Dance, Girl, Dance

"Heartbreak Behind Gayety of a Girly-Girl Show!"

1940 1h 30m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 74

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Judy O'Brien is an aspiring ballerina in a dance troupe. Also in the company is Bubbles, a brash mantrap who leaves the struggling troupe for a career in burlesque. When the company disbands, Bubbles gives Judy a thankless job as her stooge. The two eventually clash when both fall for the same man.

“Heartbreak Behind Gayety of a Girly-Girl Show!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Maureen O'Hara
Judy
Louis Hayward
Jimmy Harris
Lucille Ball
Bubbles
Virginia Field
Elinor Harris
Ralph Bellamy
Steve Adams
Maria Ouspenskaya
Madame Basilova
Mary Carlisle
Sally
Katharine Alexander
Miss Olmstead

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dorothy Arzner
Writers: Vicki Baum, Frank Davis, Tess Slesinger
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dorothy Arzner, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Maureen O'Hara and Louis Hayward and Lucille Ball carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Heartbreak Behind Gayety of a Girly-Girl Show!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032376 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dorothy Arzner directs. Russell Metty behind the camera. Robert Wise cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
286 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Dorothy Arzner, shot by Russell Metty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Robert Wise shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Maureen O'Hara and Louis Hayward and Lucille Ball carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Heartbreak Behind Gayety of a Girly-Girl Show!".
7IMDB entry: tt0032376 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "dancing", "dancer", "romantic rivalry", "female friendship".

The technical file

Cinematography: Russell Metty
Editing: Robert Wise
Costume design: Edward Stevenson
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)

Also by

Dorothy Arzner

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-05-17
★ 8/10
A really fun film that I found in my Maureen O'Hara TCM 4-pack that I highly recommend if you enjoy films from that era. I like the two films I've seen so far from Arzner, who was one of the earliest and most successful of female directors and I believe the first openly lesbian one--the other work I've seen of hers is the great pre-Code look at alcoholism, 'Merrily We Go to Hell'. This is great if you either like musicals from the era, are a Maureen O'Hara or Lucille Ball enthusiast (holy, she was unbelievably a knockout in her early filmic days!) or are simply curious about the works of early female and/or lesbian directors. Arzner--at least in the two films I have seen from her thus far--showed she truly deserved to be successful in the industry.

Production companies