lugonian DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1931), directed by Harry Beaumont, is not a movie starring The Three Stooges participating in an all night dance marathon, nor is it a musical starring the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Oddly enough this is only a title, though there are some dancing sequences involved, but not enough to categorize this as a musical. Overall, this is a Depression-era story that opens with high society party, followed by newspaper/newsroom melodrama before shifting to the its popular genre of the time, a crime story. With the leading players being Joan Crawford and Lester Vail, by the time the movie reaches its conclusion at 82 minutes, the names of Joan Crawford and Clark Gable immediately come to mind for their first on-screen collaboration together.The story opens with a society party on a yacht hosted by socialite Bonnie Jordan (Joan Crawford). Bonnie is loved by Robert Townsend (Lester Vail), but she prefers her carefree lifestyle with her rich friends as opposed to becoming his wife. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929, which results to a fatal heart attack on Bonnie's father, Stanley (William Holden). leaving both Bonnie and her spoiled younger brother, Rodney (William Bakewell) paupers. With most of their personal possessions sold at public auction andf dismissing their servants, Rodney refuses to take the family lawyer Selby's (Hale Hamilton) advice by going to work. As for Bonnie, she breaks away from her former high society lifestyle and friends by getting an apartment in the Chicago district and working for a newspaper under her editor, Mr. Parker (Purnell Pratt. Rodney, however, gets in with the wrong crowd where his friend, Wally Baxter (Earle Foxe) introduces him to Jake Luva (Clark Gable), nightclub owner, bootlegger and tough crime boss. When Bonnie's reporter friend, Bert Scranton (Cliff Edwards), gets shot down by one of Luva's gang for learning too much about his organization, Bonnie is assigned to go undercover as Mary Smith from Missouri, to not only work as a dancer at Luva's cabaret, but to gather enough information to convict Scranton's killer. While her assignment goes well as planned, Bonnie eventually learns too much for her own good. Others in the cast include: Natalie Moorehead (Della); Joan Marsh (Sylvia); Russell Hopton (Whitey); and Sam McDaniel.While DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE, is early Crawford at best, it's also early Gable, sans mustache, treating 'em rough, and giving all the orders. After entering the scene 36 minutes into the story, Gable no doubt gathers the most attention in the story as both villain and aggressor trying to get Crawford's Bonnie to "be nice to him." William Bakewell resumes his type-casting in his usual cowardly rich brother more concerned about what his father left him in the will as opposed to his death. He spends much of the time smoking and drinking, and learning the hard way that crime does not pay. Lester Vail, whose name comes second after Crawford's, is definitely a forgotten name in cinema history. The only thing to recommend for his performance is that his role might have worked to better advantage had it been played by the up and rising Robert Montgomery. Natalie Moorehead as Jake Luva's tough/blonde mistress, has the film's most notable scene where Jake Luva blows cigarette smoke in her face followed by her blowing out the fire of the lighted match held on Luva's hand. Being a pre-code motion picture, no doubt there's suggestive dialogue, but nothing as suggestive where the society guests cool themselves off on a hot summer night by taking a swim in their underwear. DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE starts off well, slows down a bit before picking up speed during the newspaper vs. underworld segment. Distributed on home video in 1990 as part of "Forbidden Hollywood" tapes with Leonard Maltin, movie critic, doing an introduction about the movie itself. Also available on DVD, DANCE, FOOLS, DANCE is in a class in itself, especially when Crawford and Gable are concerned. Watch it next time it comes on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. (***)

JohnHowardReid I don't know if fans of Aurania Rouverol's Andy Hardy will take to this offering from their favorite author with the same degree of enthusiasm. For this time, Andy — brilliantly played by William Bakewell in the stand-out performance of a career stretching from 1925 to 1955 — is a drink-sodden, good-for-nothing-but-evil wastrel, a killer who shoots down a friendly acquaintance in cold blood in order to save his own miserable hide. Sis, superbly interpreted here by Joan Crawford, is likewise a spoiled brat of uncertain virtue, who, realizing the emptiness of her callow society friends, changes her thinking when forced to fend for herself instead of living off her dad. Yes, like Judge Hardy, dad is a bit of a philosopher. His credo is: "Do the other guy before he does you!" Dad is most realistically brought to life here by William Holden. His death scene is utterly convincing. (In real life, Holden himself died on March 3, 1932). But I'm neglecting two of the finest players in the movie, namely Cliff Edwards and Clark Gable. Edwards is ingratiatingly deft as the star reporter who worms information out of Bakewell; whilst Clark Gable is a powerhouse of corrupt fascination in this first of his eight movies with Joan Crawford. The nominal hero of this picture, Broadway actor-director Lester Vail, rates as the weakest "star" of the lot. Even minor character players like the exotic Natalie Moorhead (as Gable's moll), sly Russell Hopton (a cagey thug) and blonde belle, Joan Marsh (a jealous socialite), easily out-shine the staid and stagey Mr. Vail. Fortunately, despite his second billing, his appearances in the action are astonishingly brief.Under-rated Harry Beaumont has astutely directed with wonderful pace and an admirably polished style; whilst the shimmering photography, realistic art direction and flattering costumes are well up to the classy standards we expect of M-G-M. It's a surprise to find that this seems to be Aurania Rouverol's only screenplay. ("A Family Affair", the introductory "Andy Hardy", was based on a stage play). She's darn good. Her dialogue and characters are really alive.In short, powerful, if grim entertainment. I was going to add, "with a happy ending", but the idea of Joan being saddled with a stodgily repentant Mr. Vail is maybe not all that felicitous. This movie is now available on an excellent Warner Archive DVD.

