I saw Born to Dance for a number of reasons. One was that it was a musical, for as long as I can remember I have loved musicals and some of my favourite films are musicals. There is also Eleanor Powell, who is an incredible performer. And there is James Stewart, who is one of my all-time favourite actors.

Born to Dance was interesting to say the least. But it was disappointing as well in a way. What didn't work for me was some of the dialogue, some of it is genuinely humorous and witty, but there are other times where it is painful and just bizarre. Buddy Ebsen is a good enough dancer, but his singing is very minimal and does little justice to the wonderful musical numbers.

I hate to say this, but Stewart was a rare disappointment in this one. Stewart was a great actor, and had been in many wonderful movies, but in all honesty his role as Ted is one of my least favourites of his. His acting is good enough, he is still the charismatic and endearing James Stewart I know and love, but his singing and dancing are a different story. His singing is flat and quite limited in range mostly, Easy to Love is listenable but there are other times where he sounds as though he knows the songs are too big for him, while his dancing is heavy and flat-footed.

Problems aside, Born to Dance does have a number of good things. The story is a simple one with some predictable scenes, but it is also very charming with enough heart to satisfy. The dancing is wonderful to watch, especially Eleanor Powell's tap dancing, and the in-general brisk pacing ensures that Born to Dance has few dull spots.

The production values are top drawer, the sets and locations are striking, the costumes are beautifully tailored and the cinematography is quite exemplary and doesn't look dated. While there are two disappointments in the cast, there are several good ones. Virginia Bruce seems to be having a whale of a time, and Frances Langford demonstrates a stunning vocal technique. Reginald Gardiner's cameo is very awkward but also quite amusing at the same time.

In my mind, Eleanor Powell gives the best performance, her acting is great, her charisma is infectious, her singing is well-above average and energetic and her dancing fares best of all as it is incredible. Other than Powell's performance, Cole Porter's music is the other high point. The background scoring is beautiful and very memorable, while the songs especially Rap-Tap on Wood, Love, Love my Peckinese and the big production number at the end are outstanding with catchy melodies and witty lyrics as one would expect from Porter.

In conclusion, interesting film musical but I would be lying if the pang of disappointment wasn't in the air. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I have a much higher tolerance for the campy and over-the-top musicals of the 1930s, but they are about my least favorite movies from the era (apart from Shirley Temple films). It just is a style not to everyone's taste AND this style is becoming more and more dated and fewer and fewer out there will sit still for the silly production numbers. HOWEVER, this movie does feature some bizarre singing--so weird that you might just want to tune in for that. Some knucklehead decided to put Jimmy Stewart in the film, despite the fact that he can't sing. Plus, an even worse singer is Buddy Ebsen. While he is a wonderful dancer (if you like the epileptic-style of tap dancing),his voice is just horrible. So, in summation, the film is for the curious and the die-hard musical fans ONLY or for fans of old-time movies that WANT to hear Stewart sing.

With Born to Dance MGM succeeded in combining two musical types, the sailor story with the Broadway opening night story. Although the plot is down right silly, that hardly makes Born to Dance unique back in its day. What you take from it is the wonderful singing and dancing and the glossy production values of an MGM musical.

And of course Cole Porter's score. It contains two of his most beloved standards, Easy to Love and I've Got You Under My Skin. The rest of the score is serviceable for the plot. I particularly like Hey Babe Hey in which all the principals of the plot participate. How they got James Stewart to dance must have been a challenge.

Of course Born to Dance is famous for Easy to Love being introduced by James Stewart. Stewart had always maintained that the proof of Easy to Love being a great song is that it survived his singing of it to become a great popular standard. His singing is adequate, but for the life of me, I'll never understand why Allan Jones who was up for the part wasn't picked. Especially since I've heard Allan Jones's contemporary recording of Easy to Love. Stewart is all right, but the part isn't exactly a stretch for his thespian talents and for cryin' out loud, Jones was one of the best movie singers ever.

The other standard is introduced by Virginia Bruce, spoiled mantrap of a Broadway musical star who takes a shine to Stewart after he saves her Pekingese from drowning while Bruce is visiting his ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Bruce sings I've Got You Under My Skin directly to Stewart with a come hither glance to lure him from Eleanor Powell who is her show's understudy.

Borrowing from Hit the Deck with a plot of three sailors and three civilian women, Born to Dance pairs off Stewart with Powell, Buddy Ebsen with Frances Langford, and Sid Silvers with Una Merkel. Raymond Walburn is at his avuncular best as the ship's captain who keeps entrusting Silvers and Ebsen to deliver a message to the Admiral and they keep getting sidetracked by their women.

With Powell as the understudy to Bruce and them both vying for Stewart, you can readily guess how this story will resolve itself. Eleanor dances divinely, especially in the finale number Swinging the Jinx Away which Frances Langford sings and Buddy Ebsen also dances.

With all the talent involved and a plot which is a walking cliché, but easy to take, it's easy to love Born to Dance as I do.