Kailansorac
Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Tymon Sutton
The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
gridoon2018
"Dancing Lady" covers all the bases: there is flirty comedy (the gym and the swimming sequences are subtly erotic), snappy transitions, comedic cameos (from May Robson to the Three Stooges!), love-triangle drama, swank, cheesecake, singing, dancing, and a long, wonderful, surreal production number at the end (I award *** out of 4 and not **1/2 to this movie on the basis of that number alone). Joan Crawford, in one of her very few musical roles, is surprisingly proficient at tap-dancing; she even holds her own when partnered with Fred Astaire, in his movie debut! She also displays her magnificent, strong legs, which are deservedly praised by Clark Gable; their on-screen pairing is one of those old-movie things that absolutely cannot be replicated today. All in all, "Dancing Lady" is an enjoyable cinematic potpourri.
miguelmrodrigues4
Joan Crawford is pretty in this movie. I never considered her a beauty. In fact, I don't think she's beautiful. But in "Dancing Lady", Joan Crawford is pretty, lively, sensual, brilliant. She did not dance very well, but their dramatic talents are good in this picture. Clark Gable's fine, but his role is not interesting, although providing one of the most sensual moments of classic cinema: a slap on the ass of Joan Crawford is sexy and funny. The songs are not exceptional but the choreography, by contrast, is competent and the plot, though quite common, is not unpalatable. After all, the film bored me a bit. Boring music and history not very engaging. Not a must-see movie but it's no waste. "Dancing Lady" is fairly good and the magnetism of Joan Crawford is a reason to see the film. Not very good, a little boring but not a trash
PWNYCNY
This movie is wonderful. It features Joan Crawford singing and dancing, and she could sing and dance well. That alone makes this movie special. Clark Gable also is cast as a stage director who's all business, his gruffness of course a cover for a guy who really cares about people. The movie has a definite anti-rich people slant, with Franchot Tone playing a playboy who uses money to act out his selfish whims, which only hurt others. Theatrical people are portrayed in a most positive way - as hardworking, dedicated, and talented. The musical numbers are snappy and entertaining, especially the finale. The movie features Fred Astaire in his first major role and Moe, Larry and Curly - The Three Stooges whose characters figure directly in the story. But what makes this movie succeed is the presence of Joan Crawford. She dominates the movie and demonstrates why she is one of the premier actresses in the history of cinema.
tavm
1933 was a watershed year for the movie musical. It was the year Busby Berkeley helped make it exciting again with his numbers for 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933. Ginger Rogers was a factor in that excitement when she performed the "We're in the Money" number in the latter. And if that had been it for her career, she'd at least be an important footnote in the movie musical's history. But bigger things were coming her way later in the year. And it wouldn't be at Warner Bros. where she was at the time but at RKO. Her future legendary partner was already there but had yet to make his film debut. But since the studio had no assignments for him yet, he was allowed to go to M-G-M for a specialty spot there as himself. And so it was at Leo the Lion's place that Fred Astaire-previously a Broadway sensation with sis Adele-got his first stint in front of the cameras. His partner there was Joan Crawford, who had displayed much of her dancing ability in many of her previous films so she wasn't a bad first film dancer for Fred to start with. So on that note, this movie is worth a good look for that reason alone. But there's still some good acting by leading man Clark Gable, second lead Franchot Tone (whom Ms. Crawford would briefly marry) and Ted Healy as Gable's assistant who was still the leader of his stooges: Moe, Curly, and Larry, all represented at their slapstick best here. Other notable supporting turns came from Robert Benchley who keeps looking for a pencil, Winnie Lightner as Crawford's friend, May Robson as Tone's grandmother, and Eve Arden-years before playing her Oscar-nominated role opposite Oscar-winner Crawford in Mildred Pierce-in a small part as a rejected potential chorus girl. Oh, and this was one of Nelson Eddy's earliest singing spots. In summary, Dancing Lady is enjoyable enough to watch as entertainment with a historical first as an extra treat.
