Everything about Stage Door totally explained
Stage Door (
1937) is a
RKO film, adapted from the play by the same name, that tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a single boarding house. The film stars
Katharine Hepburn,
Ginger Rogers,
Adolphe Menjou,
Gail Patrick,
Constance Collier,
Andrea Leeds,
Samuel S. Hinds and
Lucille Ball.
Eve Arden and
Ann Miller, who became notable in later films, play minor characters.
The film was adapted by
Morrie Ryskind and
Anthony Veiller from the play by
Edna Ferber and
George S. Kaufman, but the play's storyline and the characters' names were almost completely changed for the movie, so much so in fact that Kaufman joked the film should be called "Screen Door".
The writers listened to the young actresses talking off set during rehearsals and incorporated their style of talking into the film, which was directed by
Gregory LaCava.
Stage Door was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Picture and Leeds was nominated as Best Supporting Actress.
Plot
Hepburn plays Terry Randall, a young debutante who wants to be an actress. She moves into The Footlights Club, a theatrical rooming house, while trying to make it and rooms with a flippant, cynical dancer, Jean Maitland (Rogers). When producer Anthony Powell (Menjou) makes a play for Jean, Terry breaks up the situation. Terry is given the lead in Powell's new play (her father is working behind the scenes), which breaks the heart of Kaye Hamilton (Leeds), an aspiring actress who had been unable to land any roles and who was hoping that this would be her big break. The totally inexperienced Terry is horribly bad during rehearsals, but on opening night Kaye commits suicide and an emotional Terry gives a heartfelt performance. Terry's father, who had pulled strings toe role, hoping that the experience would disillusion her and that her stage career would go nowhere, has no choice but to accept the fact that she's now a star.
This is the film in which Hepburn delivers the famous lines: "The calla lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower--suitable to any occasion. I carried them on my wedding day; now I place them here in memory of something that has died." When we first hear Terry deliver these lines she's laughably inept, but then on opening night she delivers the same lines with emotional devastation.
Main cast and characters
Other cast members
Similarities to the play
The movie has almost nothing to do with the play, except in a few character names, such as Kaye Hamilton, Jean Maitland, and Terry Randall, Linda Shaw, and Judith Canfield.
In the play, Terry Randall is from a rural family whose father is a country doctor, and Jean Maitland is actually a shallow girl who becomes a movie star.
Kaye Hamilton does commit suicide, but for completely different reasons and not on an opening night.
Trivia
Not only did the writer and LaCava listen to the actresses' jokes and small talk during rehearsals, LaCava allowed the actresses to ad lib during filming.
This is the film where Katherine Hepburn met Constance Collier, who became her great friend and actually did coach Hepburn. They remains great friends until Collier's death.
After Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds) commits suicide, there's a clip of Hamilton's grave as part of the collage of the success of the play, which was edited out on all TV showings, as well was missing from the VHS video. It was restored for the DVD and now is included in the version shown on Turner Classic Movies.Further Information
Get more info on 'Stage Door'.
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