1.
Broadway Melody of 1936
–
Broadway Melody of 1936 is a musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. In New York, the opened at the Capitol Theatre. It was a follow-up of sorts to the successful The Broadway Melody, the film was written by Harry W. Conn, Moss Hart, Jack McGowan and Sid Silvers. It was directed by Roy Del Ruth and starred Jack Benny, Eleanor Powell, Robert Taylor, Frances Langford, Sid Silvers, Buddy Ebsen and it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Irene Foster tries to convince her high school sweetheart, Broadway producer Robert Gordon, to give her a chance to star in his new musical, irene tries to show Gordon that she has the talent to succeed, but he will not hire her. Things become complicated when she begins impersonating a French dancer, who was actually the invention of a gossip columnist, cast notes This was Powells first leading role, and her first film for MGM. She would appear in the two entries in the Broadway Melody series, Broadway Melody of 1938 and Broadway Melody of 1940. This also marked Ebsens film debut, though she was dubbed in this film by Marjorie Lane, Eleanor recorded You Are My Lucky Star with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra. Broadway Melody of 1936 at the Internet Movie Database Broadway Melody of 1936 at the TCM Movie Database Broadway Melody of 1936 at AllMovie
2.
The Big Broadcast of 1936
–
The Big Broadcast of 1936 is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of Big Broadcast movies. The film featured an appearance by Dorothy Dandridge. Glenn Miller appears as part of the Ray Noble Orchestra, in Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, George Thomas Simon noted that Glenn Miller was paid extra by Ray Noble for working on The Big Broadcast of 1936, so that Glenns total weekly pay was $356. The screenplay was by Walter DeLeon, Francis Martin, Ralph Spence, and Julius J. Epstein, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Dance Direction by LeRoy Prinz for Its the Animal in Me. Although the film has not been released on DVD or VHS, both Spud and Smiley play the role of Lochinvar. Burns and Allen ask Miller for an advance of $5,000 for the invention, Spud decides to enter an international broadcast competition with a prize of $250,000. Ysobel listens to the Lochinvar radio show and believes that he has sent her a letter and she finds out that he sends letters to listeners of the show. Outraged, she goes to the station to shoot Lochinvar. Spud and Smiley are able to win her over after her gun fails to shoot and they attempt to convince her to invest $5,000 in The Radio Eye invention which would allow them to win the competition. She takes Spud and Smiley to her Caribbean island, Clementi and she will decide to marry one of them before midnight. Gordoni, however, plans to murder them, Spud and Smiley are able to notify George Burns and Gracie Allen in New York and inform them that they are in grave danger. Burns and Allen then depart for the island on a boat, Gracie sets a fire on the boat. A Coast Guard cutter takes them on board and heads for the island, Gordoni has Drowzo put in the drinks to put Ysobel to sleep. Spud and Smiley turn on The Radio Eye to listen to the Vienna Boys Choir, Spud and Smiley are able to escape on coaches with teams of horses. After a chase, during which Spud is separated from his horses in a bifurcation in the road, they reach the pier where the Coast Guard and Burns, Spud wins the international broadcast competition. Spud tells Ysobel that he may marry her after a period of observation and she tells him, Let this be the start of a beautiful friendship. Paramounts Big Broadcast series began in 1932 and continued in late 1935 with The Big Broadcast of 1936, the movie was filmed at the Kaufman Astoria Studios on 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, in New York City. Bing Crosbys cameo was filmed in Hollywood in April 1935
3.
