Broadway Melody of 1940 was the only film in which Astaire danced with Eleanor Powell; it may also have been the only film in which he played opposite George Murphy. (I need to check this out.) It was the third in the Broadway Melody reprise series, each of which starred Eleanor Powell. Murphy had beenContinue reading “Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)”
Monthly Archives: October 2021
A Damsel in Distress (1937)
A Damsel in Distress was the first film in the RKO Astaire-Rogers period in which Astaire was featured solo. The Astaire-Rogers magic was wearing thin by 1937. The previous year’s Shall We Dance was less popular than the films that preceded it, and both stars were eager to decouple. The studio decided to take AstaireContinue reading “A Damsel in Distress (1937)”
Shall We Dance (1937)
Shall We Dance has been my favorite Astaire-Rogers film for a long time. That said, it has most of the flaws of the earlier films — a dull plot, uninspired camera work, bad jokes, bad pacing, and interminable mugging from Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore. Except for the dances, it feels tired. And theContinue reading “Shall We Dance (1937)”
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)
Broadway Melody of 1936 was the first of a series of Broadway Melody films that MGM made to match Busby Berkeley’s successful backstage Broadway series, which by 1936 had already delivered five films and had a sixth (Gold Diggers of 1937) in production. Despite their titles, the Broadway Melodies of ’36, ’38 and ’40 wereContinue reading “Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)”