| | |
Features: DVD, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Ginger Rogers and Ann Miller tap in time and rat-a-tat lines. Lucille Ball braves a date with an obnoxious lumber baron. Eve Arden can't recall Hamlet but one meets so many people in the big city. And Katharine Hepburn becomes Broadway's biggest star in a play wherein she notes "the calla lilies are in bloom again." Stars galore shine in this nominee for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, a fast, witty story of aspiring actresses living at a theatrical boarding house. Based on an Edna Ferber/George S. Kaufman play, the tale was considerably rewritten for film, so much that Kaufman quipped it should be called Screen Door. What matters most to an acting hopeful is an open door. With humor and heart, this excellent movie suggests some things matter more.
Editor's Note
The Footlights Club, the primary setting for much of STAGE DOOR, is a remarkable creation. The result of a collaboration between director Gregory La Cava, screenwriter Morrie Ryskind (brought in to replace Anthony Veiller), and an outstanding group of tough, smart-talking actresses played by Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Eve Arden, and Gail Patrick, the film's club is always full of noise, as the conversations overlap and wisecracks come spinning out of the melee. Newcomer Terry Randall (Hepburn) is different from the other women. For one thing, she has money and doesn't need a job. And she has confidence, initially rejecting fading actress Catherine Luther's (Constance Collier) offer of help, saying, "I think coaching's a waste of time. After all, acting's only common sense." Because of her attitude, the rooming house's inhabitants give her a rough time, especially her roommate, Jean (Ginger Rogers). Eventually, Terry gets an opportunity to act--at the expense of Kaye Hamilton (Andrea Leeds). Only after Jean and the others see Terry's response to Kaye's tragedy is she grudgingly accepted into the group. STAGE DOOR is an extraordinarily rich movie, graced by wonderful performances by Rogers, Hepburn, and the entire remarkable ensemble cast.
Plot Summary
Set in a Manhattan boarding house during the 1930s, STAGE DOOR chronicles the ups and downs of the lives and careers of aspiring stage actresses. Director Gregory La Cava's film centers around haughty Terry Randall, who comes from a moneyed family, and is also the newest boarder.
| Features | Audio: English Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: New Line |
| Release Date: 3/1/2005 |
| Running Time: 92 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1937 | | Catalog ID: 6755 | | UPC: 00053939675528 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: B&W |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1938) | | | Andrea Leeds, Nominee, Best Supporting Actress | | | Gregory La Cava, Nominee, Best Director | | | Pandro S. Berman, Nominee, Best Picture | | | Morrie Ryskind, Anthony Veiller, Nominee, Best Writing, Screenplay |
| Memorable Quotes| "Take off those stockings or I will."----Jean (Ginger Rogers) to Linda (Gail Patrick) | | "I think coaching's a waste of time. After all, acting's only common sense"----Terry (Katharine Hepburn) to Catherine Luther (Constance Collier) |
|
| | Professional Reviews | Entertainment Weekly
"...A kinder, more sentimental backstage yarn....Hepburn in a role that defined her film persona..." -- Rating: A- 05/12/1995 pp.68-70USA Today
"Beyond the wisecracks, there's a memorable Oscar-nominated performance by Andrea Leeds..." 03/04/2005 p.6E Los Angeles Times
"[A] highly entertaining comedy-drama featuring a sprightly cast..." 03/27/2005 p.E13 |
| |
|
|
|
