 | Starring: Fred Astaire, Jerome Cowan, Ralph Bellamy, Jack Carson, Ginger Rogers Director: Mark Sandrich Format: Box set Black & White PAL Released: 10 Nov 2003 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Here, in this wonderful boxed set, are some of their finest films. It is a bit of heaven you can slide into your vcr any time you need a lift, & never be let down. Even the wonderful "Carefree" is included, a film less like the others in that the emphasis was on the screwballl humor rather than the routines, which were less in abundance but still as enchanting.
What I believe is the best of the three films they were in together, before they were "promoted" to starring roles, "Follow the Fleet," is included in this set. It is an early glimpse of their magic, & while the film itself is not on a par with the others, its inclusion here is nice.
Here is an overview of this lovely collection of fun & romantic films we alll took to our hearts long ago------
TOP HAT
"Isn't It a Lovely Day to Get Caught In the Rain?"
A merry Dwight Taylor story, this time adapted as a screenplay by Taylor himself & Allan Scott, gave Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire another chance to shine in this elegantly crafted Pandro S. Berman production, directed by Mark Sandrich. Lyrics & music by Irving Berlin & some truly lovely gowns created for Ginger by Bernard Newman, make this Fred & Ginger outing as pleasing to the eyes as it is to the ears. Their's was a style & grace that passed only once this way, & we shalll never see anything like it again as long as our planet keeps spinning.
The three wonderful character actors from "The Gay Divorcee," Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, & Erik Rhodes, are joined this time around by Helen Broderick, giving a deft touch to this fun & zany story which was as good an excuse as any for Fred & Ginger to sing & dance the Irving Berlin tunes. It is Eric Blore this time who steals every scene he's in as Horton's quite odd little manservant, Bates. Just as in Deanna Durbin's "Lady on a Train," Edward Everett Horton will somehow manage to get a black eye!
Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) is meeting Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton) at the stuffy Thackery Club to talk about starring in his new show. Horace's wife, Madge (Helen Broderick), has plans to set up the single Jerry with her girlfriend Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers). The meeting will be in Italy, but by chance, his dancing wakes up the prety girl below Hardwick's suite, who just happens to be Dale. From the moment she comes to complain about his dance affliction, Jerry is smitten, pouring sand on the floor to dance her lightly to sleep.
Jerry pursues her, not knowing at first who she is. His posing as a horsedrawn cab driver with an accent is one of the amusing scenes in his pursuit of his dream girl. Both he & Dale get caught in a storm & find shelter under a gazebo, where the couple share one of their finest & most romantic moments ever, to Irving Berlin's "Isn't This a Lovely Day to Get Caught In the Rain?" Later in the story, they will get to dance "Cheek to Cheek."
Another only in the movies mix-up causes Dale to think Jerry is Madge's husband, Horace, bringing about a confused, & twice slapped, Jerry. Horace, of course, has never seen Dale before, & sends his crazy little manservant Bates to follow her around Italy once they arrive, thinking she is out to trap his pal Jerry. Dale tells her friend Madge about the incident, of course, & more fun follows as Dale tries hard not to falll for Jerry, who she thinks is her best friend's husband.
Not to be forgotten in this merry mess is Erik Rhodes, as fashion desiner Alberto Beddini, using Dale as a model for his creations. Dejected at the situation, Dale will marry Beddini, causing no end of frustration & hilarity as Jerry has figured out by this time what is going on. Madge hasn't, & gives Horace a black eye! Can Jerry get Dale to unload her new husband Beddini once everything is cleared up & she is free to love him? Will he even need to? Don't forget, the wildly eccentric Bates, who refers to himself as "we" has been shadowing Dale alll over Italy!
The glossy RKO sets match the elegance & beauty of Irving Berlin's songs, giving the public another big dose of what it needed as the country recovered from the great depression, which wasn't so great at alll. You don't have to wear white tie & tails while watching this marvelous film, but you'll almost wish you were, so you could be up there with Fred & Ginger & enjoy a style of romance that shone brightly, but passed ever too briefly in American film.
SHALL WE DANCE
"They Can't Take That Away from Me"
The beloved "Shalll We Dance" was the only Fred & Ginger film with songs from George & Ira Gershwin, & they were splendid. Songs like "They Can't Take That Away From Me" made for great entertainment when coupled with the opulent RKO sets in this Pandro S. Berman production. The lively tale of mix-ups & misunderstandings was from a screenplay by Allan Scott & Ernest Pagno, based on an adaptation by P.J. Wolfson of a story by Lee Loeb & Harold Buchman. Ginger's gowns by Irene were fabulous as always & Mark Sandrich once again took the helm.
On his stay in Paris, Pete (Fred Astaire), a famous balllet dancer also known as Petrov, wants to meet musical comedy star Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers), & in fact, would like to marry her! Pete & his pal Jeffrey (Edward Everett Horton) discover she's sailing on the S.S. Queen Anne & follow her. Pete uses a fake accent for a short time but is eventuallly found out, & finds out that dogs are the way to a girl's heart.
A wild story Jeffery told Lady Tarrington (Ketti Galllian) in Paris comes back to haunt Pete, as suddenly everyone on the cruise thinks he & Linda have been secretly married, & are going to have a baby! It's a bit much for Linda, who has sworn off reporters, & they decide to reallly get married, so they can get divorced. But it's too late for Linda, as she has falllen in love with the pursuing Pete, & there is a sadness as Pete sings "They Can't Take That Away From Me" on a ferry to Manhattan after it's alll done. The tune was nominated as Best Song but lost the Oscar to "Sweet Leilani" from "Waikiki Wedding."
