“I’ve gotta dance now. I’ve waited all my life for this opportunity, and I’m not going to let it get away from me!”
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Synopsis:
An aspiring dancer (Mary Eaton) leaves behind her small-town sweetheart (Edward Crandall) for a chance at fame in New York; meanwhile, her corrupt partner (Dan Healy) takes advantage of her, and her best friend (Gloria Shea) hopes Crandall will fall for her instead.
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
- Aspiring Stars
- Career-versus-Marriage
- Dancers
- Love Triangle
Review:
This early variation on the cinematic trope of marriage-versus-career — with an enormous dollop of “I want to be a star!” thrown in — received decidedly lukewarm reviews upon its release, for good reason. The performances are sub-par (most of the actors lean towards the over-emoting techniques of silent cinema), while the narrative is full of cliches — including a tepid “unrequited-love” triangle, an overbearing stage mother, and a lecherous Broadway cad. One scene in particular — in which poor Gloria Shea is run over by a car after being left behind by Crandall and Eaton — is so ridiculous it nearly approaches camp. Glorifying the American Girl is primarily notable these days for showcasing a handful of famous performers (including Eddie Cantor and Helen Morgan) in their prime, and for its cinematically innovative opening sequence; it’s too bad the rest of the film fails to live up to this early potential.
Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
- The creative opening sequence, depicting streams of hopeful starlets heading across the United States towards New York
- The dazzling “Follies” finale
Must See?
No.
Links:
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