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In honor of Eleanor Powell's 104th birthday, which was on Monday, this week on «Film Friday» I bring you the first of her films that I ever saw. Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) begins when newspaper and radio columnist Bert Keeler (Jack Benny) is told by his managing editor (Paul Harvey) that he has to stop writing about «Blessed Events» and start digging up dirt. He decides to go after young Broadway producer and songwriter Bob Gordon (Robert Taylor), whose new musical, Broadway Rhythm , is being financed by heiress Lillian Brent (June Knight), who also wants to star in it. Keeler starts writing about Bob and Lillian, which leads the producer to punch him in the nose several times. But as the paper's circulation and Keeler's salary rise, he keeps at it. LEFT: June Knight and Robert Taylor. RIGHT: Eleanor Powell and Buddy and Vilma Ebsen. During rehearsals for Broadway Rhythm , Bob's childhood sweetheart, Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell), comes ...

Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Taxi! (1932) begins when veteran cab driver Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee) is forced to abandon his prime soliciting location by a company trying to control the taxi business in New York. While defending himself, Pop shoots and kills one of the company's gang and is sentenced to prison, where he subsequently dies. Some of the independent drivers call a meeting and ask Pop's daughter Sue (Loretta Young) to speak. Hot-tempered Matt Nolan (James Cagney), another independent cabbie, is furious with Sue when, instead of urging the drivers to fight back, she tells them that violence will not be effective. Despite his anger, Matt starts dating Sue and eventually marries her. After their marriage, the couple goes out to a nightclub with their friends Skeets (George E. Stone) and Ruby (Leila Bennett), as well as Matt's younger brother Dan (Ray Cooke). While there, Matt and Sue are insulted by Buck Gerard (David Landau), the man responsible for the attacks on the...

Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Private Number (1936) tells the story of Ellen Neal (Loretta Young), a beautiful and upstanding girl who is hired as a maid in the house of the affluent Winfield family by their demonically creepy butler, Thomas Wroxton (Basil Rathbone), who rules the staff like a tyrant. Wroxton is immediately smitten with Ellen, but she rebuffs his every advance, much to his irritation. When the Winfields' son, Richard (Robert Taylor), arrives home from college, he quickly falls in love with Ellen, despite her lower social status. Although she initially refuses to go out with him on the grounds that they are not social equals, Ellen becomes romantically involved with Dick during the family's vacation in Maine. On her 18th birthday, Dick and Ellen secretly marry and she falls pregnant by him shortly before he returns to college.  After his plans to marry Ellen himself fall through, Wroxton informs her in-laws, Perry and Maggie Winfield (Paul Harvey and Marjorie ...

This week on «Film Friday» I have decided to bring you «MGM's dazzling succesor to Great Ziegfeld.» Incidentally, this film had its premiere exactly 79 years ago today. Original window card for Born to Dance Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Born to Dance (1936) opens as sailors Gunny Saks (Sid Silvers),  Ted Barker (James Stewart)  and Mush Tracy (Buddy Ebsen) return to New York after four years at sea. At the same time, aspiring dancer Nora Paige (Eleanor Powell), who has just lost out on a Broadway show, enters the Lonely Hearts Club and quickly befriends receptionist Jenny Saks (Una Merkel), Gunny's wife. Jenny hastily married Gunny after being his partner in a twenty-eight day dance marathon and has not seen him since he shipped out. Unbeknownst to Gunny, they have a young daughter named Sally (Juanita Quigley). When Gunny arrives at the club to rekindle his relationship with Jenny, Mush flirts with singer/waitress Peppy Turner (Frances Langford), while Ted falls ins...