Stage Door (1937)

Stage Door
Directed by Gregory La Cava
Written by Morry Ryskind and Anthony Veiller from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman
1937/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
Repeat viewing

[box] Jean Maitland: [to Linda Shaw as she is leaving for a dinner date] Don’t chew the bones and give yourself away![/box]

I love me some snappy one liners and this movie about the residents at a women’s theatrical boarding house is full of them.  And what a cast!

Stage Door is not an extremely plot-driven movie but the central story concerns wealthy cultured newcomer Terry Randall (Katharine Hepburn) who moves into the Footlight Club where she is surrounded by hardened, struggling Broadway performers.  She shares a room with  wise-cracking Jean Maitland (Ginger Rogers).    Among the many colorful characters at the boarding house is serious actress Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) who hasn’t worked in a year and is now going hungry while dreaming of being cast in a new play. There is a subplot about various girls’ adventures with womanizing producer Anthony Powell (Adolphe Menjou).  With Gail Patrick, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, Constance Collier, and Ann Miller.

The plot summary above doesn’t sound too scintillating and it sort of descends into predictable melodrama at the end.  The interplay of the catty female characters is simply priceless, however.  These ladies were firing on all cylinders and apparently having a marvelous time.  I had a big smile on my face for most of the running time.  Warmly recommended.

Stage Door was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Andrea Leeds), and Best Writing (Screenplay).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-adzytXoVY

Clip – Hepburn and Rogers – new roommate