LeRoy Prinz
–
He was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Dance Direction in the 1930s, and won the Golden Globe in 1958. Among the films whose dances he choreographed were Show Boat, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Rhapsody in Blue, LeRoy Jerome Prinz was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. His grandfather was a master, and his father taught ballroom dancing etiquette to young men and women at Prinzs Academy in St. Joseph. According to one account, he was sent to school after chasing his stepmother with a carving knife. Later that year, he told interviewers, he went on a ship to Europe as a boy, jumped ship. In Marseilles he joined the French Foreign Legion, serving as a bugler in Algiers and he also represented a rubber company in St. Louis and Kansas City. After the outbreak of World War I, he returned to France, was trained as a pilot and he was with the 94th from November 1917 to June 1918, when he switched to the 27th Aero Squadron, where he stayed until November 1918. At the 27th his duties included working at the Aircraft Acceptance Park test facility at Orly, according to his obituary in the Los Angeles Times, Prinz returned to the U. S. in 1919 and studied theater at Northwestern University. After graduation from Northwestern, the reported, Prinz returned to France. A November 1919 St. Louis Post-Dispatch report states that Prinz was employed in the portion of an American Legion show, also featuring actor William S. Hart. The newspaper gives Prinzs rank as captain and states that he was a partner of Quentin Roosevelt. A Wisconsin newspaper reported in 1921 that Prinz, which it said had danced with Al Jolson, was teaching dance at a camp for wounded veterans. The newspaper said that Prinz himself had fallen 3000 feet but had recovered and he told interviewers that he worked for gangster Jim Colosimos restaurant in Chicago, and that he produced stage shows for Al Capone. He claimed in a 1945 New York Times profile that Capone hired him to book entertainment, Prinz left Chicago and worked as a dance director in New York, Florida, Mexico and Cuba. His employers included Earl Carroll, Broadways Shubert family, Tex Guinan and he choreographed Earl Carrolls Vanities of 1930 and other Broadway shows between 1929 and 1933. His first employment in films was in 1931 by director Cecil B, deMille, who employed him as dance director. While filming Cleopatra, Prinz clashed with DeMilles niece Agnes de Mille, according to Agnes de Milles biographer, her uncle always deferred to the reliable but pedestrian Prinz, even after agreeing to his nieces flamboyant dances in advance. Agnes de Mille left the film and he worked in over 150 films, mainly as a choreographer, among them The Desert Song, Tea for Two, and The Jazz Singer, a remake of the first sound movie
4.
Go into Your Dance
–
Go into Your Dance is a 1935 American musical film starring Al Jolson, Ruby Keeler, and Glenda Farrell. The film was directed by Archie Mayo and is based on the novel of the name by Bradford Ropes. It was released by Warner Bros. on April 20,1935, an irresponsible Broadway star gets mixed up with gambling and gangsters. Broadway star Al Howard has a habit of walking out on hit shows and his sister Molly promises his agent he will never do it again, but he is banned from Broadway. Molly tracks Al down in Mexico, where he is on a binge, when Molly runs into Dorothy Wayne a friend who is a dancer, she begs Dorothy to form a team with Al, because she can get Al a job if he has a partner. At first Molly is reluctant but finally agreed and it takes some work to convince Al, but he eventually agrees to form a team with Dorothy. They become a big success in Chicago, Dorothy falls in love with Al and thinking that he does not return her affection decides to quit the act. Al asks her to stay, telling her that he plans to open his own nightclub on Broadway. Molly introduces Al to Duke Hutchinson a gangster who is willing to back the club as a showcase for his wife, Al flirts with Luana, Dorothy warns him about his involvement with Luana, but Al continues his flirtation with her. Duke gives Al an additional $30,000 to open the club, but before opening night, Al uses the money to post bond for Molly, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder. When Al turns down a proposal from Luana, she angrily tells Duke the club will not open on schedule, at the last minute, Molly is cleared of the murder and the necessary money is returned, with the show opening on time and to great applause. Duke tries to call off his gunmen, but Luana does not give them the message, Al finally realizes that he is in love with Dorothy and asks her to dinner. As they step out the door, Dorothy sees the gunmen and she is wounded and as Al holds her, he tells Dorothy that he loves her. The doctor proclaims that Dorothy will be fine and Als club is a huge success, Barton MacLane was billed as Barton Mac Lane. Go into Your Dance was released in Britain as Casino de Paris and this film, a famous early musical, includes the numbers This Evening About a Quarter to Nine and Latin From Manhattan sung by Al Jolson. The former song was recreated in color in the film The Jolson Story. Dance director Bobby Connolly received an Academy Award nomination for his work on the Latin from Manhattan and her tap dancing is so much better. On the credit side are the Warren-Dubin songs, the absence—mark this. —of overhead shots of the chorus, Helen Morgans rendition of The Little Things You Used to Do, and Mr. Jolson
