Born to Dance
Tags: romantic

Plot synopsis:
The film's plot involves three submarine mates, Ted Barker (James Stewart), Gunny Saks (Sid Silvers), and Mush Tracy (Buddy Ebsen), arriving in New York City after four years at sea. The film opens as their sub reaches New York harbor with the sailors singing "Rolling Home." Featured in the number are Gunny, Mush, Ted and a quartet called The Foursome.
As many of the sailors receive liberty, Gunny and Mush were denied shore leave until their Captain sends them to deliver a letter to Rear Admiral Stubbins. Nora Paige (Eleanor Powell), a singer and dancer, who has just lost out on a Broadway show, enters the Lonely Hearts Club suitcase in hand. The club's receptionist, Jenny (Una Merkel), offers to share her apartment with Nora. When she introduces Nora to the others at the club, Nora demonstrates her talents by singing and dancing to "Rap Tap on Wood" (Miss Powell's vocals are dubbed by Marjorie Lane). Also featured was The Foursome, a quartet of harmony singers, who also play a penny whistle and different sizes of ocarinas (also known as sweet potatoes).
Ginny tells Nora about her marriage to a sailor who was her partner in a twenty-eight day marathon dance. They conceived a daughter, Sally, in the two days they had together before he shipped out and she never told the guy he was a father. That guy was Gunny, who is anxious to rekindle a relationship with his wife. Meanwhile, Mush falls for a talented singer/waitress, Peppy Turner (Frances Langford).
Romance enters Nora's life in the form of Ted Barker. At their first meeting at the Lonely Hearts Club, Ted sings "Hey, Babe, Hey" to Nora as they dance. Then several other members of the cast sing a chorus including Nora, Gunny, Ginny, Peppy, Mush and the Foursome. The number ends with the sailors and their girl friends tap dancing. Later, Captain Percival Dingby (Raymond Walburn) announces Lucy James (Virginia Bruce), a famous actress, is coming aboard the sub. The men sing about her arrival. Once she comes aboard with her cute little dog under her arm, Miss James sings "Love Me, Love My Pekinese." During a photo session with the Captain, he drops her dog overboard; all the sailors dive in to rescue the pup. The next days newspaper features a photo of Ted handing the soaked dog to Miss James. McKay, her agent, immediately plots to cook up a romance between Ted and Lucy to generate publicity for her new show.
The next scene is one of the most, if not the most, famous musical sequence from the film. Ted begins crooning "Easy to Love" to Nora as they stroll in Central Park. After they kiss, Nora sings; they kiss again and she dances while Ted conducts an imaginary orchestra. A Central Park policeman (Reginald Gardiner) takes over the symphony maestro role as he directs the imaginary orchestra in a combination of Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" and "Easy to Love." By the end of the number, the policeman/conductor keels over in a dead faint.
Lucy and McKay arranged with Captain Dingby for Ted to have dinner with Lucy at the Club Continental. The evening's entertainment was Georges and Jalanas (Georges and Jalana appeared as themselves) ballroom dancing to "I've Got You Under My Skin." Ted had told Nora he would meet her later in Central Park, but, after waiting far past the appointed time, Nora dejectedly leaves.
The next morning's newspaper features a photo of Ted and Lucy together, which, of course, disturbs Nora. When Ted calls to apologize, she hangs up on him. Ted goes to McKay's office to bargain with him to give Nora a job in Lucy's new production, but he doesnt want Nora to know about their arrangement. McKay makes her Lucy's understudy.
Ginny, Sally, and Nora visit the sub, but Ginny still isn't sure she wants Gunny to know he has a daughter, so Nora claims Sally as her child. Ted assumes Nora is married and backs off.
Lucy begins to care for Ted and refuses to allow any further publicity about their relationship. She says if any more articles or photos appear in the newspapers she won't perform on opening night. During Ted's visit to Lucy's apartment, she confesses her increasing affection towards him by singing the film's most famous song, "I've Got You Under My Skin."
Peppy Turner reprises "Easy to Love" in a rehearsal of Lucy's show while the limber-limbed Mush, now out of the Navy, dances around her.
