Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

Director:

Dorothy Arzner

Writers:

Vicki Baum (story)
Frank Davis (writer)

Release Date:

30 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Heartbreak Behind Gayety of a Girly-Girl Show!

Plot:

Judy O'Brien is an aspiring ballerina in a dance troupe. Also in the company is Bubbles, a brash mantrap...

Plot Keywords:

Burlesque | Ballerina | Chorus Girl | Beautiful Woman | Drunkenness

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Maureen O'Hara	...	Judy O'Brien
Louis Hayward	...	Jaes 'Jimmy' Harris Jr.
Lucille Ball	...	Bubbles / Tiger Lily White
Virginia Field	...	Elinor Harris
Ralph Bellamy	...	Steve Adams
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Madame Lydia Basilova
Mary Carlisle	...	Sally
Katharine Alexander	...	Miss Olmstead
Edward Brophy	...	Dwarfie Humblewinger
Walter Abel	...	Judge
Harold Huber	...	Hoboken Gent
Ernest Truex	...	Bailey #1
Chester Clute	...	Bailey #2
Lorraine Krueger	...	Dolly
Lola Jensen	...	Daisy

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6247)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Lucille Ball and 'Maureen O'Hara' became inseparable friends while filming Dance Girl, Dance, and became life-long friends afterward, up Till Ball's death in 1989. Maureen was having lunch with Lucille when Lucille first saw her future husband Desi Arnaz.

Quotes:

Judy O'Brien: Go on, laugh, get your money's worth. No-one's going to hurt you. I know you want me to tear my clothes off so you can look your fifty cents' worth. Fifty cents for the privilege of staring at a girl the way your wives won't let you. What do you suppose we think of you up here with your silly smirks your mothers would be ashamed of...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Jitterbug Bite

Beautiful, powerful movie

I love classical Hollywood as much as anyone I know, but I am also aware that the films are often mechanical and emotionally distant. Very few reach the level of Dance, Girl, Dance. The plot is great. It is not exactly original, but it seemed that way to me. I was entirely hypnotized. This is due to the direction, characterizations, and acting. This is one of the few Hollywood films of the era directed by a woman, Dorothy Arzner. Generally, you can't tell this fact, except for in the climactic scene of the film, where Maureen O'Hara delivers a powerful feminist speech. The direction is amazing, but it's definitely subtle and sometimes hard to catch. All the characters in this film, especially the lead two, are very well realized. They're people, and we believed them. The acting is the best of all. Lucille Ball may be best known for her television show, but she was a great movie actress, as well. I can't say that I've seen too many of her films, but it would shock me if she was ever better than she is in Dance, Girl, Dance. She is the spark of the film, and Maureen O'Hara is the emotional core. I think that her part represents one of the best female characters to be found in the cinema. O'Hara is simply fabulous as a ballet dancer who has to lower her artistic standards to make a living. And, like I mentioned before, listen for that speech she gives near the end of the film. I hadn't heard of this film before. I had never heard of Dorothy Arzner. I love the feeling that I've made a major cinematic discovery. This is most definitely one of those. 10/10.