What makes it different from others?

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

People have noted that the "The Dancing Pirate" was original and unique. That is true, but it is set firmly in a Gilbert and Sullivan "Pirates of Penzance" absurd world. In this world, a genteel dancing instructor can be mistaken for a bloodthirsty pirate.There are lots of scenes that seem to foreshadow scenes in other movies. Its important to remember that this 1936 movie preceded these other films. The scene of Dancing Instructor Johnathan Pride (Charles Collins) entering a small Californian town and being mistaken for an invading pirate army reminds one of "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming" (Jewison, 1966). The scene of male versus female Spanish dancers at the end reminds one of the "America" scene in West Side Story (Wise, 1961). Robert Collins' athletic dancing reminds one of Gene Kelley in "The Pirate" (Minnelli, 1948), although Collins' skinny frame also reminds one of Ray Bulger's scarecrow in "Wizard of Oz" (Minnelli, 1939). Speaking of Wizard of Oz" Frank Morgan, the wizard of "Wizard of Oz" gives a performance here that is very close to the wizard, as he plays another bumbling authority figure, the mayor of a Spanish village. Another technique first used here and copied in "Wizard of Oz" is that the movie begins in black and White and only switches to color when we arrive in the magical land of California. I found one other connection to the "Wizard of Oz." The star of this film, Charles Collins, had a voice-over in "The Wiz" (Lumet, 1978).I saw a very bad dark and muddy color print of this movie on Amazon Prime streaming video. The N.Y. Times reviewer in 1936 raved about the Technicolor of the original. I hope someday someone goes to the trouble of restoring the film to its original color. This print made the film difficult to watch. However, the great choreography, humorous story, and wonderful performances by leads Charles Collins, Frank Morgan, and Steffi Duna won me over.If you like Gilbert and Sullivan, I think you'll find "the Dancing Pirate" witty and charming. The songs are by Rodgers and Hart, while not their best work ("Pal Joey"), they still are very good.

The only things this turkey has going for it are the claim that it is in Technicolor and Rita Hayworth "stars" in it.My VHS copy is in color; however, nowhere in the credits do "Technicolor", "Technicolor Director" or "Technicolor Consultant" appear. I cannot see the Technicolor Corporation allowing any 1935 movie using its process to be released without there being ample credit given to Technicolor.If Rita Hayworth or rather Margarita Cansino appears in the film, she is totally unrecognizable. I am familiar with the Rita Cansino with the sleek black hair and low forehead who danced in the Spencer Tracy/Claire Trevor film Dante's Inferno; so, I was not looking for the flamboyant redhead of the characterized Hayworth -- except for the shorn platinum blonde of The Lady from Shanghai -- during her zenith on the silver screen.All pans aside, it does have Frank Morgan at his bumbling best; although, even at $5.00 with a poor copy of the American English language truncated version of von Sternberg's The Blue Angel, it was no real bargain.

One day while scrounging the dollar bin at Wal-Mart, I was looking for something unique, daring, and funny. and then, out of the pile shone a beacon of hope. it was "the Dancing Pirate". and I thought "Dancing? Pirates? Could there be romance? Yes, yes, and yes? and in exotic locations? What more could you want?????" I decided to premiere my new find at a all night movie watching party. My friends would be impressed with my exquisite taste, I was sure(though I had not watched the film myself yet, I was confident). And the Dancing Pirate came through, dancing his way into mine and my dear friends' hearts. It was so bad, it was awesome. Long Live the Dancing Pirate!!! "Don't thank me....teach me."

I would have liked the movie even more, I'm sure, if I'd seen the color version. Unfortunately, the only version I could find was the black-and-white, which I purchased out of curiosity from a bin of one dollar DVDs at Wal-Mart. Anyhow, "The Dancing Pirate" is certainly no masterpiece, but it's hard to dislike this movie. It's harmless, goofy, sort-of-weird entertainment (just about what you'd expect from the title), and the main character is a likable guy. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't actually contain any dancing pirates (the main character, "a dancing master," is mistaken for a pirate), but the dancing it does contain ain't bad. If you're the type of person who'd consider buying a movie called "The Dancing Pirate" from a bin of one dollar DVDs at Wal-Mart, you'll like this movie, as did I.