Stage Door Rating: Sorry, this product is not currently available. Cast: Katharine Hepburn Ginger Rogers Lucille Ball Jane Gail Complete Cast (9 total)

Stage Door Reviews

---

Another great Ginger Rogers RKO movie of the 1930's.
"Stage Door" was released for RKO Radio Pictures in 1937, and was directed by Gregory LaCava, the man who gave us the great "My Man Godfrey" just a year earlier. It has a number of top stars, such as Ginger Rogers (who is easily the Best actress ever). Then you have Kate Hepburn, Adolphe Menjou (Who appeared with Ginger again in 1942's "Roxie Hart"), and Lucille Ball in an early supporting role. There is also a very early appearance from Ann Miller. Oh, and this movie is NOT a musical.

The film is set at a place called the "Footlight's Club". It's a boardinghouse full of wannabe actresses, who are there, in New York, to try and get themselves parts in Broadway shows. It would seem to be a fairly realistic look. Its full of amusing lines, and a few dramatic scenes now and again aswell. It does not have a very happy ending, at all, I would like to add, which in an odd way, makes it great.

The film is really a comedy, mixed with drama. It's a decent story, and the acting is extremely good from all of the stars, and it is a very enjoyable little movie, that I could recommend. Definately worth picking up a copy to add to your film collection.

Katherine, the Queen, in Stage Door with an All Star cast
What can I add to all these great reviews but my love and admiration for one of the greats, Katherine Hepburn. Except to star with so many other great ladies of the stage and screen was a stroke of genius on the part of Gregory La Cava!! It just amazes me that they are finally getting around to 'thinking' about releasing this comedic great in DVD. What's the problem here?? Scared your gonna make a few million more??? :-)

Katherine has done this one a few times....the girl that wants to be a star and always gets the part but not without a struggle and some very important, humbling lessons. Teamed up with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Gail Patrick, Anne Miller, Eve Arden and her acting coach, the fabulous stage and screen great Constance Collier, this movie was all that and more!!

Witty and biting and a bit depressing, an all around entertaining feature film. Ms. Hepburn plays the rich, spoiled debutante, who wants to be an actress but wants more, in the beginning, to prove to her father that she can make it on her own. Set in New York. She shows up at a boarding house for aspiring, struggling actresses. Most of the films great lines are acted out in the "living room" where they talk about men and work or lack there of. Of course with Katherine's arrival a few want so bad to dislike her, especially her new room mate Ginger Rogers. Catty blow by blows are exchanged between Rogers and Patrick and Rogers and Hepburn. Who needs cussing and talk openly about sex to get you to blush? Some of the lines are priceless and timeless!!

The lessons in the story are about how Katherine is humbled and all of the girls in the story learn valuable lessons about the business and life. It all ends on a good but very sad, bitter-sweet note. But you will just have to watch it to know what I'm talking about.

I thought Lucille Ball looked gorgeous and Katherine was quite sophisticated and Ginger was very glamorous and had some of the best witty/catty lines in the story. She and Katherine played very well together, it's a shame they didn't do anything else together (or did they?). It would have been fun to have seen Katherine, Lucille and Ginger do another feature film together. I thought the chemistry between the 3 of them was very good. Ah, pipe dreams.

I hope we all are graced with this wonderful film on DVD soon. As I edit this review I wanted to express my sadness at the loss of the great Katherine Hepburn. She is missed but her works live on in the many wonderful films she added her majestic magic too, as well as the many books. I highly recommend her own book that she wrote and had published back in 1991, appropriately named "Me". Ah, The calla lilies are in bloom again....................

More Customer Reviews (8 total)

Find more DVD's in: Classics > Classic Stars Titles > ( S ) Classics Special Features