Rating: 
Summary: Welcome To The Theatre.
Review: This has always been one of my favorite movies. I've just watched it for maybe the tenth time, and my jaw hurts from the constant grin, along with a tear or two, that viewing this film produces. The story of the inhabitants of "The Footlights Club", those struggling young actresses pursuing the glory and heartbreak of show-biz, is just as fresh and witty as when it was produced in 1937. Katherine Hepburn was somewhere in the midst of her "Box Office Poison" phase when she made this film. She is wonderful as "Terry Randall", the heiress attempting to live in anonymity to pursue her starry dream, against the wishes of her wealthy father. She is assisted in all this comaraderie by the now legendary cast of Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden, and Ann Miller. Other than Rogers, all the others were relatively unknown at this point, and their intimidation at the prospect of working with the Great Kate has been often told. Ann Miller was but a babe here, and we get to see her tap!, something she later became very famous for. Also, our beloved Lucys wisecracking and dead-pan humor foreshadow her future greatness as the worlds favorite t.v. clown. This superbly written film, taken from the play by Edna Ferber and George Kaufmann, is full of witty banter, repartee, occasional sweet sentiment, and tragedy, as the lovely gaggle of girls try and constantly out-talk each other. It is rich with wonderful character roles, the stand out being that of Constance Collier, as the older resident drama coach and faded actress. She is absolutely hysterical in her delivery, as she attempts to tell anyone who will listen about her acting glory days of past, always accompanied by the showing of her aged review clippings, which always just happen to be at hands reach. There just aren't any wonderful character actresses like this anymore, or, if there are, the roles for them are few and far between. In real life, Miss Collier, famous for her New York soirees, was Katherine Hepburns drama coach and dear friend, and, on her death in the mid-1950's, Miss Hepburn inherited Miss Colliers secretary, Phyllis Wilbourn, who remained with her for over forty years. Miss Collier was also drama coach for the great Garbo, as well as, for a brief time, her beloved Marilyn Monroe (Read "A Beautiful Child" by Truman Capote.) Some may find certain scenes and acting styles in this film dated, but, if so, don't let that distract you from its timeless wit in its depiction of those who will risk all to achieve their dream of their name in lights. This film also has one of my favorite endings and fade-outs, which always leaves a smile on my face. A classic.
Rating:
Summary: Get excited!!!
Review: This is one of my favorite old movies. The poor quality of the video versions is its only flaw. Hopefully, Stage Door was cleaned up a little for the DVD release.
Rating:
Summary: Katherine, the Queen, in Stage Door with an All Star cast
Review: 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....................
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