lovejuice's astaire & rogers extravaganza

[lovejuice]

just bought the 10 movie boxset. even though i've watched most of their films in one format or the other, it's always been my intention to revisit all in restored dvd. have no idea how far i can go on with the list, but will try my best. contribution from a lover of old musicals is welcome.

i've been doing tap and ballroom dance on and off for almost ten years, so to make this more intesting, i'll try to speculate my thought from a dancer perspective.

and it's not in a chronological order, or from fave to least or anything. semi-random. depend on my mood.

[lovejuice]

Roberta (1935)

Directer: William A. Seiter



"Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and company visit his aunt, owner of a posh fashion house run by her assistant, Stephanie. There they meet the singer Scharwenka (alias Huck's old friend Lizzie), who gets the band a job. Meanwhile, Madame Roberta passes away and leaves the business to John and he goes into partnership with Stephanie." (imdb)

Plot

Astaire in another supporting role. His, in fact, is quite substantial, while Rogers's a wall-flower here. (She actually looks gorgeous.) The story reminds you of those glen miller's band films in which the main characters are musicians in a big band, and wherever they go, they have to tag alone an army of guy friends. since Astaire is not the lead, it does not go along the A&R formula that a fan like me has to sit through again and again. A nice diversion.

There're biting social commentaries on european snobbery and how glorified it is to be an american farmer. Rogers' character is actually a farm girl trying to pass out as a polish duchess. It also pokes fun at how, after the Bolshevik's, many hard up nobilities wandered the continent. Gee, it's so swell to be born an American, I guess. (The movie's 1935, so go figure.)

Songs

Irene Dunne gets the first billing, so you expect a lot of nice singing. In fact, Roberta is among a better A&R musicals, song-wise. Ever wonder where I Don't Dance and Smokes Get in Your Eyes come from? The movie features other less-known but melodic tunes, and there is this part in which Astaire does a jazz-talking/rapping of sort. My favorite is the human organ at the beginning. Too bad, it's only a good idea that doesn't really take wing.

Dances

Astaire's earlier styles, inspired more by irish jig than african-american hoof. A lot of toes and steps, as opposed to syncopated heel drops. I find dancing to be pretty weak here not because of the choregraphs which are topnotch, but the stage is the same, and by the time you get to the third number, it's getting less eye-popping.

Verdict

If you're going to watch only one A&R film, let's it not be Roberta. If you already watched a couple and are tired of the formula, this movie provides a diversion. Also the music is sweet. Highly recommended if you're looking for that in a musical.

[lovejuice]

The Gay Divorcee (1934)

Director: Mark Sandrich



"Mimi Glossop wants a divorce so her Aunt Hortense hires a professional to play the correspondent in apparent infidelity. American dancer Guy Holden meets Mimi while visiting Brightbourne (Brighton) and she thinks he is the correspondent. The movie won three Academy nominations and the first Oscar for Best Song: "The Continental". (imdb)

Plot

Most A&R productions are based on obscured plays you'll never heard of. The Gay Divorcee is an exception. My first experience with it is actually on a stage in San Francisco. No wonder the play outlives the movie. The Gay Divorcee is very funny. Mistaken identity has never been refreshing, but at least the writers invests enough into the concept to make it work. Thus far this is A&R's with the best script, neil-simonesque with good one-liners, brilliantly delivered by the cast. (Watch out for "Hooray Hooray, the husband is here!") The climax is not a big song and dance -- although there is one which I'm gonna talk about -- but a conversation among Rogers, Astaires, and Erik Rhodes, the male gigolo, as they await the coming of the husband.

Songs

The Continental won the Oscar, but let's me tell you a little story. There is these two months in my life before a big ballroom competition in San Jose I have to listen to Nat King Cole's The Continental for an hour everyday. Do I get sick of it? No. I love this song. Imagine how anticipated I'll be to hear Astaire sing and dance to the tune. It turns out to be quite a let down. This original and older arrangement does not quite live up to the newer version. Plus it's stretched into, like, forever.

