Jimmy Stewart was a man of considerable acting skills, and appeared in countless movies which are highly regarded in the industry. Twenty eight years old in 1936, he acted in eight movies that year, including The Thin Man, and thus we have the problem with Born To Dance, and to sum it up, I ask, "what was he thinking." The thought of Jimmy Stewart singing and dancing in a musical feels quite puzzling, and unbelievable. I might not protest so hardily except that he's terrible at singing--something he admits in a later interview (video below trailer). The problems don't end with his performance--the concept of the story revolves around a sailor and a tap dancer, and she's gotta dance, which disappoints him (he may have wanted her home in the kitchen). I believe Powell was a well loved star in the thirties, though she's not a name I recognize.
The trailer offers the development of several love interests, though any enthusiasm, to satisfy my urges, to watch the romance in this movie are nonexistent. Expand this mixture to incorporate extravagant show tunes-- singing, dancing, countless men playing tubas, and scene after scene of exaggerated smiling--this movie recipe doesn't interest me in the least. 100% thumbs down!
The trailer faithfully promises to provide "the greatest aggregation of dancing beauties ever seen together on stage or screen," Undeniably, beauty in one era may not transmit comparable awe in later generations--society adjusts its perspective of beauty in brief bursts of distinct fashion periods, defined by months to a few years. 42nd Street is 82 years old, and the revisions to the code of "beauty" through the years are too numerous to count. The women of this time period came from a generation who saw their mothers or grandmothers wearing corsets, long dresses and buns, and the unrestricted clothes and hair styles (perms and bleached blonds) available in the 30's gave the appearance, through beauty, of freedom. The story of the movie is portrayed by the dancers rehearsing for a new Broadway musical. A Chorus line is the 80's offering of the same story, though it's a much harsher film. The question I want answered--how long women had danced to tap and jazz in such an unrestricted manner? I'm sure they were not raised this way, and a completely new and exciting part of entertainment had entered their lives.
This would be a thumbs down for me. I would not say it's a bad movie, only one that wouldn't interest me. I might watch it on a boring day, yet I would rather watch a X-file rerun. I would like to point out the poster gives off the feeling these are a line of blow up dolls (not that I know what they actually look like in person, but from movies).
