Dance, Fools, Dance

Last night my husband and I watched "Dance, Fools, Dance", a pre-code era film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable made in 1931. This is a movie that I have wanted to see for a long time. I was able to reserve it at our library, and was very happy to see it there this past Saturday. I am so happy that there are so many films available in our library system!

What a delight it was to watch this film! First of all, the pairing of Joan Crawford and Clark Gable is one of the best things that MGM did. This was the first of their pairing and they would continue to do so in eight more films. They also had quite a steamy affair for what she said lasted on and off until his death. They had such wonderful chemistry on screen and I can't wait to see their other films (I have only seen four).

The story was wonderful too. Joan Crawford plays Bonnie Jordon, a carefree socialite. After the stock market crash of '29 her father dies and leaves Bonnie and her brother Rodney penniless. They are forced to go out into the world to find work, which she is willing to do but Rodney is hesitant. Soon Bonnie finds work as a newspaper reporter and Rodney starts working for gangster Jake Luva, played by Clark Gable. Eventually Bonnie goes undercover as a dancer in the Jake Luva club to get a story about a murdered newspaper reporter. She finds herself in a difficult situation when she discovers that her brother is involved in the crime.

I highly recommend this entertaining film. It's so hard for me to resist any pre-code era film, they're so exiting and lots of fun. When you mix in Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, you get a movie worth seeing again and again!