Dances

I always think of The Gay Divorcee as comedy first, musical second. Through out the movie there are only a few numbers. They make up for it near the end in the showpiece which if you want to know how big is "a big song and dance" you have to see The Continental. Clock in at twenty two minutes. Thus far the longest single, continuous number I've ever seen in any musical. Start off with a duo dancing, before a dreamic sequence in which a group of male and female join in. Technically is it good? I have a doubt, but its shear length is so absurd it makes up for any lacking.

Verdict

The Gay Divorcee is always my cure for patients with aversion toward goldern era musicals. It has enough wit and charm to please general audiences. Due to its shortcoming as a musical, I won't call the movie their best career effort. It yet remains among my favorite.

[lovejuice]

Follow the Fleet (1936)

Director: Mark Sandrich



"When the fleet puts in at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's buddy Bilge Smith romances Sherry's sister Connie. But it's not all smooth sailing: Bake has a habit of losing Sherry's jobs for her; and despite Connie's dreams, Bilge is not ready to settle down." (imdb)

Plot

So I have this idea for a drinking game. All take a shot when something “politically incorrect” happens during Follow the Fleet. This time capsule’s as offensive as anything that side of Todd Solondz. Astaire and Rogers are two mischievous lovers upping harm done to one another ala Love Me If You Dare. It’s easier to root for them to tear each other’s heart out than…well…to tear each other’s heart out. (Freudian/Hitchcockian dynamics are fully in gear.) A nice sadistic-masochistic fun compared to watching Randolph Scott as a misogynic ass. Afraid of commitment, he ditches a school teacher for a quickie with a society slut. Harriet Hilliard acts dump to portrays innocent victim of male chauvinistic.

Songs

Among Berlin's weaker attempts. Even the famous Let's Face the Music and Dance doesn't have the oomp. Rogers sings some catchy tunes, but don't expect much audio pleasure.

Dances

Follow the Fleet makes a big mistake of stripping Astaire of his top hat n’ long tail and clothing him sailor. Fred was merely lucky enough to look good in a tux but not in anything else, definitely not a navy. The dances are quite fun. There is one “deconstructional” sequence in which Astaire and Rogers -- in a hideous outfit which I’m not sure is intentional or a misconception of the costume designer – mock dances stuffs people in those days did especially the duo themselves.

Verdict

I jeer and sneer at the plot, but it’s quite a misanthropic gay old time. Recommendable if you are into Hollywood film history and interested in how ideologies are changed and portrayed through out the century. Considered its navy setting, the movie strikes dissemblance to modern militaristic comedies: Major Payne, Sgt. Bilko, or – to quote good movie – M*A*S*H. Which sort of character is Astaire, a rebel or a patriotic conformist? Its musical merit though is rather limited.

[Derek]

Great thread, lovejuice. I've only seen Top Hat, which is one of my favorite musicals, so this will be invaluable in helping me prioritize what to see next.

[Buffaluffasaurus]

I love The Gay Divorcee. You're spot on about it being a comedy first, musical second (although I think The Continental number is quite dazzling, even if you have reservations). It's utterly hilarious - Edward Everett Horton is a genius. His entire performance consists of double-takes and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

I think this might even be my favourite Astaire/Rogers film, even though more recognised ones like Top Hat get all the attention.

I agree with your assessment of Roberta too.

[Sycophant]

Great thread, lovejuice. I've only seen Top Hat, which is one of my favorite musicals, so this will be invaluable in helping me prioritize what to see next.

Ditto for me.

[lovejuice]

interesting that many people're into top hat. i'll give it a second chance then.

[Sycophant]

interesting that many people're into top hat. i'll give it a second chance then.

Reasons I saw it:
1) I needed to see an Astaire/Rogers film (for my own wellbeing)
2) Kung Fu Hustle

[lovejuice]

2) Kung Fu Hustle

i miss the connection. is there a homage in KFH?

