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)”
Category Archives: Fred Astaire
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)”
You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
The Astaire-Rogers partnership began to evaporate after Shall We Dance in 1937. They did make one other Sandrich-directed film, Carefree, before their subsequent films began to count as reunions, but you can feel that the studios no longer trust the magic. Both Astaire and Rogers had to some extent been yoked into the partnership byContinue reading “You Were Never Lovelier (1942)”
Holiday Inn (1942)
I’ve seen the Astaire-Rogers films so many times that I can practically name the dance steps, but I’ve seen very few of Bing Crosby’s movies. I wasn’t into him — I didn’t get the appeal. I knew him mainly from television and records, and the crooning style left me cold. (I don’t care for Sinatra,Continue reading “Holiday Inn (1942)”