5/5 This one's a keeper!
  by Ruth Anderson
I'm so, so glad I finally got around to watching Stage Door - the film is a gem and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can so see why it was nominated for Best Picture in 1937 - the honor was well-deserved in my opinion. Loosely based on a play by Edna Ferber (Giant, Show Boat) and George S. Kaufman (You Can't Take It With You, The Man Who Came to Dinner), this is a movie full of humor and heart, striking just the right balance of comedy and melodrama. It's a great example of 1930s Depression-era escapism, with every character doing their level best to get by and catch a break. The story centers around a group of aspiring Broadway actresses that make their home at the Footlights Club boarding house. They're a fairly tight-knit group, and include a brash dancer played by Ginger Rogers, a "kept" woman played by Gail Patrick, a brilliant actress who can't catch a break played by Andrea Leeds, and some wise-cracks and sarcasm provided by Lucille Ball. There's also a noteworthy turn by a 14 year old Ann Miller, remarkably holding her own and not out of place in the least opposite actresses ten years or more her senior. The equilibrium of the house is disrupted by the arrival of the "uppity" Tracy with a secretive past, played by Katharine Hepburn, who doesn't seem to know her place. The role of Tracy fits Hepburn like a glove, and watch for the moment when she delivers the line "the calla lilies are in bloom again" - it's priceless! While Rogers and Hepburn are clearly the stars, the rest of the cast is given ample opportunity to shine - this is a great ensemble picture, very nearly flawlessly constructed in how it gives each actress their moment in the spotlight. The film is fast-paced, with never a dull or lagging moment, and the dialogue positively sizzles with electric energy. The final scene is breath-takingly well played - life at the Footlights Club, with all of the triumphs and tragedy that occurs, will, like "the show," always go on. I think the DVD transfer here is fantastic, with an extremely crisp & clear picture. There are a few extras - the musical short Ups and Downs is really pretty cute, and fun for the novelty of seeing an extremely young June Allyson in only her third role, nearly unrecognizable as a platinum blonde. For fans of the classics, you can't do better than Stage Door's expert balance of comedy and drama. It's a definite keeper.

5/5 A True Classic
  by Rama Rao (Annandale, VA, USA)
This is another great classic (made in 1937) that belongs in the category of such memorable classics as; The Women (1939 classic, starring Norma Shearer) and Little Women (1933 Luisa May Alcott classic, starring Katharine Hepburn) that focused on the lives of women in the post-depression era.

The Footlights Club in New York City is a theatrical boarding house where young women from all over the country flood in to make it big in theater or Broadway. As they say, if you make it here (in New York City), you will make in anywhere. That was the dream of every girl residing in this theatrical villa. These girls are smart, intelligent, and beautiful, but disappointments are also common when they can't make it to the act or when greedy directors and producers take advantage of them. Sometimes rivalry could pit one girl against another and make it very bitter for everybody. This problem is solved since almost all girls are always cheerful, seek comfort in friendship, momentary quarrels are forgotten the next day and most of all their engagement in wisecracks and gossip make the crowd livelier and great to watch.

Terri Randall (Katherine Hepburn) is the only daughter of wealthy investor Henry Sims Randall (Sam Hinds), decides to become independent and comes to reside in the boarding house in search of a career in show business. Terri is fearless, very independent with a heart of gold, would like to do anything for a friend. Her roommate Jean Maitland (Ginger Rogers) is beautiful, also very independent, bold, and fearless competitor in the pursuit of her career in show business. The writers have taken a softer approach to their friendship, we see some professional rivalry between them, but we also witness plenty of emotions, sisterhood, friendship, understanding, and sharing happiness and grief.

Other residents of the house includes cynical Judith (Lucille Ball), wisecracker Eve (Eve Arden), lively and always cheerful Annie (Ann Miller), snobbish and playful Linda Shah (Gail Patrick), and sweet and adorable Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds.) Miss Luther (Constance Collier), an older resident who dwells on bittersweet memories also provides elderly advices to the girls when they need them especially in acting. Anthony Powell (Adolphe Menjou) is a greedy producer who makes lecherous advances and deceitful promises at every girl he comes across, and every girl in the house knows about his serenading tricks. His butler, Harcourt (Franklin Pangborn) provides all the fun and screwball comedy you care to watch. These serenading moments are fun to watch as one girl after another rejects him.