[Sycophant]

i miss the connection. is there a homage in KFH?

When he dips the romantic interest in that wonderfully roguish pose, they're positioned in front of a Top Hat poster.

[lovejuice]

Swing Time (1936)

Director: George Stevens



"Lucky is tricked into missing his wedding to Margaret by the other members of Pop's magic and dance act, and has to make $25000 to be allowed to marry her. He and Pop go to New York where they run into Penny, a dancing instructor. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted (till the end of the film at least!) by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricardo, the band leader who won't play for them to dance together."

Plot

If there is any A&R I feel like remaking, this is going to be the one. Every time I watch it, I can't help but feel how much better it would have been if the rest of the movie followed the first ten to fifteen minutes. Swing Time opens with a remarkable promise. Astaire feigns as a beginner and takes a dance lesson from Roger. His pretending to have two left feet and awkwardly falling down is among my favorite images in romantic comedy. Too bad the fraud is fast exposed, and the movie stumbles from one silly scenario to the next. Pointless secondary characters are introduced; important key events are missing and described in exposition; along with really good musical and dance numbers, so i guess they all work out. Swing Time has this curious quality of Astaire playing a dancer/gambler. (What's the connection?) The movie at a time is even pro-gambling. Weird really. Also it pokes fun at the worker movement and gives a commentary on sexism by being sexist itself.


Songs

You know, someone actually wrote down The Way You Look Tonight -- popularized by When Harry Met Sally -- not just sing it cover. Those someone also won the Oscar for Best Original Song. So next time you hear The Way You Look Tonight, you can amuse your friends by explaining its origin.

Dances

True to its name, Swing Time marks a transition of Astaire from a tap to a ballroom/swing dancer; from a feet-accentuated movement to a more flashy hand styling. It's fascinating to watch the duo dances in close contact while stomping their feet like crazy. What they do are nowadays categorized as "quickstep," a dance I am extremely fond of. The choreography cleverly takes "time" and more unusually "space" into account as evident by the interaction between dancers and, not only the music, but also the stage.

Verdict

Swing Time actually gives me a lot of nostalgic feel since it's my first A&R, and I watched it on a crappy blockbuster VHS. The narration is pretty bad, but it features examples of more sophisticated dance choreography. Perhaps after the first fifteen minutes, your-finger-on-a-fast-forward-button style might best serve the viewing experience.

[SirNewt]

Swing Time (1936)

Director: George Stevens

This is a lot of people's favorite A/R flick and I can't figure out why. While it has many funny moments overall it felt unfocused and the story lurched all over the place.

[lovejuice]

since i have to write reviews for a class anyway, i will try to finish this, or at least add more entries into the list.

[lovejuice]

Carefree (1938)

Director: Mark Sandrich



"Dr. Tony Flagg's friend, Steven, has problems in the relationship with his fiancee, Amanda, so he persuades her to visit Dr. Flagg. After some minor misunderstandings, she falls in love with Dr. Flagg. When he tries to use hypnosis to strengthen her feelings for Steven, things get complicated."

Plot

The promise is silly and refreshing. Astaire is no longer his usual downtrodden hoofer, but a shrink/dancer/wizard. A lot of mambo jambo to amuse any scholar who wants to apply freudian reading to an A&R musical. Gotta give them credits for anticipating Hitchcock's Spellbound seven years in advance. Astaire also does a "green globlin" with a mirror almost seven decades before Dafoe.

This is perhaps the most Rogers-ish of all their films. For at least half the movie, she's the one taking the center stage. If you are a fan, don't miss a chance to see her act silly: after being anestheticized and hypnotized, Rogers goes on a rampage, throwing a policeman's batong into a glass window, trying to shoot Astaire with a shotgun, before getting smacked on her face. Rogers does show she can carry the movie. Many dramatic moments have more weigh than usual, and it leaves fans wonder how much better their repertoire would be if she had more chances like this.