Lucy gets more and more upset. She doesnt like a costume and thinks the song's arrangement is undanceable. McKay asks Nora to dance to the arrangement, which she does brilliantly. When Lucy realizes what is happening, she demands McKay fire Nora, which, reluctantly, he does.
Ginny confesses to Ted, who is also out of the Navy now, that Sally is her child, not Nora's and that Nora loves him. She also tells him about Nora getting fired from the show. Ted calls the press and gives them a cooked up story. When the next morning headlines proclaim that Lucy James is going to marry an ex-sailor, she stays true to her threat and won't go on (which means, of course, that her understudy, Nora, would become the show's star).
The film's finale is a gigantic production number from the show, "Great Guns." Set on an Art Deco battleship, it opens with Peppy singing "Swingin' the Jinx Away," backed by a male chorus of singers and dancers. After some acrobatics by sailors, Mush takes his turn with the tune as he sings and dances backed by a female chorus of singers and dancers in front of the ship's stylized guns. After more singing by the male and female chorus, Peppy and the Foursome perform more of the song. Finally, Nora makes her entrance down the spiral stairs of the ship's superstructure and then slides to the stage via a pole. Dressed in a stylized drum major outfit, she taps to "Swingin' the Jinx Away" and then leads the band and chorus in "Hurrah for the Red, White and Blue," a very patriotic finale for a non-wartime movie.
Just before the credits roll, Ted congratulates Nora on a splendid performance and Ginny finally tells Gunny he's a father (unfortunately, he has already signed up for four more years in the Navy).

Review: Regardless, BORN TO DANCE ranks the best of the trio, thanks to a fine score by Cole Porter, witty dialogue, particularly from the secondary characters (Sid Silvers and Una Merkel), as well as the very young James Stewart surprisingly effective singing through his soft-spoken Fred Astaire-ish style of vocalizing.The second of its annual Eleanor Powell musicals, BORN TO DANCE brings back her co- stars from her initial MGM musical, Broadway MELODY OF 1936, including Sid Silvers, Una Merkel, Frances Langford and Buddy Ebsen, with Virginia Bruce substituting for June Knight as the temperamental actress.
As an added plus Frances Langford, who, in Broadway MELODY of 1936, only participated in the song numbers, this time gets to belt out her songs and take part of the plot.Following the opening titles with a background of musical notes (yes, this is a musical) and still silhouette dancing images of Eleanor Powell, the story opens with singing sailors submerging from a submarine and going on shore leave in New York City.
Ted Parker (James Stewart) meets Nora Paige (Eleanor Powell) at a Lonely Hearts Club, managed by Jenny Saks (Una Merkel), who is married to a Ted's fellow Navy partner, "Gunny" (Sid Silvers), whom she hasn't seen in four years, and through him, is the mother of a three-year-old daughter (Juanita Quigley).
Their romance is soon broken up when Lucy James (Virginia Bruce), a famous musical-comedy star, along with her press agent, James McKay (Alan Dinehart), visits Ted's ship for publicity pictures, and after her Pekinese dog falls over board with Ted jumping in to save it, McKay then makes a romance story out of it.
As Ted is going through his complications such as believing Nora to be a mother to Jenny's little girl, there is "Mush" Tracy (Buddy Ebsen) who finds time in becoming the romantic interest of another Lonely Hearts Club employee, "Peppy" Turner (Frances Langford).Song numbers include: "Rolling Home" (sung by the Foursome Quartet, Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen and James Stewart); "Rap-Tap on Wood" (sung and danced by Eleanor Powell); "Hey Babe, Hey Babe" (sung by James Stewart, Eleanor Powell, Sid Silvers, Una Merkel, Buddy Ebsen and Frances Langford); "Here Comes Lucy James" (sung by sailors); "The Captain Had a Very Bad Night Last Night" (recited by Raymond Walburn); "Love Me, Love My Pekinese" (sung by Virginia Bruce/ chorus); "Easy to Love" (sung by James Stewart & Eleanor Powell); "I've Got You Under My Skin" (danced by George & Jalna/ sung by Virginia Bruce); "Easy to Love" (sung by Frances Langford/ danced by Buddy Ebsen); "Love Me, Love My Pekinese" (audition dance by Eleanor Powell); "Swinging the Jinx Away" (sung by Frances Langford/ with Buddy Ebsen/ danced by Eleanor Powell); and "Easy to Love" (sung by cast).
