You'll Never Get Rich

Columbia, 1941
Starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and Osa Massen
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Rita Hayworth was one of the most popular actresses on the planet in the 40's and 50's. While she was capable of doing everything from comedy to action, she was best known for the series of musicals made around her considerable dancing talents in the 40's and early 50's. This would be the first of two musicals she made with Fred Astaire, who was looking to make a comeback after his post-Ginger Rogers career had foundered. How does their first pairing look today? Let's head backstage and find out...

The Story: Theater owner Martin Cortland (Benchley) is in a real pickle. He's given a diamond bracelet to one of the chorus girls in his current show, Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), but his wife Julia (Frieda Inescourt), is starting to catch wise to his woman-chasing. He tries to get his manager Robert Curtis (Astaire) to claim he gave the diamond bracelet, but Sheila doesn't believe him. Robert sees his being drafted as a way out of the whole mess, but he's not much of a soldier. His constant dancing doesn't make him popular with his commander Captain Tom Barton (John Hubbard), and neither does enlisting his buddies Kewpie Blain (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Swiv (Cliff Nazarro) to help him steal a captain's uniform and show off for Sheila.

Things go better when Martin turns up to create a show for the enlisted men...but then Sheila claims she's going to marry Captain Barton and go to Panama with him, and Martin hires another dancer, Sonia (Massen), for her part. Robert tries to get the diamond bracelet back, only to learn it's now engraved with Sonia's name. Sheila leaves...but then so does Sonia. Now Robert and Martin have to get Sheila back, before they have no leading lady and no show.

The Song and Dance: Hayworth and Astaire are pretty much the only reasons to see this one. Hayworth in particular is sassy and hilarious in her first major musical, and she looks great dancing with Astaire. Astaire does better in the beginning when he's on more accustomed territory. Robert Benchley is less believable as a womanizer, but he does have his moments, especially when he's dealing with his wife.

Favorite Number: Two of Astaire's best solos can be found during the guardhouse sequences. Black singing group the Four Tones nicely back him for the Oscar-nominated "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and we later get another black group for the instrumental "A-staireable Rag." He and Hayworth have a short but snappy rehearsal routine in the opening, along with the dreamy "So Near and Yet So Far" duet in more traditional gown and tux later. The finale "The Wedding Cake Walk" has Astaire, Hayworth, and the chorus dancing on a wedding cake shaped like a tank.

What I Don't Like: The entire farcical plot makes absolutely no sense. Astaire never did work well in military-themed musicals; he's just not believable as a soldier, and not only because of his age. He's too flighty to take orders. As mentioned, Benchley isn't exactly what you'd call a womanizer, either. Massen only appears sporadically during the second half and doesn't have a chance to make much of an impression, or even get to dance. Williams and Nazzaro are a bit annoying as Astaire's comic relief buddies.

Other than "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (which was nominated for an Oscar), this isn't one of Cole Porter's more memorable scores. The two chorus songs are especially dull; "So Near" is redeemed by Astaire and Hayworth's lovely dance routine.

The Big Finale: If you're a big fan of Astaire or Hayworth, this is worth looking around for.

Home Media: The solo DVD is currently manufactured-on-demand at Amazon, and the Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is out of print. Your best bet may either to stream it, or do what I did and pick it up in a collection with 19 other vintage Columbia films from Mill Creek Entertainment.

DVD
DVD - Musicals 20 Movie Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime