BEFORE: It may seem odd to go from a vulgar Kevin Smith film to a refined classic of the silver screen, but actors are actors, right? And the struggle of up-and-coming actors makes for a timeless story. I think I saw my sister perform in a stage version of this when I was in junior-high, but it's tough to remember anything about the plot.
THE PLOT: A boardinghouse full of aspiring actresses and their ambitions, dreams and disappointments.
AFTER: This is like a who's who of young actresses in 1937, some who had long and impressive careers, and some who didn't. Which is in essence what the film is about, the fact that only some of the actresses rooming at the boarding house will star on Broadway. I'm usually against actors acting as actors, or writers writing about writing, for that matter, but this didn't bother me so much here, since it's about more than acting itself, it's about the games these women had to play to get auditions, and the simultaneous hustle to find a successful husband, or at least a "sugar daddy".
And if a woman wasn't able to find a husband, or at least a man to take her to dinner, she was relegated to meals at the boarding house, the dreaded "lamb stew" (at least, you hope it's lamb...). I suppose this seemed kind of progressive back in 1937, women (gasp) living on their own and supporting themselves through acting and dance, but by today's standards I can't decide if it's degrading, or just outdated.
Did it come as a surprise to anyone that Broadway producers used the "casting couch"? Or that young actresses were willing to go along with it, to get the roles they wanted? That practice was probably ten times worse than this film even suggested, it may still be for all I know.
Terry Randall, played by Katharine Hepburn, doesn't play the game, though - she's more of the kind of person who sets the rules. But she's not like the other girls (no, not THAT way...) since she comes from a wealthy family, speaks proper English, and tries to tell the playwright how to change the lines. Umm, that's not really how this acting thing works.
Of course, for every actress who gets the part, there's at least one who didn't who was counting on it, and fame is fleeting, and people get older, and jeez, there are a lot of cliches in this film. But there is some emotion, too, even if the pieces came together in a somewhat contrived way. There's a lot of snarky dialogue - people seemed to talk quicker back in the old days, though, I guess they needed to conserve film during the Depression?
Also starring Ginger Rogers (I didn't know she could act, in addition to dancing), Lucille Ball, Ann Miller (only 14 at the time!), and Eve Arden.
RATING: 5 out of 10 taxi cabs
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