The other members of the cast consists of Raymond Walburn, Barnett Parker, Jonathan Hale and Reginald Gardiner, making his movie debut, in an awkward but amusing cameo as a policeman in Central Park who fantasizes himself as conducting to the score to "Easy to Love" with an unseen orchestra (only in New York!).As with Powell's other "Broadway Melody" series, BORN TO DANCE includes moments of singing and dancing on cue, with a full orchestra playing in the background, whether it be at the Lonely Hearts Club, on the Navy vessel or in the middle of Central Park.
Troy must have been an inspiration for Lily Tomlin's comedic character in later years when appearing as a telephone operator in the late 1960s variety comedy show of LAUGH-IN.BORN TO DANCE is light on plot, memorable on songs and well constructed with dance numbers as choreographed by Dave Gould, highlighted by the lavish but classic 13 minute finale of "Swingin' the Jinx Away" (portions would be reused again for the finale in Eleanor Powell's latter 1943 musical titled I DOOD IT, newly re-scored to appeal more to the big band era for the time of its release).Other than having its presentations on commercial television some decades ago, the original soundtrack recording to BORN TO DANCE was displayed in record stores in the late 1970s.
Even though they look like brother and sister, Jimmy Stewart and Eleanor Powell ease into one of the most endearing and uplifting love affairs in musical film.
Stewart is all right, but the part isn't exactly a stretch for his thespian talents and for cryin' out loud, Jones was one of the best movie singers ever.The other standard is introduced by Virginia Bruce, spoiled mantrap of a Broadway musical star who takes a shine to Stewart after he saves her Pekingese from drowning while Bruce is visiting his ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Bruce sings I've Got You Under My Skin directly to Stewart with a come hither glance to lure him from Eleanor Powell who is her show's understudy.Borrowing from Hit the Deck with a plot of three sailors and three civilian women, Born to Dance pairs off Stewart with Powell, Buddy Ebsen with Frances Langford, and Sid Silvers with Una Merkel.
Raymond Walburn is at his avuncular best as the ship's captain who keeps entrusting Silvers and Ebsen to deliver a message to the Admiral and they keep getting sidetracked by their women.With Powell as the understudy to Bruce and them both vying for Stewart, you can readily guess how this story will resolve itself.
Eleanor dances divinely, especially in the finale number Swinging the Jinx Away which Frances Langford sings and Buddy Ebsen also dances.With all the talent involved and a plot which is a walking cliché, but easy to take, it's easy to love Born to Dance as I do..
If you like pretty movie stars, this one's the picture for you -- Eleanor Powell, Virginia Bruce, Una Merkel, Frances Langford are all beauties.
Outstanding Cole Porter songs include classics "Easy to Love" and "I've Got You Under My Skin." But my personal favorites are " Hey, Babe, Hey" and "Swingin' the Jinx Away." As always, Eleanor Powell's dancing is spectacular.
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.
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 comedian 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.
Eleanor Powell has come to New York to make it, and make it she does in "Born to Dance," a 1936 musical also starring James Stewart, Virginia Bruce, Buddy Ebsen, Una Merkel, and Sid Silvers.There's not much of a story, and not much of one is needed.
Lucy ends up walking out of the show; Powell then becomes the star - you can guess the rest.Certainly this is a wonderful score, one of the best, with the wonderful "Easy to Love," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Rolling Home," "Rap-Tap on Wood," and others.
The surprise of the cast is James Stewart, singing in a Fred Astaire sort of way - he's delightful, very musical, with a sweet voice that goes well with his boyish demeanor.Eleanor Powell is one of the great film tap dancers, and she gets to do a lot of numbers.
Secondly, the bits with character actors: Charles Trowbridge as a model home spokesman with stiff upper lip (movie butlers probably took notes); Reginald Gardiner as a policeman in Central Park who conducts an invisible orchestra (his wild, flopping hair and frantic moves are much like Danny Kaye as a music teacher in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 1947); Helen Troy as McCoy's telephone operator must be the inspiration for Lily Tomlin's snooty switchboard gal on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in the late 1960s; and Virginia Bruce singing 'Love Me, Love My Pekinese' is sheer Gilbert & Sullivan in its wit (the cast is smiling behind the lead stars because they know it's a very funny number.As for the stars, Elenore Powell is especially good at tap dancing and OK at singing.
