Classic Film Guide

Born to Dance (1936) - full review!

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! Porter received the first of four Best Music Oscar nominations (without a win) for his Song "I've Got You Under My Skin" (sung by Virginia Bruce); the previous year's Oscar winner Dave Gould received a nomination for his Dance Direction. Buddy DeSylva, who would go on to receive a Best Song Oscar nomination of his own for Love Affair (1939) and Jack McGowan are also credited with writing this film's story and screenplay. Eleanor Powell (whose singing voice was dubbed by Marjorie Lane) plays the character to whom the title refers. Una Merkel, Frances Langford, Raymond Walburn, Alan Dinehart, and Buddy Ebsen round out the cast. Dance duo Georges and Jalna are also featured as themselves.

Arriving in New York after four years on a submarine together, the singing sailors, which include Ted Barker (Stewart), Gunny Sacks (Silvers), and ‘Mush’ Tracy (Ebsen) are thrilled to be back in the States. Elsewhere, Nora Paige (Powell), who'd just been rejected as a singer-dancer for a Broadway show, has found a friend in Jenny (Merkel), who works at the Lonely Hearts Club. After demonstrating her great talent, Nora accepts Jenny's invitation to room with her and her 3 ½ year old daughter Sally (precocious child star Juanita Quigley). Gunny and Jenny got married after meeting and surviving a month long dance contest together; Sally is the result of their two day marriage, before the Navy shipped Gunny off for 4 years. When Ted, Mush, and Gunny get shore leave to deliver a letter for their Captain Dingby (Walburn), the squat Gunny is briefly reunited with Jenny who's not so sure she's thrilled with "what" she married (in fact, she mistook Ted for her betrothed initially). So, Jenny withholds the existence of their daughter from her husband and refuses to immediately accept their future together. Ted immediately falls for Nora; Mush briefly falls for a talented waitress (Langford) working at the club as well, though for her the feeling is not mutual. The lanky Ebsen gets to demonstrate his unique physical dancing skills on a couple of occasions.

Back in the harbor, and thanks to an arrangement by her show's producer McKay (Dinehart), Broadway actress Lucy James (Bruce) visits the men on the sub with her Pekingese. When the dog falls overboard and is rescued by Ted, McKay gets another idea - he'll link the sailor romantically with the actress in order to generate front page publicity which is bound to help their show's box office. Of course, this disrupts the smooth sailing between Ted and Nora who, with anonymous help from Ted with McKay, becomes Lucy's understudy in the show. In addition to the unresolved relationship with Jenny & Gunny, there's a "subplot" involving Mush & Gunny, who the Captain can't tell apart despite their stark physical differences, having to deliver a letter ashore. Upset by the sailor-actress romance rumors she doesn't know are false, Nora pretends that Sally is her child to help Jenny keep her secret from Gunny, but this naturally disillusions Ted. Lucy finds she is interested in Ted, but also learns she has real competition from Nora for the show's lead. It should be no surprise, however, that a happy ending is in the works.

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