Songs

According to IMDB, it's the least "musical" of their films, containing only four Berlin's numbers. None of them is instant classic, although The Yam is quite silly and delightful.

Dances

A lot has been made of that golf ball sequence in which it took them two weeks and 600 balls to film. It does not show. Just another undistinguishable Astaire's solo. Other dances, though, work wonder, not because two good dancers are paired up, but especially because of the chemistry. I Used to Be Color Blind utilizes the slow-motion effectively. The wrinkled and flowing of their costumes are accentuated, and the dreamscape is elevated into one of the best A&R moments. The Yam is pleasing because of how cleverly they stage it. There is this short memorable sequence near the end when Astaire does puppetry/hypnosis magic on Rogers. Thank to them: the choreograph works only for a couple who has been working all through seven films together.

Verdict

It has both drama and comedy. Quite rare for an A&R. So for those that pure madcap is not their cups of tea, Carefree is the best choice. If you are doing some freudian analysis for a school work, throw in this delightful A&R. You'll sure impress your teacher who probably never heard about it. Only drawback is its minimal musical moment, but they are expertly done anyway. I will say it's essential as a demonstration of what a good dancer can do when he dances with "a partner."

[Fezzik]

This is a lot of people's favorite A/R flick and I can't figure out why. While it has many funny moments overall it felt unfocused and the story lurched all over the place.

It's my favorite, but to be honest I can't really say why. I might need to revisit it, as I have not seen it in well over a year, and cant find it on DVD anywhere here.

[lovejuice]

the next one will be more extensive than usual.

[lovejuice]

Flying Down to Rio (1933)

Director: Thornton Freeland



Plot

Strictly speaking, Flying Down to Rio was not an A&R musical. The story centers around the love triangle among De Rezende (Dolores del Rio), an exotic heiress; Bond (Gene Raymond), an American millionaire posted as a harded up bandleader and reckless airplane pilot; and Ribeiro (Raul Roulien), his best friend and her Brazilian fiance. Because of her father's unexpected sickness, De Rezende asks Bond to fly her to the nearest airport in. The engine breaks down mid air, and he crash lands on a deserted island. Spending one romantic night togehter, she tells him about her engagement. The couple gets rescued, and they meet again at her father's hotel in Rio. There's also a subplot involving three omnimous mafias who stage for her father's financial demise. The solution is, of course in a pure A&R musical tradition, to put on a show that ends all shows.

Songs

Roulien's character, "the other guy", is well written. Learning about his fiance and his best friend, he sang Orchid in the Moonlight, the tune composed by Bond during that certain night on the island. Given the context and Roulien's sonorous, exotic voice, the number is heart breaking.

The saddest part about this scene, however, is in Roulien's professional career. Following the silent film's tradition of "Latin Lover," established by Rudolf Valentino and Ricardo Cortez (who is actually an Austrian-born, Jewish American), Roulien came on the scene too late, when the fad was dying away. After the death of his second wive, the same year as the release of Flying Down to Rio, Roulien went back to Brazil, and his most remembered Hollywood role is as a supporting actor in a movie that makes name for Fred Astaire.

Dances

Flying Down to Rio features four musical numbers. Typical of early A&R films are that instead of spreading the song-and-dance sequences over the whole film, they tend to cluster into one big number. The Carioca takes a center stage here, featuring more than 100 black and white dancers, a Mariachi band, a handful of pianists, over 30 extras and of course Astaire and Rogers. Their first onscreen dances, however, is charming but quite lacking in complication. Carioca is a Brazillian dance in which the couple's comfort zone is reduced to the minimum, with the couple touching their foreheads together. Astaire lead Rogers onto a heptagon stage composed of seven pianos. With their forehead together, their dance is a mixture and swing and salsa steps. Occasionally the couple breaks apart to do stomping and shuffling with hardly any syncopation. In retrospective, it's perhaps their simplest dance. The sequence ends humorously with the couple banging their head together and feigning dizziness.