James Stewart has charm and good looks but hardly dances, and he sings much like Fred Astaire (who was a top-notch dancer).
Otherwise, it's a mildly entertaining MGM musical, given big production values and some glossy photography but missing on several counts.Aside from the musical genius of Powell, JAMES STEWART is a strange choice for her romantic leading man when he has to warble the classic "Easy to Love", a Cole Porter classic.
VIRGINIA BRUCE gets through a couple of songs with her modest talent but again, neither performer is capable of putting over Cole Porter standards.The story is that of a girl aspiring to be a Broadway singer/dancer, and it's tailor-made for the bubbly, energetic Powell who rescues the plot from being completely banal by her mere presence.
SID SILVERS is amusing enough in a minor role, as is REGINALD GARDINER, but clearly the film belongs to Powell whenever she goes into her dance.Directed by the reliable Roy Del Ruth, it's pleasant enough but clearly a product of its time..
I know Eleanor Powell and Frances Langford are the real stars of this movie because I don't think Jimmy Stewart was up to that status yet.
The plot, such as it is, of this movie is best forgotten.What is impossible to forget are the musical numbers, many of which have become American classics, like "You'd be so easy to love." Add to that Eleanor Powell's spectacular dancing, especially in the finale, which is downright breathtaking, and you have one very entertaining movie.Sure, you could find fault here and there.
The movie is too long - too much plot - and the story is too complicated.But all of the musical and dance performances - and I do say all, including James Stewart's - are a joy to hear and behold.I doubt they could get away with making a movie like this today.
Una Merkel and Sid Silvers deliver in supporting roles, while Buddy Ebsen, who also appeared in "Broadway Melody of 1936," appears in this one as well and is just as weird as in the previous film performing dance routines in his inexplicably gangly, floppy style.
Cole Porter's song, "I've Got You Under My Skin," was also nominated for an Oscar, though personally it's my least favorite song in the score.A bit front loaded, "Born to Dance" slows down as it goes and nothing in its last half is as good as in the first, but it's still a really fun movie.Grade: B+.
Buddy Ebsen is a good enough dancer, but his singing is very minimal and does little justice to the wonderful musical numbers.I hate to say this, but Stewart was a rare disappointment in this one.
His singing is flat and quite limited in range mostly, Easy to Love is listenable but there are other times where he sounds as though he knows the songs are too big for him, while his dancing is heavy and flat-footed.Problems aside, Born to Dance does have a number of good things.
Reginald Gardiner's cameo is very awkward but also quite amusing at the same time.In my mind, Eleanor Powell gives the best performance, her acting is great, her charisma is infectious, her singing is well-above average and energetic and her dancing fares best of all as it is incredible.
The background scoring is beautiful and very memorable, while the songs especially Rap-Tap on Wood, Love, Love my Peckinese and the big production number at the end are outstanding with catchy melodies and witty lyrics as one would expect from Porter.In conclusion, interesting film musical but I would be lying if the pang of disappointment wasn't in the air.
Born to Dance has all of the charm and reality suspending fluff that makes these Broadway Melody style movies so wonderful: liquid, ludicrous plot, witty repartee, and catchy little songs that evolve into spectacular dance numbers, showcasing the multiple threats talents the stars of the days needed to possess.Other reviewers have highlighted the Cole Porter songs and analyzed the plot and performances, their strengths and their flaws, far more eloquently than I could aspire.Rather than highlight the big names involved, my attention was drawn by the supporting cast: the charming young Buddy Epsen and in particular to Sid Silvers, a.k.a.
Those greatest musicals from the past were dated now, it's too weird to see James Stewart sang those slow down and boring songs , he wasn't able to do that, but when Cole Porter's band coming along it's another thing, a powerful songs under so aclaimed musicians, looking around you find out some interesting characters who stolem the show as Buddy Ebsen dancing and his odd manerism, and the funny Captain played by Raymond Walburn in a amazing performance who didn't get delivery a single letter by own inability, fishing in the harbor among others so priceless moments!!Resume:First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.
