Born to Dance
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Born to Dance is an American musical film released by MGM in 1936, directed by Roy Del Ruth.
The film stars dancer Eleanor Powell and was a follow-up to her successful debut in Broadway Melody of 1936. The plot of Born to Dance isn't much different from the earlier film, or many others of the era -- boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, girl puts on a spectacular song-and-dance show.
The film co-stars James Stewart as Powell's love interest and Virginia Bruce as the film's resident femme fatale and Powell's rival. Powell's Broadway Melody co-stars Buddy Ebsen and Frances Langford return to provide comedy and musical support. The score was composed by Cole Porter.
Highlights of the film include a rare musical number by Stewart (which the actor later poked fun at in the That's Entertainment! retrospective), and a bombastic finale called "Swingin' the Jinx Away". Set amidst a pre-Second World War naval backdrop, the Depression-era "feel good" number (which runs nearly 10 minutes) makes topical references to the economy and political leaders (with a "shout out" to Cab Calloway thrown in for good measure) sung by Langford, adds in an eccentric dance routine by Ebsen, and ends in a flurry of tap dancing by Powell culminating in a patriotic salute, and finally a blast of cannon fire. Although considered one of Powell's (and MGM's) most memorable musical numbers, and often featured in retrospectives such as That's Entertainment!, musical director Roger Edens was often quoted as being embarrassed by the segment.
The film introduced the Porter standards "Easy to Love" (performed by Stewart and Powell) and "I've Got You Under My Skin" (performed by Bruce), which was nominated for Best Song at the Academy Awards. It was the first film in which Stewart sang.
[edit] External links
[edit] Other uses
- Born to Dance is also the title of British made-for-television film telecast in 1988.
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| The films of Eleanor Powell |
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| Feature films Queen High (1930) | George White's 1935 Scandals (1935) | Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) | Born to Dance (1936) | Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) | Rosalie (1937) | Honolulu (1939) | Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) | Lady Be Good (1941) | Ship Ahoy (1942) | I Dood It (1943) | Thousands Cheer - cameo (1943) | Sensations of 1945 (1944) | The Great Morgan - cameo (1946) | Duchess of Idaho -cameo (1950) |
| Short films No Contest! (1934) | Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 12 (1936) | Screen Snapshots: Famous Hollywood Mothers (1947) | Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Holiday (1948) | Have Faith in Our Children (1955) |
| Television series The Faith of Our Children (1953-1955) |
