I love classic movies, though I have seen one sort of plot line in a few of them that is quite troubling. In films like "The Sky's the Limit", you have a leading man that won't take NO for an answer. He's not a rapist, though he certainly is a guy who thinks sexual harassment is the best way to win the girl. And, in all these films, after hating the boorish guy for much of the film, but the end, the girl is now in love with the boy--and giving a detestable message to the viewer! Because of this, the film automatically loses a point or two from me.
Fred Astaire (who usually is much more charming) plays a flying ace who just got back from a tour of duty with the famed 'Flying Tigers' (a group of American volunteers who flew for the Chinese air force in their battle with the invading Japanese). While everyone seems intent on wining and dining Fred as well as taking him from one rally to the next, he just wants to sexually harass some poor lady. While he barely knows Joan (Joan Leslie), he pursues her relentlessly. However, midway through the film, he decides, instead, to try to help out Joan in her love life--an odd and abrupt change. What will come of all this? See the film and find out for yourself.
I am not sure how well this film sat with audiences, as Astaire was 56 and Leslie only 18 when the film debuted, though Leslie OFTEN was paired with guys way too old for her (such as in "Sergeant York" when she was 17 and Gary Cooper 40). When I see it today, this age discrepancy and the whole harassment angle both made it harder to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the film.
Now that I think about it, in addition to the old 'she says NO but means YES' mentality, there's even a part in the movie where a landlord advises Fred to slap Joan around, as he thinks they're married and that's what a good husband SHOULD do. As a father of two adult daughters, I did find all this a bit terrifying! If you can ignore all this stuff, the film itself is pretty agreeable. The dancing is nice (though I wanted more of Fred dancing as he was about the greatest film dancer there was), the acting not bad at all. It is quite chic and watchable but could have been a lot better had they made Fred more likable, that's for sure.
By the way, early on in the film Fred is aboard a train with a bunch of soldiers. To the right of him while he's sitting is Neil Hamilton and Peter Lawford. Hamilton had been a big star in the 20s-30s and Lawford was just about to be discovered by the studio and appears unbilled in this minuscule part.
Fred Astaire (who usually is much more charming) plays a flying ace who just got back from a tour of duty with the famed 'Flying Tigers' (a group of American volunteers who flew for the Chinese air force in their battle with the invading Japanese). While everyone seems intent on wining and dining Fred as well as taking him from one rally to the next, he just wants to sexually harass some poor lady. While he barely knows Joan (Joan Leslie), he pursues her relentlessly. However, midway through the film, he decides, instead, to try to help out Joan in her love life--an odd and abrupt change. What will come of all this? See the film and find out for yourself.
I am not sure how well this film sat with audiences, as Astaire was 56 and Leslie only 18 when the film debuted, though Leslie OFTEN was paired with guys way too old for her (such as in "Sergeant York" when she was 17 and Gary Cooper 40). When I see it today, this age discrepancy and the whole harassment angle both made it harder to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the film.
Now that I think about it, in addition to the old 'she says NO but means YES' mentality, there's even a part in the movie where a landlord advises Fred to slap Joan around, as he thinks they're married and that's what a good husband SHOULD do. As a father of two adult daughters, I did find all this a bit terrifying! If you can ignore all this stuff, the film itself is pretty agreeable. The dancing is nice (though I wanted more of Fred dancing as he was about the greatest film dancer there was), the acting not bad at all. It is quite chic and watchable but could have been a lot better had they made Fred more likable, that's for sure.
By the way, early on in the film Fred is aboard a train with a bunch of soldiers. To the right of him while he's sitting is Neil Hamilton and Peter Lawford. Hamilton had been a big star in the 20s-30s and Lawford was just about to be discovered by the studio and appears unbilled in this minuscule part.