Pop quiz: Who was Fred Astaire's favorite female dancing partner? If your answer is the obvious one, Ginger Rogers, guess again. Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Judy Garland, Joan Leslie, Eleanor Powell? Still wrong. Surprisingly, Astaire long maintained that his favorite was none other than Rita Hayworth. Rita, he once said, could be taught a complicated piece of choreography in the morning and have it down pat after lunch! The two made a pair of films together, "You'll Never Get Rich" in 1941 and "You Were Never Lovelier" in '42. A look at Hayworth's work in the latter film will demonstrate what a remarkable learner she apparently was. She and Fred share several musical numbers here, including the moonlit garden waltz to "I'm Old Fashioned" and the remarkably high-spirited and dynamic "Shorty George," and the two do make a marvelous pair. As for the rest of the film, it is a typical Astaire comedy, replete with mistaken identities, concerning Rita's father, Adolphe Menjou, convincing Fred to impersonate the fictitious lover that he has devised for her. The viewer must wait almost 40 full minutes to see Fred dance in this one, but that wait is well repaid when Astaire explodes in a brash and frenetic audition number for ol' Adolphe. The film's script is bright and amusing, Xavier Cugat's orchestra adds colorful support, and Rita is at least as beautiful, if not more so, than in 1946's overrated "Gilda." Bottom line: This is no Fred & Ginger picture, but it sure does have its compensations...Rita Hayworth surely being one of them.
63 Reviews
Ravishing Rita is a Match for Astaire
dglink13 December 2007
Set in Hollywood's fanciful concept of Buenos Aires during the early 1940's, "You Were Never Lovelier" is pure escapist fluff that has been filmed with class. Of course, Fred Astaire adds class to any film in which he appears, and the ravishing Rita Hayworth is eye candy with talent. Astaire always refused to say who was his favorite dancing partner, but, based on the rapport and coordination between the two, Hayworth must have been high on his list. She is a beautiful trained dancer, and the sight of Rita tossing her long red mane while gracefully keeping step with Astaire makes one wish that Astaire-Hayworth musicals had been as numerous as those with Astaire-Rogers.
The film's flimsy plot revolves around a wealthy Argentine patriarch's refusal to let his daughters marry out of age order, and Hayworth's disinterest in marriage is delaying the weddings of her two younger sisters. Adolphe Menjou, who plays the father of four daughters, dreams up a mystery suitor, and eventually Rita confuses Astaire with this imaginary beau. But, never mind the lack of Latin flavor or the transparent silliness of the script. The plot has no surprises, but enough Jerome Kern songs and elegant dance routines, either solo by Astaire or Astaire and Hayworth together, punctuate the proceedings to keep viewers entertained.
Of course, audiences have to suspend disbelief and accept that a love goddess like Rita would fall for a skinny, somewhat older, and ordinary looking Fred, when dozens of tall, dark, and handsome Latin men were panting for her attention. But, like the sound-stage Argentine sets, this is fantasy, and Fred always wins the gorgeous girl, be she Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, or Judy Garland. Of his dancing partners, only Gene Kelly got away. Women must be won over by Fred's moves, and what great moves they are. "You Were Never Lovelier" boasts some excellent dance routines, and Astaire's work with Hayworth ranks with his best. If the nonsensical plot fails to engage you, hold on, because the dancing will carry you away.
The film's flimsy plot revolves around a wealthy Argentine patriarch's refusal to let his daughters marry out of age order, and Hayworth's disinterest in marriage is delaying the weddings of her two younger sisters. Adolphe Menjou, who plays the father of four daughters, dreams up a mystery suitor, and eventually Rita confuses Astaire with this imaginary beau. But, never mind the lack of Latin flavor or the transparent silliness of the script. The plot has no surprises, but enough Jerome Kern songs and elegant dance routines, either solo by Astaire or Astaire and Hayworth together, punctuate the proceedings to keep viewers entertained.
Of course, audiences have to suspend disbelief and accept that a love goddess like Rita would fall for a skinny, somewhat older, and ordinary looking Fred, when dozens of tall, dark, and handsome Latin men were panting for her attention. But, like the sound-stage Argentine sets, this is fantasy, and Fred always wins the gorgeous girl, be she Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, or Judy Garland. Of his dancing partners, only Gene Kelly got away. Women must be won over by Fred's moves, and what great moves they are. "You Were Never Lovelier" boasts some excellent dance routines, and Astaire's work with Hayworth ranks with his best. If the nonsensical plot fails to engage you, hold on, because the dancing will carry you away.
Just when you think Rita Hayworth couldn't be more gorgeous...
blanche-218 February 2007
she is - this time in "You Were Never Lovelier," a 1942 film starring Fred Astaire, Adolphe Menjou, and Xavier Cugat along with Hayworth. Menjou plays Eduardo Acuna, the father of four daughters in Argentina, and according to tradition, the girls must marry in order. Second to be married is Maria (Hayworth). Unfortunately, in this case, the two younger daughters have suitors and Maria has no interest in marriage or in any of the dozens of men who have tried to win her heart. Her father hatches a plan to send her orchids and letters from a secret admirer. Then he plans for the secret admirer to disappear, hoping that she'll then turn to an ordinary man. When he has a dancer, Bob Davis (Astaire) who is trying to get a job in the club deliver the orchids, Maria thinks that Davis is her secret admirer. The two wind up falling in love, which doesn't fit in with Dad's plans.
