Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider) is the center of the universe in show business and he uses it to full advantage. His creative endeavors include dance and TV show production. However, Joe’s main area of expertise is dance choreography. His preferred dancers are sexually stimulating women. As a kid he grew up on the same stages as showgirls and it influenced him heavily in his art and in his personal life. His talent would allow him to get away with it in spite of it being common knowledge within the company. His infidelities become the inspiration for his next number for which he has struggled to find. But they also personally affected his relationships with women who couldn’t keep away from him, specifically his girlfriend, his ex-wife and his daughter. And yet it’s in his women that he finds his wisdom. It would be Joe’s addiction to cigarettes and drugs that would undermine him in the end.
Favorite scene
Joe’s girlfriend Kate (Ann Reinking) and his daughter Michele (Erzsebet Foldi) perform a special surprise dance just for him in a gesture of true love and admiration.