The Carioca is, however, remarkable in how they try to push the limit of the segregation law. The dance of Astaire, Rogers and white dancers are cut intertwined with the ensemble of about 40 black dancers. Audiences get the sense that they are all in the same room, but we never actually see them dance together in one frame, not until the very last part anyway. The very last shot is of black dancers dance Carioca with white dancers standing still on a rotating platform. The white do not dance, but the platform dances for them. This is perhaps the closest one can get to breaking the segregation law in 1933.

It's quite impossible to talk about Flying Down to Rio without mentioning the last number, probably the most preposterous and extravaganza show of its kind. The dance is staged literally on the sky; chorus girls doing their line dance on the wings of airplanes. It's famous for its over-the-top-ness rather than artistic value. Since the girls have to secure their feet or hands by tying them to the planes, there is nothing much they can do.

The sequence, however, is curious from a stand point of cinematic history. It's obvious for nowadays audiences that the sequence was shot in a studio in front of a blue screen after which the aerial views of Rio were juxtaposed. In retrospective, there's absolutely no reason for the chorus girls to be secured. This clearly states the difference in how audience of 1930s perceives on-screen images and how we do. The sequence sacrifies some artistic values for the sake of "realism." Nowadays there is no point pretending any shred of "realism" exists.

Verdict

See it for some "historical" value. After that you can boast you already saw the first Astaire's movie ever!

[lovejuice]

Top Hat (1935)

Director: Mark Sandrich



"Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace's hotel, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for Horace. "

Plot

I re-approach this movie with a doubtful mind. My first viewing experience was not kind. I have learned over time it's many people's favorite: Sycophant, Derek, and Baby doll. And it's highly regarded as a classic. Not hard to see why. The movie was nominated for best picture, probably the only A&R. It's referenced in one of the most powerful Woody Allen's endings. Scratch that, It's referenced in one of the most powerful endings of cinema. The writing itself is quite clever, full of sexual innuendos which are rare in 30s musicals.

And yet I remain unamused. It's not the longest movies by any account, but it feels so. The conflict -- in this case mistaken identity -- is resolved 10 minutes before the credit, and even the last ensemble dance feels tacked along.

You see, not to sound condescending, but for a fan of the genre, it's not enough for the movie to be good. I prefer it to be distinguishable. (Carefree fits that bill perfectly.) Top Hat is umblemish, but having Astaire portraying...well....Astaire pushs this movie into the background compared to the others.

Songs

First Astaire & Berlin cooperation. The songs have this quality that they're not quite hummable outside the dances. With the dance, they fit each other perfectly.

Dances

Ok, even I have to admit Top Hat has either the best or second best dances of all A & R musicals. Technique-wise, Astaire dances his heart out in two very complex routines. One of which, Top Hat, ends with a humorous and clever-staged cane-shooting.

There's also this little sand dance that is quite interesting from historical perspective. Astaire's tap is more Irish influenced, but the sand dance is more African American. It's in fact Bill Robinson's another signature move.

Then we have Cheek to Cheek, A&R's most famous duo. Berlin's music really does wonder here. It's not surprised why the sequence is ingrained in Hollywood subconscious. Seeing the dance in retrospective and realizing how immense it actually is...well...let the picture speaks for me...

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Verdict

Its fame is justified. After all, this is the first true A&R musical. The roles were written specifically for them. It's more glamorous than previous three films. You get a sense that the producer started to feel confident about Astaire and Rogers' star power, and they pull no punch on this one; the production is top-notched.

If you have never seen any A&R musical and you really want to be impressed, pick this one. If you did, try something else. Top Hat is the most well-rounded, but that's not to say any aspect of it cannot be topped by others. As a final word, I'll say, it's more iconic than good.

[lovejuice]

Shall We Dance (1937)

Director: Mark Sandrich



"Ballet star Pete "Petrov" Peters arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as the dancer he's fallen for but barely knows, musical star Linda Keene. By the time the ocean liner reaches New York, a little white lie has churned through the rumor mill and turned into a hot gossip item: that the two celebrities are secretly married."

