredibly long and dragged out. However, the "I'm nuts about you" number is layered well and benefits from a catchy melody.Eleanor Powell is not a great actress, but she has a beautiful smile. She sings with an operatic vibrato and dances as if she came from vaudeville. As a result, she comes off as gawky and not the least elegant despite her flowing feminine costumes. She is comical, not romantic. Her dance numbers are often accompanied by a gaping mouth and overt stepping.Jimmy Stewart is not the sort of actor you might expect to see in a musical, especially not one in which he sings and dances. The funny thing is that he isn't bad at all; his charm masks his awkward dancing and his imperfect voice only accentuates his likeability.Una Merkel is wonderful, and the bright spot in this film. She is a staple of musicals, always in supporting parts. She has a great comic delivery that saves this film. Her wisecracks always come through and she is a lot of fun to watch.This Cole Porter musical has several resemblances to the more successful Anything Goes. The sailors out to see pretty girls are loosely indicative. More obvious is the use of the song "Easy to Love" and the dog named Cheeky which accompanies a high strung passenger and falls overboard.Overall, this film is mediocre despite the cast.