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Post by snsurone on Mar 19, 2017 16:48:10 GMT
This is an excellent movie, co-starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolph Menjou, Eve Arden, Lucille Ball, and a very young Ann Miller.
But one question has always bothered me: why wasn't Terry (Hepburn) never informed of how much Kaye (Andrea Leeds) wanted the role that she got?
Terry was a snob, but she was not evil or self-serving; even if she had an iron-clad contract with Anthony Powell (Menjou), she could have arranged for Kaye to test as her understudy.
Then, one night, Terry might "break a leg", Kaye would go on in her place, and receive great acclaim.
But, no--she only learned the truth after Kaye committed suicide (although I find that a crummy plot device; I never heard of anyone killing herself over a part in a play--and a lousy soap-opera at that!).
Although the other girls at the Footlight Club tended to shun Terry, surely the everyday gossip could have told Terry that Kaye craved that role.
I don't know how much time passed between Kaye's death and the final scene, but it seems to me that life at the Footlights Club went on as merrily as before--as though Kaye never existed.
We never find out, but I hope that the new girl moving in would be another "Kaye", and that Terry would show some sensitivity towards her.
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Post by Richard Kimble on Mar 19, 2017 17:04:06 GMT
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Post by bess1971s on Mar 19, 2017 18:43:05 GMT
Stage Door was one of the first movies I can remember seeing on TV that made an impression on me. I loved the wise cracks between the girls so much that I took to memorizing them whenever I saw the movie.
As for no one informing Terry about Kaye's desire to play the role, but wasn't there a scene where Kaye told the other girls not to say anything to Terry?
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Post by marshamae on Mar 19, 2017 19:37:57 GMT
They didn't like Terry enough to tell her, and if they had, would she have listened? She was pretty tone deaf when it came to nuanced moments with others.
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Post by snsurone on Mar 19, 2017 19:53:01 GMT
They didn't like Terry enough to tell her, and if they had, would she have listened? She was pretty tone deaf when it came to nuanced moments with others. Yes, I think she would have listened. She wept when Jean told her about Kaye's death, and afterward, made a touching curtain speech, saying that the actress who should have gotten the role had died. What I hated was that Anthony Powell was so insensitive to human feelings; his mind was on the profit line and nothing else. Wouldn't the Production Code have demanded that he be "punished" for his attitude, by losing all his money or something? |
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Post by marshamae on Mar 19, 2017 20:42:30 GMT
Terry wept when she learned Kay had killed herself . Who wouldn't.
She paid Kay's bill at the Footlights club. But she thought she had a right to that part. It wasn't until opening night, in her room that she realized how ill prepared she was. When Kay shared how she thought of the girl holding her lilliesTerry realized how little she understood the part she was about to play.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Mar 19, 2017 22:43:01 GMT
As for no one informing Terry about Kaye's desire to play the role, but wasn't there a scene where Kaye told the other girls not to say anything to Terry? That's pretty much correct. Although Kay made no demands, she strongly suggested as much at her birthday party: "It wasn't my part because I wanted it. Last year I took a part away from a girl...I've had my moments in the theater, and I think Terry deserves her chance. If you say anything to her, that won't get the part for me."
With Jean putting the freeze on Terry after their confrontation at Powell's apartment and the others already giving her the cold shoulder, the indication is that Kay's wishes were respected and nobody cracked to Terry, especially when she'd have been spending considerably less time around the Footlights Club during rehearsals for Enchanted April. |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Apr 4, 2017 23:20:33 GMT
I enjoy this film a lot. Just wanted to add that I find it interesting that it was based on a play written by George F. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, most famous later for her novels, GIANT and CIMARRON. She also wrote an earlier novel, SHOW BOAT, and we know what that became. I always think of her as a novelist, but she definitely had a successful foray into the theater. There's a story about the witty Kaufman (George S, not F, if you'll forgive me) walking past a Manhattan theater where the film was playing and - with the many revisions to his and Ferber's play in mind - remarking to his companion, "They should have called it Screen Door." He did something similar some years later when passing a poster for The Outlaw prominently featuring Jane Russell's endowments: "A better title would have been A Sale Of Two Titties." |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 4, 2017 23:39:43 GMT
" during rehearsals for Enchanted April." Thank you, Doghouse6 ! NOW I know why the title of that terrific film always seemed so familiar. Being non-detail oriented, I never really noticed the name of the play in Stage Door enough to consciously remember it. A thank you bouquet of Calla Lilies will be delivered to you tomorrow. They are in bloom again, you know. |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Apr 5, 2017 0:14:17 GMT
