6 Best Eleanor Powell Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 30, 2026

Eleanor Powell was celebrated as the greatest female tap dancer in film history, and her athletic, dazzling solo numbers made her one of MGM’s biggest musical stars. Broadway Melody of 1936 and Broadway Melody of 1938 are the showcases, Born to Dance is another, Rosalie falls a West Point cadet for a secret princess, Honolulu swaps a movie star with his lookalike, and Ship Ahoy recruits a dancer to smuggle secret plans.

Ship Ahoy (1942)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Eleanor Powell stars in this musical comedy about a tap dancer aboard an ocean liner who is unknowingly recruited to smuggle secret submarine plans.

Directed by Edward Buzzell · 1h 35m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Honolulu (1939)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Eleanor Powell appears in this musical comedy where a Hollywood star and his identical-looking pineapple plantation owner double swap places for a getaway.

Directed by Edward Buzzell · 1h 24m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rosalie (1937)

TMDB ★ 6.1

Eleanor Powell features in this musical about a West Point cadet who falls for a European princess secretly attending college under a false identity.

Directed by W.S. Van Dyke · 2h 05m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)

TMDB ★ 6.6

Eleanor Powell appears in this musical about a struggling Broadway producer who bets everything on discovering a fresh new talent.

Directed by Roy Del Ruth · 1h 50m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Born to Dance (1936)

TMDB ★ 6.7

Eleanor Powell is in this musical about a sailor on shore leave who falls for an aspiring dancer while helping stage a hit Broadway show.

Directed by Roy Del Ruth · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Eleanor Powell features in this musical about a Broadway producer whose new show is complicated by a gossip columnist and a rising star.

Directed by Roy Del Ruth · 1h 43m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Eleanor Powell Movies

Ship Ahoy (1942)

Honolulu (1939)

Rosalie (1937)

Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)

Born to Dance (1936)

Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

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