| Flirtation Walk | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Borzage |
| Screenplay by | Delmer Daves |
| Story by | Delmer Daves Lou Edelman |
| Produced by | Robert Lord |
| Starring | Dick Powell Ruby Keeler Pat O'Brien |
| Cinematography | Sol Polito George Barnes |
| Edited by | William Holmes |
| Music by | Allie Wrubel Mort Dixon |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures (throughWarner Bros. Pictures) |
Release date | |
Running time | 85, 95, 97, or 100 minutes[3] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $479,000[4] |
| Box office | $1,533,000[4] |
Flirtation Walk is a 1934 Americanromantic musical film written byDelmer Daves and Lou Edelman and directed byFrank Borzage. The film's title refers to a path near theTrophy Point scenic overlook inWest Point, New York namedFlirtation Walk, where cadets often take dance dates for some time alone.
Richard Palmer Grant Dorcy Jr., also known as "the Canary" and "the singing bird of the tropics," is an enlisted man in theUnited States Army. Stationed in theHawaiian Islands, he has a contentious but friendly relationship with his sergeant, Scrapper Thornhill. When General Fitts visits the post with his daughter Kit on their way toManila, Dick is assigned to drive her to a reception that evening. Falling victim to the moonlit night, Kit and Dick attend aluau instead, and he sings "Aloha ‘Oe". They are discovered in each other's arms by Scrapper and Lieutenant Biddle, who is also in love with Kit. Biddle accuses Dick of ruining Kit's reputation and forcing her to accompany him off post. Dick decides todesert. Scrapper begs Kit to reconcile with Biddle.
To prevent Dick from deserting, Kit tells him that she was responding to a crazy impulse and that he means nothing to her. Stung by her words, and Biddle's condescending statement that "if you were an officer and a gentleman, you'd understand," Dick decides to compete with Biddle as an equal and applies for admission to theUnited States Military Academy. He is accepted and fares very well, to Scrapper's delight. In his first year, Dick becomes afirst captain and General Fitts is appointed the academy's superintendent, with Biddle as his aide. While most of his classmates are infatuated with Kit, Dick is cold to her. He is unhappy when the men insist that she participate in the traditional "Hundredth Night" theatrical performance that he is to direct.
Dick writes a comedy about a female general with a message directed at Kit. After the first rehearsal, Kit walks with Dick on Flirtation Walk and tries to explain why she told him that she was not in love with him. Dick is too angry to listen to Kit, but during their on-stage love scene kisses her, and she admits that she loves him. Near graduation, General Fitts announces Kit's engagement to Biddle, and Dick is confused. He visits her at night in an attempt to dissuade her from marrying Biddle. He is caught by Biddle and agrees to resign from the academy to protect Kit's name. Scrapper arrives to see Dick graduate and is disappointed to learn of his resignation. The day is saved when Biddle tells Dick that his resignation was not accepted and that Kit returned his ring, wishing him good luck. Dick graduates as a happy man.
Much of the film was shot on location atWest Point.Bobby Connolly began to film the Hawaiian number on July 3, 1934, and was scheduled to finish on July 10. The set was the largest ever built atWarner Bros. Following completion of the number, Connolly started the military wedding number using more than 400 dancers.[3]
The success of the film led Warner Bros. to combine Powell, Keeler, Alexander and Arledge again with Borzage and Daves with similar plot and characters forShipmates Forever, a film about theUnited States Naval Academy, the following year.[3]
In a contemporary review forThe New York Times, criticAndre Sennwald calledFlirtation Walk "a rousing recruiting poster" and wrote: "[T]he Academy background has been woven into the picture with a great sum of sheer skill, and the photoplay emerges as a pleasant conventional comedy, as well as a splendid laboratory specimen of the adolescent cinema."[1]
In theLos Angeles Times, critic Edwin Schallert wrote: "The general character of the production is good, and certainly the fine sense of romance that always distinguished the directing of Borzage shines through. He is on solid ground whenever he deals with a subject of forlorn love like this."[2]
According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $1,062,000 domestically and $471,000 internationally.[4]
Excerpts of the production, including the ending, are used in the 2001 filmThe Wedding Planner.
The film was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture andBest Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson).[5]
"Aloha 'Oe" (1878) by PrincessLiliʻuokalani
Music and lyrics byAllie Wrubel andMort Dixon:
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