Oh, I loved your stories, Doghouse - laugh out loud funny! But, of course, what else would one expect from Kaufman? And I know it's George S. Don't know why the F came out - just typing too fast and not proofreading enough. Thanks for the correction. And I'm still pondering: Kaufman and Ferber doesn't quite have the ring of Kaufman and Hart. I know what you mean, spider; I don't know "why the F" I say half the things I do (heh, heh). I read a great Kaufman biography about five years ago, so I ought to be able to provide some background on that partnership but...well, let's just say it's probably time for a re-read. The many recountings of his lacerating wit did keep me laughing; that much, I remember. Here's one I recall: he was a notoriously nervous auto passenger and hated going much over 25. Returning to Manhattan from Long Island in a chauffeured limo, he became alarmed at the speed with which the driver was approaching one of the bridges over the East River, and called from the back seat, "Driver, do you mind not crossing that bridge until we come to it?" |
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Post by Doghouse6 on Apr 5, 2017 0:19:38 GMT
A thank you bouquet of Calla Lilies will be delivered to you tomorrow. They are in bloom again, you know. What a nice thought. Such a strange flower, suitable for any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day. Hmmm, now that I think of it, those weren't Calla Lilies at all: it was only the load I had on. |
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 5, 2017 0:27:38 GMT
snsuroneYou know. If you ask, someone will explain to you how to use SPOILERS so that you don't post crucial PLOT DETAILS in an open forum. Even though this is an old movie and you have seen it, not everyone reading on IMDB2 has seen every movie and knows who dies and who doesn't or exactly how the movie ends (as you detailed in the Best Years of Our Lives thread. Posting the word "spoiler" before the whole post does not really work all that well either. I wasn't going to say anything, but it's really unfair to tell the details and if no-one mentions it, you will just keep on doing it possibly because you don't know that it's not seen as the best way to go.
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Post by hi224 on Apr 6, 2017 21:57:23 GMT
Good movie.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 8, 2017 15:28:42 GMT
snsurone said
Generally, responses to posts are from those who have already seen the film, and thus are in a position to discuss it.
A film can certainly be discussed without openly telling the secrets so that someone who does NOT want to know the secrets and important plot details is not able to see them. That's why there is that spoiler button. I have noticed that you are a big fan of Gone With the Wind. Do you remember when you first saw it ? Do you think that when you first saw it (and assuming that you had NOT read the book) that it would have had the same effect on you if you had been told ahead of time what happened (for example) to Bonnie Blue or to Melanie ? There are MANY people who have NOT seen the "Classics" and to openly tell plot details .. especially deaths and film endings ...is just not fair to others when there is a simple way to avoid doing so. I had never seen the film Laura. I was reading about it in a general discussion thread and someone told the "secret" openly and it did spoil the film for me. When it is so easy to NOT tell, why DO tell ?
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Post by snsurone on Apr 8, 2017 15:38:45 GMT
FYI, I DID read GWTW before I saw the movie, so I was initially aware of the fates of Bonnie and Melanie.
And I'm a big fan of both the book (in spite of its racism) and the movie.
Don't you believe that discussing plot points just might inspire other people to actually see these movies?
I like to think so.
Especially when it's easy to do today via Netflix, DVDs, etc.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 9, 2017 1:05:02 GMT
FYI, I DID read GWTW before I saw the movie, so I was initially aware of the fates of Bonnie and Melanie. And I'm a big fan of both the book (in spite of its racism) and the movie. Don't you believe that discussing plot points just might inspire other people to actually see these movies?I like to think so. Especially when it's easy to do today via Netflix, DVDs, etc. HOW could knowing which key character died and who killed them or who was secretly the father of which main character or who sent the letter that was the secret key to the plot actually INSPIRE OTHERS TO ACTUALLY SEE ANY MOVIE ? You seem to be totally missing the point. Not everyone has read the book that a film is made from. Not every one has heard about the movie. There are parts of a film for which not knowing about them is the point or the fun of the story. It is VERY easy to NOT OPENLY tell the secrets. The use of SPOILER is the key to it all. Tell the secrets if you absolutely must but COVER THEM UP ! If you really do not care that you are spoiling the films for others there is really nothing more to be said. To USE spoilers: Write what you want. Highlight the parts that should be covered . Hit the little smiley on the far right. The secrets are covered. It won't show that it is happening but when it posts it will be there. Now you've been shown how to do it, why not give it a try.
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Post by snsurone on Apr 9, 2017 17:56:53 GMT
No, I'm not missing the point!
And the point is that you are a troublemaking troll who is the ONLY poster to complain about this issue!
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Post by BATouttaheck on Apr 9, 2017 20:56:51 GMT
No, I'm not missing the point! And the point is that you are a troublemaking troll who is the ONLY poster to complain about this issue! I am sorry that it has offended you that I attempted to explain why spoilers are needed.. I am sorry to have offended you by offering you a helping hand. Offering to help is not usually viewed as typical "troll" behavior. If your preference is to continue spoiling films for others, so be it. |
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Post by snsurone on Apr 9, 2017 22:56:14 GMT
Let's just fuggedabout it and start over, OK?
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