Dancing Lady is a
1933 musical
motion picture starring
Joan Crawford,
Clark Gable and
Franchot Tone. In the film, Crawford plays Janie Barlow, a young
New York burlesque dancer rescued from jail by a rich man. Janie later decides to better her life by moving uptown and gets her first big opportunity by being placed in a
Broadway play.
Dancing Lady is the fourth of eight cinematic collaborations between Crawford and Gable.
The film features the screen debut of dancer
Fred Astaire, who appears as himself, as well as
Nelson Eddy and
The Three Stooges.
Dancing Lady was directed by
Robert Z. Leonard, and produced by
John W. Considine Jr. and
David O. Selznick.
The movie had a hit song in "
Everything I Have Is Yours," by
Burton Lane and
Harold Adamson.
Synopsis
Millionaire Tod Newton takes his friends on a slumming trip to a burlesque show and finds himself attracted to Janie Barlow, one of the
strippers. When the club is raided by the police, Tod bails the broke Janie out, but she accepts the money only as a loan. That same night, Tod also sends her fifty dollars to buy herself a dress "without a zipper." She decides to move uptown and try out for a new show directed by Patch Gallagher, but when she can't get past the doorman, and even following Patch everywhere won't help, Tod again comes to her rescue by secretly arranging to back the show on condition that Patch hire Janie for the chorus. Patch doesn't want anything to do with a rich man's girlfriend, but when he sees how well Janie dances, he places her in the front row. Tod soon proposes and Janie accepts, but only if the show fails. Meanwhile, Patch has realized that neither his show nor his star, Vivian Warner, is right, so he gives Janie the lead of the new version. Although Patch and Janie are attracted to each other, Janie decides to go away with Tod when he secretly withdraws his backing and rehearsals stop. While they are away, Patch uses his own money for the show. When Janie returns and discovers Tod's deception, she begs Patch to take her back. On opening night, Janie is a big hit in her numbers with Fred Astaire and Nelson Eddy, and Tod realizes that Broadway, not
Park Avenue, should be Janie's address. Patch and Janie also realize that they are more than just star and director.
Cast
Reception
Dancing Lady was a box office hit upon its release and drew mostly positive reviews from critics.
Mordaunt Hall in the
New York Times wrote, "It is for the most part quite a lively affair.... The dancing of Fred Astaire and Miss Crawford is most graceful and charming. The photographic effects of their scenes are an impressive achievement....Miss Crawford takes her role with no little seriousness."
See also