Plot

Many years ago, this was my favorite A&R musical and my favorite Astaire's, seconded only to Broadway Melody of 1940. I first experienced this movie in the perfect setting, an outdoor theatre during a film festival. The movie was followed by a dance lesson and a swing party. I enjoyed the evening immensely.

And now watching it on my laptop, do I like it less? Not necessary. Yes, I realize the story's quite...neither here nor there. The Gay Divorcee proves that an A&R musical can have a good story, and Carefree that even if it doesn't, it can strive for originality. Shall We Dance is neither.

Still it's enjoyable. One can read it as a show of American patriotism against Europian influences. Astaire is Petrov, or Peter, a Philadelphia-born who posts himself as a Russian in order to become a ballet star. It's his meeting and falling in love with Rogers, a vanderville tap starlet, that bring him back to his dance root. (Forget for a while that tap is actually irish/african-american.) Story-wise, it's more fun if you know something about the history of dance. It can also be read as a satire on celebrity gossip, and how the people who are the subjects are the last to know what they did or whom they were supposed to marry to.

I learn from this movie that 1) people already dressed their pets funny in 1937 and 2) there was an airplane on a cross-Atlantic cruise to carry mails to the continent. Pretty cool, huh?

Songs

The Gershwins with some of their most memorable tunes, like Let's Call the Whole Thing Off and They Can't Take That away from Me. It's too bad that the title song will always be dwarved by Rodgers and Hammerstein's of the same name. The script also requires Astaire to sing more than usual; this is the movie to watch if you want to see him as a singer.

Dances

Five words, tap dancing on roller skates! Let's Call the Whole Thing off is jaw-dropping. One of the best on-screen tap numbers in history. It helps too that the tune is among most famous Gershwins'. Most dances in Shall We Dance are slow, and the syncopated rhythms are accentuated. If you are a tap student, the sequences are very nice for an enactment.

I don't know much about ballet, but it'll be interesting to hear what someone who does think about Shall We Dance. Astaire attempts some ballet here, and I really have no idea if he did it well or not. The true ballet star is actually Harriet Hoctor who appears as herself. Still neither she or Astaire dances very ballet-like. Again it might be the American patriotism. Ballet is after all pretty much Russian.

Shall We Dance, the climatic number, is rather creepy and delightful. Leave it to Astaire to think that having the chorus girls wearing masks of the woman he loves is a good idea to woo the girl. The dance is well-staged though, and even if it's not the classic that the line dance in Top Hat is, it's still a sequence to see.

Verdict

I like it less, but yes, it remains my favorite A&R. The roller skate sequence alone earns the film that title. Seriously guys, see it!

[lovejuice]

The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)

Director: H.C. Potter



"In 1911, Vernon Castle, minor comic in a stage revue, pursues the leading lady to a New Jersey beach...where, instead, he meets stage-struck Irene Foote. A few misadventures later, they're married; at Irene's insistence, they abandon comedy to attempt a dancing career, which attempt only lands them in Paris without a sou. Fortunately, agent Maggie Sutton hears them rehearse and starts them on their brilliant career as the world's foremost ballroom dancers. But at the height of their fame, World War I begins"

Plot

This movie is a tough, tough customer to judge. It’s the last A&R RKO picture. I’m not sure if they realized that beforehand. There’s this sense they are trying something new here. No Mark Sandrich, and H.C Potter is new to the game. It is not a comedy; it’s a drama, and a war drama at that. Haven’t seen that Cole Porter’s film, Night and Day, but I guess it’s the same kinda nonsense. Here we have Fred Astaire heroically flying a fighter and killing the German in World War I.

The movie is patriotically out of date. There's this scene in which Astaire and Rogers upon receiving the news that the Americans are joining the war cheerfully acclaim “the war is now practically over!” So really I have no idea how to judge such a thing.

