Stage Door (1937)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Gregory La Cava

Writers:

Morrie Ryskind (screenplay) and
Anthony Veiller (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 lokakuu 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Brilliant In Cast And Story

Plot:

A boardinghouse full of aspiring actresses and their ambitions, dreams and disappointments.

Plot Keywords:

Broadway | Ambition | Boardinghouse | Nightclub | Tutor

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

Katharine Hepburn	...	Terry Randall
Ginger Rogers	...	Jean Maitland
Adolphe Menjou	...	Anthony Powell
Gail Patrick	...	Linda Shaw
Constance Collier	...	Miss Luther
Andrea Leeds	...	Kay Hamilton
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Henry Sims
Lucille Ball	...	Judith
Franklin Pangborn	...	Harcourt
William Corson	...	Bill
Pierre Watkin	...	Carmichael
Grady Sutton	...	Butch
Frank Reicher	...	Stage Director
Jack Carson	...	Mr. Milbanks
Phyllis Kennedy	...	Hattie

Also Known As:

Suuri hetki (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

92 min | West Germany:83 min (TV)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #3486) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:U

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Katharine Hepburn's box office power had been declining and was given a smaller part than she was accustomed, and initially she was to receive second billing under Ginger Rogers. Hepburn protested to RKO producer Pandro S. Berman, who told Hepburn "she was lucky to have the 7th role in a star picture". Hepburn persisted and was giving more scenes as filming progressed, and she and Ginger Rogers eventually shared side-by-side top billing.

Quotes:

Terry Randall: [delivering her opening speech in the play within the movie] The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower, suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day and now I place them here in memory of something that has died.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood the Golden Years: The RKO Story" (1987)

Soundtrack:

Put Your Heart Into Your Feet and Dance

One of the best examples of Hollywood's Golden Age

I don't quite know how to put my passion for this film into words. It's something I never expected. I taped it off of television because I've been on a Ginger Rogers kick lately (I think I'm in love with her), and very luckily experienced something of enormous quality.

There is not a regular plot. Unlike most classical cinema, the goal towards which the film is striving is quite tenuous. Basically, the goal is for Katherine Hepburn to get a part in a play and give a good performance, but it is never stressed. Instead, what we get is more of an ensemble piece. There are characters who are more central than others, but we get to know well a great number of characters. And we live with them, experience their dreams, hardships, and successes, falling more and more deeply in love with them every minute, caring about them as we would dear friends or siblings.

It is most often referred to as a comedy, and the dialogue tends to be hilarious (Ginger Rogers is in full form here, wisecracking at the speed of light), but the film's drama is very affecting, too. This film's ending is so beautiful, and like all great films, we're reluctant to say goodbye to the characters. Fortunately, since I have it on tape, I can visit the boarding house any time I want. Unfortunately, since this film is neither on VHS nor DVD, you probably cannot. Watch for it on AMC or TCM or other stations that play classic films. You will not be disappointed. 10/10