I've loved the Astaire-Rogers musicals since I first saw them more than half a century ago on the WOR TV station out of New York -- even if they occasionally cut out the musical numbers to preserve the plots. In this one, Astaire is an American ballet star masquerading as a Russian in Paris for impressario Edward Everett Horton. He's entranced by jazz dancing and a flip book of musical-comedy star Ginger Rogers. Naturally she hates him. In order to get rid of.....
Oh, who cares? There's also Eric Blore, and Jerome Cowan to vary the Princess Theater plot as Ginger's producer, a pleasant, conniving fellow who gets some nifty lines and keeps the plot, if anyone actually cares, moving along. The real point is the jokes, the dancing and of course, the Gershwin score and songs. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" was nominated for "Best Song" but lost to "Sweet Leilani" for reasons that make little sense. Maybe they should have nominated "They All Laughed" instead. Astaire uses a lot more ballet in this movie, although he does so ironically. It's another perfect movie.
Oh, who cares? There's also Eric Blore, and Jerome Cowan to vary the Princess Theater plot as Ginger's producer, a pleasant, conniving fellow who gets some nifty lines and keeps the plot, if anyone actually cares, moving along. The real point is the jokes, the dancing and of course, the Gershwin score and songs. "They Can't Take That Away From Me" was nominated for "Best Song" but lost to "Sweet Leilani" for reasons that make little sense. Maybe they should have nominated "They All Laughed" instead. Astaire uses a lot more ballet in this movie, although he does so ironically. It's another perfect movie.