Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

Dance, Girl, Dance
Directed by Dorothy Azner
Written by Tess Seslinger, Frank Davis, and Vicki Baum
1940/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental
#149 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] 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? We know it’d the thing of the moment for the dress suits to come and laugh at us too. We’d laugh right back at the lot of you, only we’re paid to let you sit there and roll your eyes and make your screamingly clever remarks. What’s it for? So you can go home when the show’s over, strut before your wives and sweethearts and play at being the stronger sex for a minute? I’m sure they see through you. I’m sure they see through you just like we do![/box]

I liked this movie but don’t exactly know if belongs in the “must-see” category.  Certainly the work of a pioneering woman director should not be forgotten, however.

“Bubbles” (Lucille Ball) and Judy O’Brien (Maureen O’Hara) are dancers in Madame Lydia Basilova’s (Maria Ouspenskaya) troupe.  The troupe falls on hard times and the girls are left to their own devices.  “Bubbles” easily gets work based on her sex appeal and willingness to flaunt it.  The more timid and “classy” Judy struggles.  Finally “Bubbles” becomes a burlesque star under the moniker Tiger Lily White.  She gets Judy a break performing a “classy” ballet number in the show mainly to get the crowd yelling for more Tiger Lily.

In the meantime, Judy develops a crush on soon-to-be-divorced Jimmy Hayward (Louis Hayward).  Hayward is gun-shy however and Judy’s blue eyes remind him too much of his ex-wife’s (Virginia Field) so he usually ends up in the arms of Bubbles.  The conflict builds up to a memorable cat fight.  With Ralph Bellamy as a ballet impresario.

This is an all-around solid picture with a little bit of commentary about the objectivization of women.  Of course, it being 1940, the whole thing needs to resolve into a battle over a man, and a drunk at that.  You would never catch me in a fight over the affections of Louis Hayward but that is neither here nor there.  Even here, you could see why Lucille Ball made it big as a comedienne.  She is a kick in the pants.

I had not known Maureen O’Hara could dance,  She does some very graceful footwork.

Clip – Hula audition