And it’s quite a shame though since the first part of The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is pretty solid. About the dance duo who try to make their ways into the show biz. That’s another different. Not their usual boy-meet-girl story ends in marriage, but a struggling tale of an already married couple. A few heart-breaking scenes in which Astaire and Rogers find themselves down on their luck again and again. How cute.

Songs

Out of the nine RKO pictures, this one is perhaps weakest musically. No classic tune. No big name songwriter like Berlin or Gershwin. Then again, Only When You’re in My Arms works well as the romantic theme precisely because it is un-iconic and thereby more honest than usual.

Dances

Not much tapping here. More like different kinds of ballroom dance; tango, polka, adding a touch of swing. A few dances have this weird quality in which you don't like it at first, but eventually it wins you over. In the audition dance Astaire and Rogers have to feign “beginners.” It starts off very clunky, but if you remind yourself these two are the best dance couple in the history, you will soon appreciate how hard it is for good dancers to fake bad dancing.

Another sequence in which Rogers wears a clown suit is worthy of Fellini’s. She is supposed to be a ham dancer, and Astaire who is the audience is supposed to be very disappointed. And yet we, the real audience, can’t help but adore her. The meta-clash between the perception of character-audiences and real audiences elevates the scene into something you have never seen in any A&R musicals.

Verdict

If only there were no war nonsense, this might have been the most intelligent of all A&R musicals. Heck, it might even have been of all Hollywood golden era. As it is…well….just call it a cultural relic and put it somewhere in a museum.

[lovejuice]

The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

Director: Charles Walters



Only a comedy like The Barkleys of Broadway can be this infinitely sad.

While all of them are special and remarkable in their own ways, there’s no contest that The Barkleys of Broadway is the most unique of A&R musicals. It’s the only one in Technicolor and produced by MGM. It’s the last of their pictures together and more important dated ten years after The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, their second to last.

After the collaboration that spans seven years and nine movies which benefit any talents involved: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (the leads); Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes and Eric Blore (supporting actors.); Mark Sandrich (the director); George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin and Irvin Berlin (the composers and lyricist), they decide good thing must come to an end. Their final movie, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, ends with an image of “ghost Astaire” walking away from Rogers and disappearing. No more onscreen dancing for Fred and Ginger.

To be sure, Astaire still did musicals. Among his more successful films of the 40s was Easter Parade opposite Judy Garland. The film struck the cord so well that it was to be followed by You Made Me Love You starring Garland and him. She dropped out, however, and was replaced by Ginger. The movie was retitled The Barkleys of Broadway, and even though audiences had one more change to see the couple danced onscreen, it became the most unique and saddest of all A&R musicals.

Not anymore was the time 1930s, and the color was merely a skin-deep change. Musical Comedy, the genre of which the two prospered during their previous outings was no longer “legitimate” entertainment. In Rogers and Astaire’s own words, Musical Comedy has “no drama…no messages…no worrying about the plots…nothing but fun set to music.” After the World War, the holocaust and the atomic bombs, it should come as no surprise that escapist fantasy of the Roosevelt’s era belongs to the past.

This passage of time is well channeled in The Barkleys of Broadway. Astaire is Josh Barkley who creates, coaches and choreographs his own wife and dance partner, Dinah Barkley. He is a Svengali who hypnotizes her to perform and dance for him. This metaphor likely refers back to Carefree in which the psychologist Astaire hypnotizes Rogers into a dance. Also this relationship dynamic is a continuation of their previous film in which Vernon Castle too takes a beginner, Irene, under his own wings. (In other movies, Astaire and Rogers are already virtuoso dancers when they first meet.)

The Svengali metaphor has a double meaning. It also implies that without her husband, Dinah Barkley is nothing. Even though they are big hit on Broadway, understandably she is not satisfied. Her dissatisfaction is based on feminist sentiment which is a rather new phenomenon. It was fueled during the War when men went abroad and women replaced them in workforce. The Barkleys of Broadway is perhaps the only Fred & Ginger’s that touches the issue. As good as their pre-War efforts, when it comes to feminist debate, those movies can be politically incorrect.

