''Dancing Lady'' is a 1933 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

starring

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

, and featuring

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist, newspaper columnist and actor. From his beginnings at ''The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, through his many years writing essays ...

, and

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy tha ...

and his Stooges (later

the Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

). The picture was directed by

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to Silent film, silent star Mae Murray with t ...

, produced by John W. Considine Jr., and was based on the novel of the same name by James Warner Bellah, published the previous year. The movie had a hit song in " Everything I Have Is Yours" by

Burton Lane Burton Lane ( Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include '' Finian's Rainbow'' in 1947 and '' On a Clear Day Yo ...

and Harold Adamson. The film features the screen debut of dancer Fred Astaire, who appears as himself, as well as the first credited film appearance of

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs ...

, and an early feature film appearance of the Three Stooges' best-known lineup— Moe, Curly, and Larry—in support of the leader of their act at the time, Ted Healy, whose role in the film is considerably larger than theirs. The

Algonquin Round Table The Algonquin Round Table was a group of New York City writers, critics, actors, and wits. Gathering initially as part of a practical joke, members of "The Vicious Circle", as they dubbed themselves, met for lunch each day at the Algonquin Hotel ...

humorist

plays a supporting role. In the original film, Larry Fine completes a

jigsaw puzzle A jigsaw puzzle (with context, sometimes just jigsaw or just puzzle) is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often irregularly shaped interlocking and mosaicked pieces. Typically each piece has a portion of a picture, which is comple ...

only to discover to his disgust that it's a picture of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. This was ordered removed by the

Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as th ...

censors before the film was released to theaters, because they claimed it was an insult to a foreign head of state. The scene was restored to the TV release but not to the video release.

Plot

Janie Barlow, a young dancer initially relegated to performing striptease in a burlesque show, encounters a significant turn of events when she is arrested for indecent exposure. However, her predicament takes a fortuitous turn as she is bailed out by Tod Newton, a wealthy socialite who was captivated by her while attending the theater with his elite circle. Motivated by his attraction to Janie, Tod intervenes in her career aspirations, leveraging his financial influence to secure her a role in a Broadway musical under the direction of Patch Gallagher. Initially hesitant due to artistic considerations, Patch ultimately relents upon witnessing Janie's exceptional dancing abilities. As Janie's talent propels her from a chorus role to a leading part, replacing Vivian Warner, Tod's romantic ambitions become conflicted. Fearing the loss of Janie's affection should she achieve stardom, Tod orchestrates the closure of the show, leaving Janie unemployed. However, upon discovering Tod's manipulative actions, Janie severs ties with him and aligns herself with Patch, her newfound romantic interest and benefactor. Together with Patch's financial support and Janie's talent, they resurrect the show, which garners immense success. This narrative of perseverance, betrayal, and ultimate triumph underscores the transformative journey of Janie from an aspiring dancer to a celebrated star of the stage.

Cast

as Janie "Duchess" Barlow *

as Patch Gallagher *

as Tod Newton * May Robson as Dolly Todhunter * Winnie Lightner as Rosette LaRue *

as himself *

as Ward King *

Art Jarrett Arthur L. Jarrett Jr. (July 20, 1907 – July 23, 1987) was an American singer, bandleader and actor during the 1930s and 1940s. He was the son of stage actor and playwright Arthur L. Jarrett Sr. (1884–1960). Early career Near the end of th ...

as himself * Grant Mitchell as Jasper Bradley, Sr. *

as Steve, Patch's assistant * Moe Howard as Moe, a stagehand *

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

as Curly, a stagehand *

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

as Harry, a pianist *

as himself * Maynard Holmes as Jasper Bradley, Jr. *

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 14, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in ''Dumbo'', Adult Flower in ...

as Pinky * Gloria Foy as Vivian Warner *

Eve Arden Eve Arden (born Eunice Mary Quedens, April 30, 1908 – November 12, 1990) was an American film, radio, stage and television actress. She performed in leading and supporting roles for nearly six decades. Beginning her film career in 1929 an ...

as Marcia, the Southern Actress ''(uncredited)''

Reception

''Dancing Lady'' was a box office hit upon its release and drew mostly positive reviews from critics.

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote, "It is for the most part quite a lively affair.... The dancing of Fred Astaire and Miss Crawford is most graceful and charming. The photographic effects of their scenes are an impressive achievement....Miss Crawford takes her role with no little seriousness." Hall, Mordaunt
"Joan Crawford, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone in the Capitol's New Pictorial Offering"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (December 1, 1933) Box office
According to MGM records the film earned $1,490,000 in the US and Canada and $916,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $744,000.

References

External links

* * *
"Dancing Lady"
at the Joan Crawford Encyclopedia {{ThreeStooges 1933 films 1933 musical comedy films 1933 romantic comedy films American musical comedy films American romantic comedy films American romantic musical films American black-and-white films Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Films set in New York City Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films The Three Stooges films Films produced by David O. Selznick Films scored by Louis Silvers Films with songs by Burton Lane Films with songs by Harold Adamson 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language romantic comedy films English-language musical comedy films American musical short films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links