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Dancing Lady
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This SourceDancing Lady is a 1933 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical comedy film starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone, as well as Robert Benchley, Nelson Eddy, Fred Astaire, and Ted Healy and his Stooges (Curly, Moe, and Larry).
Plot
Janie "Duchess" Barlow is a poor, hard-working dancer in a Manhattan burlesque theater who is spotted by a high-society scion, Tod Newton, who falls in love with her. The theater is raided by the police, and Janie is arrested, and Tod pays her bail. However, she resists his gestures and promises to pay him back. Tod then helps her land an audition for a Broadway show. Patch Gallagher (Clark Gable) does not like Janie, but she perseveres and wins his begruding admiration. Eventually, she becomes the star of the show. Tod, who wants Janie to himself, buys the show so that he can close it. Janie and Patch, meanwhile, have fallen in love. They scrape together their savings and produce a show, which becomes a hit.
Cast
- Joan Crawford as Janie "Duchess" Barlow
- Clark Gable as Patch Gallagher
- Franchot Tone as Tod Newton
- May Robson as Dolly Todhunter
- Fred Astaire as Himself
- Robert Benchley as Ward King
- Ted Healy as Steve
- Nelson Eddy as Himself
- Sterling Holloway as Pinky
- Moe Howard as Stagehand
- Jerry Howard as Heavyset stagehand
- Larry Fine as Stagehand/Pianist
Background
The film features the screen debut of dancer Fred Astaire, who appears as himself and dances with Crawford, and also presents dancing robots which later appeared in the first Gene Autry serial, The Phantom Empire.The movie also had a hit song, "Everything I Have Is Yours," by Burton Lane and Harold Adamson.
In the opening credits, Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Jerry Howard and Larry Fine are billed as "Ted Healy and his Stooges." The end credits bill each actor individually, however.
The film was originally to have starred Robert Montgomery in the part of Tod Newton. According to contemporary news items, when Montgomery became unavailable because he had not yet completed Another Language, Franchot Tone took over the role.
Dancing Lady is nevertheless an important film and a cult favorite for reasons which have nothing to do with its story or music. It's a film that came at an important point in the careers of star Joan Crawford and producer David O. Selznick, and gave them both major career boosts.
References
Article on Dancing Lady at the TCM Movie DatabaseExternal links
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Last updated on Saturday June 14, 2008 at 10:17:32 PDT (GMT -0700)
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