Standard wartime musical with sailor Ted Barker (Jimmy Stewart) falling in love with beautiful tap dancer Nora Page (Eleanor Powell).
Buddy Ebsen is in this too.The songs are good, the tap dancing by Powell is incredible and there's a HUGE all out production number at the end--but I didn't really like this.
Such standards as "Easy to Love" and "I've Got You Under My Skin" everyone knows, but the unknown gems include the fantastic "Hey, Babe, Hey," the delightful "Rolling Home" and "Rap Tap on Wood," and the insane and memorable "Love Me, Love My Pekingese." Aside from the great score, there's the terrific dancing and personality of Eleanor Powell, the funny supporting cast, and most of all the unique musical style of the greatest of all movie stars, James Stewart, who gives one of his most charming performances..
Well, now I'm a bit disappointed, because mister Stewart is not only not the main character in the film (that is Powell), he doesn't dance also, so I don't see any reason why I will see this film again.I like Buddy Ebsen, in the 30's he acted in a lot of funny musicals like this one.
Sinatra rules off course, nobody messes with Blue Eyes, but the actress who sung it in this picture, sung it very well too.No, Stewart's performance isn't his best in 'Born to Dance', but the great ans powerful songs in this musical make it a very pleasant experience to watch it.And thank you very much, mister Porter..
Frances Langford gets less singing time than Bruce or Stewart but does much better.Every once in a while, the movie is fun.
The movie ended up speaking just how outstanding Cole Porter is that even the likes of Jimmy Stewart's nasally warbling only enhances the song--"Easy to Love".
In this case, navy man Jimmy Stewart (you have to call him 'Jimmy;' he looks like he's only about 19 years old) meets aspiring dancer Powell at a Lonely-Hearts boarding house, with fine support from the extremely gangly Buddy Ebsen and semi-newlyweds Una Merkel and Sid Silvers (who offer an interesting subplot as kids who impulsively married immediately before he shipped out- and four years later really don't know each other and are parents of a 3-year-old).
The film's two big centerpieces are Stewart crooning "Easy To Love" to Powell in a park (a scene much remembered from the 1974 documentary THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!) and the finale, which shows understudy Powell finally getting the lead in the show (42nd STREET, anyone?) to the song "Swingin' The Jinx Away." This number has to be seen to be believed.
Featuring songs by the great Cole Porter, "Born to Dance" is a pleasant MGM musical in the "boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl" mold.
Virginia Bruce was also an excellent choice for the role of the selfish, bitchy prima donna Lucy James, not to mention the delightful performances of Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen, Una Merkel, Frances Langford, Raymond Walburn, and Alan Dinehart.My favorite highlights from "Born to Dance" include the following (DON'T read any further if you haven't yet seen this musical).
James Stewart's other lesser known number titled "Hey Babe", which he sings quite well, is enhanced by the singing and dancing of the entire party of six: Ted, Nora, "Peppy" Turner (Langford), "Mush" Tracy (Ebsen), "Gunny" Saks (Silvers), and Jenny Saks (Merkel).A decade after "Born to Dance" was released, when James Stewart's acting career was in a slump, he watched his performance in this film and wanted to vomit.
One final point: of all the various Cole Porter numbers we hear in this film, only two of them maintained widespread popularity - the aforementioned "Easy to Love", and "I've Got You Under My Skin", which Lucy sings to a fairly embarrassed Ted..
Ted meets also Lonely hearts newcomer Nora (Eleanor Powell) while there and romance takes off beautifully as they merge into one of my favorite songs of the film "I'm nuts about you", with Mush and the beauty he meets (Frances Langford) who are also falling for each other while they're all singing and dancing, I loved it.
One cannot imagine a finer cast of the time in this film than Buddy Ebson, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce, Una Merkel and Eleanor Powell who should have had been offered better material.
This Cole Porter Musical features a singing James Stewart, Eleanor Powell.
Directed by Roy Del Ruth, with a story co-written by Sid Silvers, who plays the unluckily married sailor 'Gunny' Sacks, this average Cole Porter musical features a singing James Stewart, in only his tenth film!