(95 min) Released 1936-12-31
Director: Sidney Lanfield
Stars: Sonja Henie, Adolphe Menjou, Jean Hersholt, Don Ameche, The Ritz Bros
Jack Haskell ... skating ensembles, Oscar nom for "Skating Ensemble"; Oscars 1937
Lew Schreiber ... assistant choreographer
Nick Castle ... choreographer (uncredited)
Genres: Comedy | Musical | Romance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028063/
SH's first of 10 musicals ('36-'45; 13 acting credits total).
I like Henie, Menjou, Hersholt, Ameche, and the Ritz Brothers didn't irritate too much. The music is pleasant, the plot is coherent (except a skip at the end), and the ice dancing and other musical numbers are distributed well throughout (although more ensemble skating would have been welcome).
It's not at all clear to me which "Skating Ensemble" is the nominated scene. Perhaps it's the accumulation of them? Here's where we get Henie skating to music (other songs and musical interludes are not listed here):
- 17:30 Greta's (SH) practice turns into Spencer's (AM) fantasy of a production with lots of women skaters dressed in gowns to suggest they are mobile snow-covered trees through which Greta can dance. (4 min)
- 44:30 Greta dances an exhibition without other skaters, so this would not qualify as "Ensemble". (2 min)
- 1:13:30 Greta gives her Olympic competition performance. (2 min)
- 1:25:00 Greta performs at Madison Square Garden with a bunch of male supporters for a few seconds, then alone. (2.5 min) Then we get a bull+toreador routine on ice by the Ritz Bros. Well at least 1 Ritz; the other 2 are in costume as the bull.
- 1:31:15 Big ensemble (male and female) skate in pairs for 0.5 min, then Greta stops them with her skating for 2 more min.
So the Oscar nom MUST have been for the earliest routine. At least there the women moved on ice while Greta moved. And they did a nice concentric circles thing while she spun in the center.
Hopefully Fox will increase the length of these routines. We're used to fantastic situations where the scenery changes improbably (even with reflective floors sliding over canals), and which last 8 minutes or more. Perhaps the ice, or SH's sensibilities, will keep them locked into a more realistic, and therefore shorter, presentation. We have to wait until Sept '37 to see the next installment.
If you don't know much about Sonja Henie, invest some time in reading about the scope and duration of her Olympic accomplishments (3 Olympiads! plus 10 World and 6 European titles), how she shaped competition both in the style of skating and the style of costumes worn. She is the mother of modern Olympic skating. I can recommend this documentary on Amazon Prime, which also covers her conquering Hollywood. She was no shrinking violet.
Fox, dir. Lanfield; 7-
My post on Oscar, Best Dance Direction, 1936-38
