moonspinner55 Review of Stage Door

Stage Door (1937)

Superlative cast in moderately enjoyable adaptation of Edna Ferber's play

[7/10 · 3 September 2007]

Terrific cast in middling comedy-drama adapted from the play by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman concerning would-be actresses living in a New York boarding house, each vying for parts on the Great White Way. Katharine Hepburn's solid performance as a socialite trying to make it on her own merits is the acting highlight here, and her bits alongside roommate Ginger Rogers are sharp and funny. Andrea Leeds received a Supporting Oscar nomination for her effective work as a troubled young woman who can't seem to find a job, but Adolphe Menjou keeps popping up as if he were the only show-producer in the city. On the whole, only marginal, but certainly worth a look for that female ensemble, which includes Lucille Ball, Ann Miller and the incomparable Eve Arden, who might have benefited from more scenes. *** from ****