Dinah sets her goal to become a “legitimate” actress, and when a renowned playwright, Jacques Barredout (Jacques Francois), offers her a role of young Sarah Bernhard, Dinah cannot refuse even if that means the end of her professional and personal life with her husband. Interesting enough, this conflict between highbrow and lowbrow entertainment is eternally present in a number of A&R. Shall We Dance features Astaire as a (fake) Russian danseur and Rogers as an American hoofer. The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is about two “ham comedians” working their ways to become respectable dance duo.

Intentionally or not, the fictional Josh and Dinah reflect the professional lives of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire’s biggest assets include his comedic timing, his funny voice and of course his dancing, not acting or good look. According to Hollywood folklore, a screen test report on Astaire for RKO Pictures is "Can't sing. Can't act. Balding. Can dance a little." Rogers has a wider range. As demonstrated in Carefree, rather a Rogers’s than Astaire’s film, she can carry both dramatic and comedic moment. After Astaire left RKO Pictures, she stayed on with the company, and during the decade, is slightly more famous than he.

The end of Musical Comedy is also the end of Astaire’s career, and he realizes this. (Astaire went into an early but brief retirement in 1947.) Sardonically, he plays with this issue in Shoes with Wings On, among his best solos. Story-wise, it is after Dinah breaks up with him. The dance is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s The Red Shoes. On stage, Josh Barkley plays a shoemaker whose white shoes magically dance by themselves. Josh puts the shoes on and delightfully hoofs around the stage. Before long he is joined by other dancing shoes. The scene turns into the line dance of Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, the most famous Astaire solo. (The “gunning” at the end clearly makes this dance an homage to his earlier.) As delightful as the dance, the scene is also a sad allegory for vanishing dancers. At the climax, amid the drum roll, Astaire takes off the shoes, throws them to the shelf and the window shop, and starts spinning, jumping, stomping and madly spreading his arms. The dance ends with shoes rain down on Astaire. He crumbles; his expression is a mixture of pain and surprise. Slowly he smiles, a smile of infinite sadness.

The Barkleys of Broadway is a story of a long gone era. The songs features are written by Ira Gershwin and Harry Warren, not George who tragically died in 1937. Only exception is They Can’t Take That Away from Me, a classic by George and Ira, also featured in Shall We Dance, but the couple never dance to it. When Josh and Dinah swing around to the tune, we can’t help but moved. This is the dance that makes Josh and Dinah (and Fred and Ginger) famous. It’s sad because it might be their last both in the story and in real life. The Barkleys of Broadway has a happy ending; the couple return to each other’s arm. It’s the saddest kind of happy ending because we know Astaire and Rogers never dance onscreen ever again, and he still has to struggle with his musical career. (The Band Wagon picks on this similar theme of the decaying state of Musical Comedy.)

As I look once again at Astaire’s expression at the end of Shoes with Wings On, I realize he is sweaty and tired. He’s already 50 when he shot the movie. Astaire had never shown fatigue before. It’s a basic rule of dancing that no matter how hard the step is, you have to make it seems easy. Here he lies among the pile of shoes. Then Astaire flashes that sad smile, and behind it is yet something else. It’s a joy, a joy of a man who has spent half a century doing what he loves. He’s tired and he’s happy. It’s a smile of infinite joy and sadness at the same time.

[lovejuice]

so that's it, folks. even though the list's not much, only 10 films, it's still quite a chore. and ain't i glad and a little proud to be able to finish it.

since i have never properly rank them. in case anyone is interested, from my favorite to least.

1. The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
2. The Gay Divorcee (1934)
3. Shall We Dance (1937)
4. Carefree (1938)
5. Top Hat (1935)
6. Roberta (1935)
7. Flying Down to Rio (1933)
8. Swing Time (1936)
9. Follow the Fleet (1936)
10. The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)