Jazzy and elegant dance number from 1936

[TrevorHoltzworth]

The Lady Dances!!!She Sure Does!!!Like Nobody Else!!!

Nobody Can Match This!!! Great Fun All The Way!!!

[utterlyviolet]

I almost didn't recognize Rita Rio when I recently saw her in one of the "One the Road" movies.

[MrVintage78]

What a great clip I just found! Dona Drake/Rita Rio with some superb dancing, including her legendary 'snake hips' routine! Thanks for posting!!

[Surixurient]

I am with you heavyboxes.

[heavyboxes]

Now I want to live in the 1930's.

[tapdancegirl88]

mmm  too bad i cant see her lucious pretty shoe metal taps

[hebneh]

In 1967, at the age of 13, I watched this on TV at the start of my interest in old movies. I was transitioning from sitting through '30s and '40s movies just because they happened to be showing, to actually paying attention and wanting to learn more about them. This number amused and intrigued me, and got me searching for the larger and more elaborate dances staged by Busby Berkeley. Before home video, your only option was to check the TV guide each week and hope for something interesting.

[DancingSpiderman]

This clip reminds me of Loony Tunes, when Bugs Bunny was dancing for Elmer Fudd  dressed up as Carmen Miranda, with his furry fudd sticking out in back of his dress.

COOL wire work !! GREAT performance ! I LVOE this video!

[papillonRouge81]

@DancingSpiderman wasn't that daffy?...:))

[5656bigsteve]

Dona Drake huh? Very good! If she was around today she'd have done.."All the single ladies" Funny how around this time hunched shouders and a curved back was sexy. Think of Clara Bow or even Betty Boop.

[AnemicChia]

Haha, when Donna starts singing at 3:37 the way she acts reminds me of Al Jolson singing "Toot Toot Tootsie" in The Jazz Singer.

[antoniod]

Part of this number is seen Rotoscoped in YELLOW SUBMARINE.

[kreepeemann]

Wow, What a finish! Great wire work!

[me8itch]

Love it!

[Corrie121]

Great ! Most enjoyable post.

Thanks for sharing.

[Nationsnotregimes]

Hollywood of 1936 selling skin for a buck nothing to inspire a people, but to corrupt them instead.

The enemy has been in the gates for long time. In facts there are no gates left, LOL

[saracidal3303]

I'd hate to hear what you think of music from the presentXD

[DrWhiggs]

@Nationsnotregimes Oh, hush.

[Nationsnotregimes]

@DrWhiggs

Ah, okay

It is nice to see strong beautiful legged women drug free, no TATOO's piercing's and etc.

Holly stinks, but she can dance.

[199520002002]

Could be a wonderful number if not that old man too half of the time. The melody is fine.

[tomkellycartoons]

Love it! Love it, love it, love it!!!

Thank you!!

[jd03150]

Having been brought up in the South -- in what is generally referred to as "The Bible Belt," I can just imagine that in 1936 this movie -particularly this dance -- had preachers in full bellow cursing it as the devil's work. Devil or angel, the lady was beautiful, talented and certainly was a great dancer. The credits don't give details but I cannot help but think that this number bears the Busby Berkeley stamp. Great stuff!

[MrJozefOravkin]

hhh TEKTONIK

[hooweelewis]

Israel Iskowitz.

[cushtichavi]

Didn't she have her own dance band under another name?

[songplugger]

Yes! She was known as Rita Rio when she fronted her all-girl orchestra.

Both a knockout and a damn good dancer, she should have been a bigger star.

[OldMovieDude]

I sure hope the experts are wrong & another depression like the 30s doesnt come, but if so I hope well be entertained by stuff like this rather than Doubt, Revolutionary Road & other downers.

If you can watch 2:28-4:16 without being transported right out of the here & now, I dont know what to tell ya. Go Rita Novella/Dona Drake, under all your stage names! Glad u survived gangsta life.

[bootsamou]

But what a strange tune.

[G7VEW]

Superb! I would like to see some more from Harry Roy cica 1936, especially featuring Princess Pearl.

Also, has anyone got, "I'll BBCing You" by Lew Stone & his orchestra - please?

[manga12]

Man they dont dance like that anymore, outside of competition dances, I love the nice visuals and the jazz music from the art deco age movies.

[ecapital46]

Always loved this Harold Arlen tune. Lew Brown's verse here reminds me of the Broadway strip in San Francisco's North Beach where Carol Doda use to reign supreme. Well captured.

[rayodelsol80]

This song got stuck in my head and I walk around going, "The lady dances..da da da da da da..." It's super catchy.

[rayodelsol80]

I wish this was in color!

[JackBenny1924]

I love, love LOVE Eddie Cantor!!!!

[blinko656]

He had a voice, this guy could sing!

[voglesque89]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm always very impressed by this clip. Eddie's especially hypnotizing (I can't explain it), not to mention what a fox Dona Drake is. Geez!

[joeyjojo4]

It's his banjo eyes, of course.

[bchfront]

Lee Newman, Cantor's grandson, once told me that this film, "Strike Me Pink", was his favorite of his grandfathers' movies. As with all films' produced in the 30's by Sam Goldwyn, that Gregg Toland-sheen sure don't hurt it none! The arrangement on this is very-sophiscated for that time, I'm assuming it was Al Newman's. And I don't see anything wrong with Dona Drake's -- eh, voice! R.J.

[hebneh]

The part with Eddie dancing with Rita Rio was used in "Yellow Submarine", traced over and recolored to look like a cartoon. As I remember, it's in "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds".

[scotpens]

Thanks for that info. I always thought the dancing woman in that song looked rotoscoped. Interesting to know what the source material is.

[cascol]

A good, not great production number which obviously owes much to the influence of Busby Berkely. My infallible reference work indicates the numbers in this movie were staged by Robert Alton.

[Birondon]

Gracias por colgar este video de la película "Strike me Pink", de 1936. En España la titularon "Hombre o ratón", y esta secuencia es una de las mejores del film. Dona Drake es muy divertida y baila muy bien, y Eddie cantor... ¿qué se puede decir de un genio como él? Maravillosos musicales de los años 30's que hacían que el mundo se evadiese de los problemas enormes que se le venían encima.

[Atys02]

Merci pour cette video.

[stickyjoe131]

I almost forgot, this IS during the great depression.

[tonymaka]

This is an amazing dance number. Dona Drake was quite a character, in real life she was a top gangsters moll, he got set on fire by the mob, died, and she had to go into hiding. Dona also fronted her own swing band under the name Rita Rio, and they were excellent. Check out her number with Alan Ladd. As for Eddie Cantor, what can I say but 'Genius'

[songplugger]

That Dona Drake is a sassy eyeful. But she dances much better than she sings! :-)

[DanceTaps]

where are her tap shoes

[jacobsimon]

Exquisite escapism during the Depression

[stickyjoe131]

Good point. Well said.

[fulster2]

Lovely candid ... thanks for this

[voglesque89]

I love this number. What stage presence!

This'll be on TCM July 29th, at 6:00 AM E/T.

[songplugger]

Wonderful Harold Arlen song!