The friendship between Terri and Jean comes to a head on collision when in a turn of events, Kay Hamilton, loses a part in the play "Enchanted April" due to interests invested by Terri's father, Henry Sims Hamilton. This part goes to inexperienced and somewhat erratic Terri. Neither Terri nor the producer Powell knows about this ownership except Henry Sims's representative. You would witness some hostilities among the girls against Terri but all is taken in good spirits and they still behave like real ladies. When Kay realizes that her dream of being a star is crashed and almost penniless, she commits suicide by falling from her bedroom window. Terri at the theater comes to know about this and filled with sadness and emotions, she offers a brilliant performance on the stage that thrills audience and movie critics. In a sudden change of events she announces to the audience that was not her performance but it was Kay Hamilton who performed on the stage and all the credits must go to her. This stuns the crowd especially all her friends and her best friend Jean. Part of final scenes reminds of another great classic, Sunset Blvd, a reverse of fate for the heroine, Kay Hamilton.

This is a true classic; fresh, sparkling, great girlish-dialogue infusing with humor. The rapid cross talk between the girls is filled with humor and fun to watch; this is reminiscent of quick humor seen in the movie "The Women." Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Andrea Leeds and Lucille Ball have provided spectacular performances and you must treasure this movie in your personal library.

1. The Women (Keepcase)
2. Little Women (1933)
3. Sunset Boulevard - The Centennial Collection
4. Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)


4/5 Cute little film
  by One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
The Bottom Line:

A fairly stagebound film (its origins on the boards are obvious) but nonetheless an enjoyable one, Stage Door follows the lives of several wannabe actresses all living in the same New York boarding house during the Depression; a fun estrogen-laden story with an effective performance by Hepburn in the lead, it's not a terribly memorable film but it's a pleasant 90 minutes.

3/4

5/5 Ah, the theater!
  by Dorothy Keyser (Grand Forks, ND USA)
I've loved this movie for years, rented it through Netflix and didn't want to give it back, and finally took the plunge and bought my own copy. I've already watched it three or four times and do not expect to get tired of it any time soon. The characters, all would-be actresses living in a New York boarding house, are distinct and interesting. There is humor, pathos, and an outstanding performance by a young Katherine Hepburn as a millionaire's daughter who doesn't understand just how vulnerable her housemates are to the whims and appetites of producers. The stellar cast includes Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Eve Arden, and little-known performer Andrea Leeds in an Oscar-nominated performance as the actress who has the talent but not the resilient personality necessary for success in the theater. Just a great movie.

5/5 The Footlights Club
  by Bobby Underwood (Bakersfield, California United States)
This sentimental look at a group of young women trying to make it in the acting profession and leaning on each other makes for a wonderful film. There is a terrific ensemble cast of 1930's actresses who all shine at various moments. Novelist Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman found their play in good hands with producer Pandro S. Berman and director Gregory La Cava. The screenplay by Morrie Ryskind and Anthony Veiller left all the wry humor and tender sentiments in tact.

A boardinghouse in New York called the Footlights Club is where most of the film takes place, yet it in no way feels claustrophobic. There is never a dull moment, in fact, as the girls go in and out to auditions looking for their big break and are constantly cracking wise to mask their fear of rejection. Eve Arden, Gail Patrick, Ann Miller, Lucille Ball, and Constance Collier all have some fine moments beside Kate Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Andrea Leads. Leads' performance as the young and fragile Kay, desperate to land the lead in Enchanted April to fulfill the promise of a previous shining moment on stage, is memorable.

While Hepburn's role as Terry, the rich girl among the bunch, trying to make it on her own and finding it hard to fit in, was perhaps meant to have a slight edge over the other players, it is Ginger Rogers' Jean who viewers care about the most. She is snappy yet vulnerable, and very softhearted underneath. The instant dislike between she and Terry dissolves as the film goes along, of course. Rogers is wonderful in a couple of scenes and her performance seems more genuine somehow than Hepburn's. La Cava would make Fifth Avenue Girl with Ginger two years later, and Pandro S. Berman, of course, produced the beloved Fred and Ginger films.

Gail Patrick proved fabulous also as the girl willing to sell out for furs to Adolph Menjou. There are many little subplots of the day to day survival of such a group which all add something to the story. Leads' performance as a girl starving in order to pay her rent will bring about a tragedy one of the girls will draw on for emotional inspiration in order to succeed. The often overlapping dialog is witty and fun to listen to. One must believe that Howard Hawks used it for inspiration three years later as the same technique is exaggerated to glorious perfection in His Girl Friday.

All in all, while it is dated, this is an enjoyable film classic with a wonderful cast. A must for classic film fans.