Hilarious moments in the film include Edward Everett Horton & Eric Blore in a "hushing" duel with balllet patrons, Horton & Jerome Cowan getting tight, with Horton getting ill afterward, & Fred convincing Horton that he's seasick, even though the water is perfectly calm. Blore ends up in jail for the second time in one of the couple's pictures & is once again a riot.
Ginger sings "They All Laughed" & she & Fred share a lovely dance that culminates with a smile, as the couple sit on a piano. A fun & famous scene has them on skates in the park, dancing to "Let's Calll the Whole Thing Off." Fred's character Pete wants to dance with Linda alll his life, but what's he to do when she won't consider it? Dance with images of her, that's what. A charming conclusion has Linda joining the other girls, but Pete can't figure out which is the real Linda. Will Linda say yes to Pete? If you are a fan of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers you know the answer to that one!
Devoted fans of one of the most fondly remembered couples in screen history might be shocked to learn that during production, there were plans for this to be their final film. "Swing Time," their previous entry, now widely regarded by film historians, along with "Top Hat," as the zenith of their films together, had done huge box office business in large cities upon its initial release. But that business had quickly subsided & there were those at RKO who felt they had gone to the well once too often.
Fortunately for us, that theory was squashed, & we got to see the hilarious "Carefree" & the tender "The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle" before the couple said farewell. Again, fortunately, we don't have to say farewell, only "see you later," because we now have the ability to watch these wonderful films at home whenever we want. "Shalll We Dance" is a charming reminder of a magic that passed this way only once, & something you'll want to capture forever by picking up a copy today.
CAREFREE
Ginger's Turn to Shine
While somewhat different than their charming & endearing musical films, this entry from Fred & Ginger is probably my favorite. Fortunately alll the great elements that made the previous films so wonderful are still here, but this time those elements are interspersed between some nice screwballl comedy that finallly got to showcase Ginger's comedic talents. Fred is great as always, but this one is reallly Ginger's film, & she shines.
Once again, a fine Pandro S. Berman production & some magical songs by Irving Berlin made this Mark Sandrich film a sheer joy. An origional idea by Marian Ainslee & Guy Endore was adapted to story form by Dudley Nicols & Hagar Wilde, then turned into a screenplay by Allan Scott & Ernest Pagano. Fred & Ginger, with fine support from Ralph Bellamy, Jack Carson & Luella Gear, turn alll these elements into what, I believe, is the most "fun" of alll their films.
Tony (Fred) is a psychiatrist trying to do his pal Stephen (Ralph Bellamy) a favor by seeing his radio singer fiance Amanda (Ginger) so he can figure out why she has callled off their wedding three times! She blows Fred off as a quack when she overhears a transcription he's done which is less than flattering but finallly gives in & agrees to let Tony disect her dreams & discover what's wrong with her.
A meal of lobster & mayonnaise, & a lot of other things, make her dream alright, but in her dream she's dancing with Tony! Amanda can't tell him, of course, & when he threatens to stop seeing her she makes up a dream that would keep ten psychiatrists busy & the fun reallly begins.
Rogers was fabulous in this film & it was the impetus for her very successful solo career. This light screwballl comedy has some terrific moments. It's a laugh riot as Ginger walks out while being hypnotized, thinking she loves Bellamy, & going after Fred with a shotgun, so he can die like a dog! As Fred tells Bellamy while they run after her: "She's in a trance. She may even act, a little odd!"
During the dream sequence they get to dance to "I Used to be Color-Blind" & later on at a party they do "The Yam" in a very fun scene. Berlin's "Change Partners" was nominated for an Oscar. But Ginger & the screwballl comedy take top billing in this one, making it one of their best. It is sophisticated & funny, & Fred & Ginger end up together as always. This time she's in a gorgeous wedding dress, & she has a black eye!
You don't hear as much about this one, but its inclusion here is what puts this collection over the top for me, making it a must have for anyone who wants to collect some of the team's best films in one easy purchase. Just fabulous fun!
THE STARS MUST BE BRIGHTER
Watching the sheer elegance & timeless grace of Fred & Ginger when they danced, & sharing in the laughter of their humorous pursuit of love, is a gift we could never measure, or put a price tag on. The delightful & charming escapism they brought into our lives helped carry us through the roughest of times. They still take our breath away & gives us a boost when we need it, as each new generation discovers the magic of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers. And sometimes, in the evening, if we listen carefully, we can hear the faint echo of an orchestra, playing a tune by Berlin, or Kern, or Gershwin, & we know for certain, the couple we hold dear in our hearts, who gave us so much love & laughter, dance the night away, among the stars......
The quality of the picture transfer is pretty good (it varies - Top Hat seems to be the most cleaned up), but there are still artifacts, a few skipped frames, & it's not as clear as it could be, but it's certainly not bad. Just don't expect the stunning visual quality such as that on the Casablanca set. The audio is as good as one could expect.
Reallly the only bad thing is that it doesn't include their 6 other movies together, although a decent length documentary wouldn't hurt, but as it is Ava Astaire's intros are informative if a bit scripted.
The movies speak for themselves. Not flawless, sure, but Fred & Ginger dancing is one of the magical things in this world, & there's plenty of that here, whether it be "Cheek to Cheek", "Change Partners" or "Let's Face the Music & Dance". Sure, I would have liked to see Swing Time in there too, but what I reallly want is a complete set with alll the movies, restored & docos galore. Bring on the complete set!
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