Stage Door

film by La Cava [1937]

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July 15, 2026

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Stage Door is a 1937 American film directed by Gregory La Cava. It is based on the play of the same name by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman. The film is a comedy that focuses on a boardinghouse for aspiring actresses and features a notable cast, including Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Lucille Ball. La Cava was known for his screwball comedies, and Stage Door was one of his acclaimed works, earning an Academy Award nomination for best picture and a directing nod for La Cava. The film is set in a boardinghouse for young women hoping to make it in the theater.1

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Gregory La Cava
Heyday
…had even greater success with Stage Door (1937), an acclaimed adaptation of the Edna Ferber–George S. Kaufman play about a boardinghouse for aspiring actresses. The comedy boasted a stellar cast—including Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, and Adolphe Menjou—and a number of memorable scenes, many of which were the
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…had even greater success with Stage Door (1937), an acclaimed adaptation of the Edna Ferber–George S. Kaufman play about a boardinghouse for aspiring actresses. The comedy boasted a stellar cast—including Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball, and Adolphe Menjou—and a number of memorable scenes, many of which were the
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Lucille Ball
Early life and career
…a succession of movies—Carnival (1935), Stage Door (1937), Room Service (1938), Five Came Back (1939), and Too Many Girls (1940), in which she starred and which also featured the popular Cuban bandleader and actor Desi Arnaz, whom she married in 1940. For 10 years they conducted separate careers, he as…
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…a succession of movies—Carnival (1935), Stage Door (1937), Room Service (1938), Five Came Back (1939), and Too Many Girls (1940), in which she starred and which also featured the popular Cuban bandleader and actor Desi Arnaz, whom she married in 1940. For 10 years they conducted separate careers, he as…
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