Dance, Girl, Dance
Dorothy Arzner, the sole woman to work as a director in the Hollywood studio system of the 1930s and early ’40s, brings a subversive feminist sensibility to this juicily entertaining backstage melodrama. A behind-the-footlights look at friendship, jealousy, and ambition in the ruthless world of show business, Dance, Girl, Dance follows the intertwining fates of two chorus girls: a starry-eyed dancer (Maureen O’Hara) who dreams of making it as a ballerina, and the brassy gold digger (a scene-stealing Lucille Ball) who becomes her rival both on the stage and in love. The rare Hollywood picture of the era to deal seriously with issues of female artistic struggle and self-actualization, Arzner’s film is a rich, fascinating statement from an auteur decades ahead of her time.
Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- New introduction by critic B. Ruby Rich
- New interview with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Plus: An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley
New cover by Jody Hewgill
Blu-ray Special Edition Features
- New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- New introduction by critic B. Ruby Rich
- New interview with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Plus: An essay by critic Sheila O’Malley
New cover by Jody Hewgill
Cast
- Maureen O’Hara
- Judy O’Brien
- Lucille Ball
- Bubbles
- Louis Hayward
- Jimmy Harris
- Virginia Field
- Elinor Harris
- Ralph Bellamy
- Steve Adams
- Maria Ouspenskaya
- Madame Lydia Basilova
- Mary Carlisle
- Sally
- Katharine Alexander
- Miss Olmstead
- Edward Brophy
- Dwarfie Humblewinger
- Walter Abel
- Judge
Credits
- Director
- Dorothy Arzner
- Screenplay
- Tess Slesinger
- Screenplay
- Frank Davis
- Story by
- Vicki Baum
- Executive producer
- Harry E. Edington
- Producer
- Erich Pommer
- Director of photography
- Russell Metty
- Editor
- Robert Wise
- Musical director
- Edward Ward
- Dances staged by
- Ernst Matray
- Set decoration
- Darrell Silvera
- Gowns by
- Edward Stevenson
A scene from Dance, Girl, Dance