mukava991 "Dance, Fools, Dance" is one of the better movies of 1931. Its topics (the spoiled and not-so- spoiled rich, the choices we make between the easy way and the hard way, alcoholism, the newspaper and bootlegging games) have ongoing resonance; it moves swiftly; Joan Crawford is beautiful and arresting even if she gets a little too arch with some of her line readings in the early scenes; the main supporting players are all distinct and effective representatives of their types; the dialogue is frequently snappy. Bonnie Jordan, a passionate young socialite (Crawford), is introduced saying to her boyfriend during a dull midnight party on a yacht, "If something doesn't happen, l'll die!" whereupon the boyfriend suggests that all of the young hedonists strip and jump into the ocean for kicks. Since this was 1930, they only strip to their fancy underwear, but the point is made. These are flaming and privileged youth who just wanted to have fun. Unfortunately for Bonnie and her alcoholic brother Rodney (William Bakewell – whatever happened to him? He is terrific in this) their indulgent father drops dead after taking a beating on the stock market and they are left penniless (which in MGM terms translates into sharing a high-ceilinged two-bedroom apartment) and—to the horror of the son—have to get jobs. Bonnie, the more mature of the pair, uses a family social connection to land a spot as a cub reporter covering garden parties and the like for the city newspaper where she befriends a fellow newshound (Cliff Edwards at his peculiar best). Good newsroom shot: The camera pans from one typewriter to another revealing each reporter's story as it's being banged out. Meanwhile, Rodney, desperate to make easy money, agrees to drum up business for a hardened bootlegger (Clark Gable) by persuading his wealthy liquor-consuming former friends to switch to Gable's suppliers. This all leads to big trouble, eventually involving Bonnie, which in turns leads to Gable and Crawford in their first screen pairing. And now for the highlight of the film: Gable and Crawford are now displayed front and center on a sofa in Gable's lair. The screen smolders as these two ferally attractive and impeccably decorated young stars go to it – rugged Gable in starched white shirt and black jacket; Crawford in her shimmering satin; he forcing kiss after kiss, first on each of her cheeks as she tries to turn her lips away from his, and then finally hitting the mark. Cinema magic. Another kind of intensity emanates from Natalie Moorhead, as Gable's erstwhile female companion, who gives him the eye as she blows out the flame of his cigarette lighter. Moorhead always made the most of her limited screen time (no more than a few minutes here).Oh, and we get to see Crawford do one of those lead-footed dances she was forced to perform in early talkies. She has energy, spirit and determination to spare but very little grace.

David Atfield Don't listen to fuddy-duddy critics on this one, this is a gem! Young rich Joan and her brother find themselves penniless after their father dies - and now they have to work for a living! She, naturally, becomes a reporter, and he, just as naturally, a driver for the mob! By wild co-incidences their careers meet head on, thanks to gangster Clark Gable. In the meantime there is the chance for a moonlight underwear swim for a bunch of pretty young things and for Joan to do a couple of risque dance numbers (with all the grace of a steam-shovel).But none of this is supposed to be taken seriously - it's all good fun from those wonderful pre-code days, when Hollywood was really naughty. Joan looks great, and displays much of the emotional range that would give her career such longevity (thank God she stopped the dancing!). Gable is remarkable as a slimy gangster - he wasn't a star yet and so didn't have to be the hero. Great to see him playing something different. And William Bakewell is excellent as the poor confused brother. And there are some great montages and tracking shots courtesy of director Harry Beaumont, who moves the piece on with a cracking pace - and an occasional wink to the audience! Great fun!