Starring: Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, May Robson, Winnie Lightner, Fred Astaire

Hosted by Caroline Golum and Cristina Cacioppo. Followed by an after party in Trees Lounge with a DJ set of pre-code era tunes from Owen Kline plus our signature cocktail special “Blonde in Hell.”

Dancing Lady (1933) is a sparkling pre-Code backstage musical that pairs brash modernity with classic MGM glamour. Joan Crawford stars as Janie Barlow, a fiercely independent chorus girl whose bold ambition and unapologetic sexuality land her in trouble with the law—and unexpectedly into the orbit of Broadway producer Tod Newton (Franchot Tone). When Tod bails Janie out of jail and installs her as the star of his new show, her meteoric rise exposes the ruthless economics of show business, the fragility of male ego, and the double standards faced by women who dare to want both success and autonomy.

Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, the film delights in its era’s loosened moral codes, offering frank sexual innuendo, open class tension, and a refreshingly unsentimental look at romance. Clark Gable appears as Patch Gallagher, a tough, working-class lover who challenges the polished producer’s claim on Janie’s heart, setting up a triangle that pits wealth and respectability against passion and loyalty. With Busby Berkeley-style spectacle, antics from The Three Stooges (back when they were Ted Healy and his Stooges), and Crawford at the height of her early stardom, Dancing Lady captures a moment in Hollywood when women’s desire, labor, and ambition could be portrayed with striking candor.