Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, and Eric Blore
Directed by George Stevens
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Let's dance into the holiday season with the two Fred and Ginger films I haven't gotten to yet, starting with the one widely considered to be their best. Unlike their previous film Follow the Fleet, this one puts them front and center, with no secondary romance to distract the audience. How does the breezy tale of a gambler who tries to win the money to marry his sweetheart, only to fall for a dance teacher, look nowadays? Let's begin backstage with John "Lucky" Garrett (Astaire) and his dance troupe at the end of a number and find out...
The Story: Lucky wants to marry his fiancee Margaret (Betty Furness), but he keeps losing his money on gambling. Her father Judge Watson (Landers Stevens) insists they can marry if he can make $25,000. He thinks he can, but his troupe takes most of it after they bet he won't get married. They end up riding a freight car to New York. Lucky encounters Penny Carroll (Rogers) when he tries to make change for his quarter. She's a dance teacher, and he's so smitten, he immediately takes lessons from her. He makes it look like he can't dance, until her boss Mr. Gordon (Blore) fires her. Lucky immediately shows that she did teach him to dance, and well.
Mr. Gibson is so impressed, he not only rehires her, he sets up an audition for them at the Silver Sandal nightclub. Lucky is unable to win a tuxedo and misses the first audition, but he finally convinces Penny to join him for a second. That's almost derailed when the bandleader, Penny's own fiancee Ricky Romero (Georges Metaxa), won't play for them. Lucky wins his contract in a poker game and makes sure he doesn't have any choice. Lucky's friend Pop (Moore) first loses the contract, then lets it slip to Penny that Lucky's engaged. After she walks away, Lucky finally admits the truth that Margaret isn't the lady who owns his heart anymore...and he may end up losing both the women he loves.
The Song and Dance: Everyone is on top of their game in this sparkling confection, from Astaire and Rogers having a ball with the comedy to fussy Moore as Lucky's manager and Helen Broderick as Rogers' tart-tongued best friend and Mr. Gibson's former secretary. The Art Deco sets are incredible, too. Check out the mirrored backdrop for "Bojangles of Harlem" or the long stairway of the Silver Sandal for "Never Gonna Dance." There's also those gorgeous gowns for Broderick and Rogers (especially Rogers' simple but glittery "Never Gonna Dance" outfit), and the details on the cozy snow-laden inn for "A Fine Romance."
Favorite Number: Our first real number is "Pick Yourself Up" at the dance studio. Lucky first tries to make it look like he's not learning anything to spend more time with Penny. When Mr. Gibson fires her, he breaks out his moves to show he may have learned a thing or two after all. "The Way You Look Tonight" won the Oscar in 1936. This gorgeously simple ballad appropriately has an equally simple introduction, just Lucky playing the song as Penny washes her hair, but it's so effective, she changes her mind about him. Penny complains at the country inn that it's not "A Fine Romance" like she wants when Lucky remembers his fiancee and pulls away. Lucky sings a reprise after Pop lets it slip about his fiancee and Penny's the one avoiding him.
The reason this is so well-regarded comes down to the three main dance routines. The instrumental "Waltz In Swing Time" is really a non-vocal "Way You Look Tonight," with Lucky and Penny swirling around the Silver Sandal ballroom in glowing elegance. Astaire honors "Bojangles of Harlem" in blackface, first dancing with chorus girls in black and white, then hoofing with his own shadows in a still-nifty bit of trick photography. "Never Gonna Dance" takes us back to the Silver Sandal as Lucky admits that he may have lost Penny, their elegance now replaced by a gentle sadness.
Trivia: A stage version of Swing Time, Never Gonna Dance, premiered on Broadway in December 2003. Alas, it barely ran for two and a half months and received mixed reviews. The production used all of the songs from Swing Time but "Bojangles of Harlem," plus songs from other Jerome Kern shows.
What I Don't Like: First of all, this has the same problem as most of Fred and Ginger's other films. If you're looking for a stronger plot, you won't find it here. It's about as light of a frappe as you can imagine.
Second, let's discuss "Bojangles of Harlem." Astaire admired Bill Robinson and had learned tap from several black entertainers, including John W. Bubbles. He meant no offense then, but the dark makeup on him and some of the mildly condescending lyrics may not sit well with some folks nowadays.
The Big Finale: This and Top Hat are Fred and Ginger's best movies, and probably the best places to start if you want to know what their vehicles are all about. A must-see for fans of Astaire, Rogers, musicals, or dance in film.
Home Media: The Criterion Collection released it on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2019; it's also easy to find on streaming.
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