Movie Time: Born to Dance

 It's...  MOVIE TIME!

It's time for a movie musical! 

And it's time for another engagement with that dancing sensation of the Golden Age of cinema, the energetic, the evervescent, the enticing, the extraordinary Eleanor Powell.

Born To Dance was released by MGM in 1936 and also stars a young Jimmy Stewart in a very rare (as in "only") song 'n' dance role in a movie musical. 

And the score was composed by Cole Porter.

This film had quite a pedigree.

It better be good! 

You might need a spreadsheet or a really big whiteboard but here we go!

While on leave, sailor Ted Barker meets Nora Paige at the Lonely Hearts Club.

The club is owned by Jenny Saks who is the wife of fellow sailor Gunny Saks. 

BAM! Ted falls in love with Nora right away! It's that kind of movie so of course he does! 

But...

Back on duty on a submarine, Ted meets Broadway star Lucy James who's on board as part of a publicity tour. 

Lucy's Pekingese dog falls overboard.

Ted rescues the dog and....

BAM! Lucy falls in love with Ted! Because it's that sort of movie!

Ted's captain orders Ted to go on  date with Lucy at nightclub.

I'm not sure that's appropriate but hey, it's that kind of movie.

But Ted is supposed to go on a date with Nora.

Did I mention that Nora aspires to become a Broadway dancer?

I didn't?

Oops!

Nora aspires to become a Broadway dancer!

But those career aspirations don't look so good when she gets on Lucy's bad side.

And there's that matter of the picture in the paper of Lucy canoodling Ted in a nightclub. 

OH! How could he?!?!  

Well, golly, Ted didn't ask for any of this. He just wants to be with Nora.

But Nora won't talk to him because of that dang publicity photo.

Nora gets a job as Lucy's understudy but gets fired when Nora shows she's a better dancer than Lucy.  

Then some stuff happens and because Eleanor Powell is the star of the movie, Nora becomes the star of the Broadway show instead of Lucy.

And Nora and Ted are back together again.

Ahh!

And the end.  

The film's working title was This Time It's Love.

Born to Dance is Eleanor Powell's follow up to her breakout debut in Broadway Melody of 1936. 

Powell's Broadway Melody co-stars Buddy Ebsen and Frances Langford return to provide comedy and musical support.

The film features a bombastic finale called "Swingin' the Jinx Away". Set amidst a pre-Second World War naval backdrop, the Depression-era "feel good" number runs nearly 10 minutes. The sequence includes an eccentric dance routine by Ebsen, and ends in a flurry of tap dancing by Powell culminating in a patriotic salute, and finally (oh this is good!)

CANNON FIRE!! 

If this all seems a bit much, well musical director Roger Edens would tell you every chance he could that was embarrassed by the segment

Born To Dance  introduced Cole Porter standards "You'd Be So Easy to Love" and "I've Got You Under My Skin".  

While only her second starring film, Born To Dance follows the template for an Eleanor Powell film with a standard issue romance and a female rival who cause her trouble and ending with a big over the top dance routine that shows off Eleanor's considerable talents. 

It's all good dumb enjoyable movie musical fun anchored by the winsome charisma of Eleanor Powell.