Hayworth's first entrance in this is as she gives her sister something for her wedding. She's so gorgeous it's ridiculous. It's said that during the making of Blood & Sand, Tyrone Power was so enamored of Hayworth that he couldn't stop staring at her (and in fact, she's one of the few women who could match him looks-wise). Not surprising. What's wonderful about this film is that Hayworth wears fabulous gowns and dances with Fred Astaire. They make a terrific pair, and Astaire loved working with her. When they dance to "I'm Old Fashioned," it's as if they're floating on a cloud. She seems to bring out a sweet side to Astaire's acting, and the character he plays is less sure of himself than the Astaire roles usually are. And of course, he dances like a dream, with a wonderful audition solo for Menjou.
For this writer, there were many beautiful women in Hollywood. But two were the complete movie star package with superior beauty, personality, and raw sex appeal - Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner. Rita, with her wonderful dance talent, probably has a slight edge. It's tragic that her personal life was so sad and that she herself was such a troubled woman. It just doesn't seem fair to be that sensational and that miserable at the same time.
This is a lovely, romantic film produced specifically for the World War II audience - while we're not going through World War II today, most of us are depressed enough that we could be, so it's still a great watch.
Hayworth's first entrance in this is as she gives her sister something for her wedding. She's so gorgeous it's ridiculous. It's said that during the making of Blood & Sand, Tyrone Power was so enamored of Hayworth that he couldn't stop staring at her (and in fact, she's one of the few women who could match him looks-wise). Not surprising. What's wonderful about this film is that Hayworth wears fabulous gowns and dances with Fred Astaire. They make a terrific pair, and Astaire loved working with her. When they dance to "I'm Old Fashioned," it's as if they're floating on a cloud. She seems to bring out a sweet side to Astaire's acting, and the character he plays is less sure of himself than the Astaire roles usually are. And of course, he dances like a dream, with a wonderful audition solo for Menjou.
For this writer, there were many beautiful women in Hollywood. But two were the complete movie star package with superior beauty, personality, and raw sex appeal - Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner. Rita, with her wonderful dance talent, probably has a slight edge. It's tragic that her personal life was so sad and that she herself was such a troubled woman. It just doesn't seem fair to be that sensational and that miserable at the same time.
This is a lovely, romantic film produced specifically for the World War II audience - while we're not going through World War II today, most of us are depressed enough that we could be, so it's still a great watch.
Grace and motion
rmax3048238 October 2002
Okay, it's not Tosca. But holy smoke, what an efflorescence of talented song writers and lyricists the American stage produced in the thirty years between 1925 and 1955! Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Yip Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, the list goes on. And the songs! From Astaire's films alone, we have Orchids in the Moonlight, The Carioca, Let's Face the Music and Dance, Yesterdays, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Cheek to Cheek, The Way You Look Tonight, A Fine Romance, They All Laughed, Let's Call the Whole Thing off ("You say tomato, I say tomahto..."), They Can't Take That Away From Me. That's a handful of the more familiar numbers from the first films Astaire made with Ginger Rogers.
"You Were Never Lovelier" has melodies by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Ginger isn't here, but Rita Hayworth is. Her beauty is undeniable. She'd undergone hair removal and Hollywood glamorization by this time and in a few years a pin-up pic of her was to be pasted onto a famous bomb. I missed Astaire's earlier movies. By the time I was old enough, Gene Kelly dominated the screen. I saw Astaire in his later films and didn't like him nearly as much as Kelly. Kelly's background was in athletics. He was masculine and muscular and working class. Astaire's background was in ballroom dancing. How can an adolescent identify with a skinny balding narrow-shouldered dancer in a tuxedo who doesn't swing from ropes? But there's no longer much doubt in most peoples' minds, including mine, that Astaire was by far the better dancer, Kelly's charm notwithstanding. Astaire was elegant and precise and his dance steps were varied; Kelly seemed to repeat his leg-over-leg jumps over and over in each number.
At any rate, the plot of "You Were Never Lovelier" is rather original for an Astaire musical. I don't think it goes farther back in history than Aristophanes. It's a complicated business involving mistaken identities, an interfering father, and whatnot. But it doesn't matter, because the numbers are what counts. Kern and Mercer provide two songs that have become standards: "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old Fashioned." Anyone who wants to see the Hollywood musical at its best would be advised to listen to either song and to watch the dancing during "I'm Old Fashioned." "Dearly Beloved" occurs throughout the film as a kind of theme, and is sung once by Astaire and once by Hayworth, but is never accompanied by a dance. There are other songs too, of course, although none enchants the way these two ballads do. One of the numbers is "The Shorty George." Astaire's movies often had references to a new popular dance craze -- The Carioca, The Yam, the Sluefoot -- and this is an instance of that tendency. It was named after a real dancer, George Snowden, a dancer at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, known as "Shorty." If "I'm Old Fashioned" has a swooping grace, "The Shorty George" includes sections set at a blistering tempo and demonstrates Rita Hayworth's energy and range as a dancer.
Speaking of energy, how do they do it? "I'm Old Fashioned", like most of Astaire's numbers, consists of very long takes in medium distance that depend on both precision and physical stamina. (If you want to see an example of the opposite, watch Travolta do his final number in "Staying Alive.") I counted three cuts during the entire dance, which lasts four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I'd have a heart attack after the first thirty-seven seconds.
Well, okay. It's not Fred and Ginger. It's not even Tosca. But if you want to watch two people engaged in the unpretentious exercise of a physical skill acquired only with the utmost difficulty, this one shouldn't be missed.
"You Were Never Lovelier" has melodies by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Ginger isn't here, but Rita Hayworth is. Her beauty is undeniable. She'd undergone hair removal and Hollywood glamorization by this time and in a few years a pin-up pic of her was to be pasted onto a famous bomb. I missed Astaire's earlier movies. By the time I was old enough, Gene Kelly dominated the screen. I saw Astaire in his later films and didn't like him nearly as much as Kelly. Kelly's background was in athletics. He was masculine and muscular and working class. Astaire's background was in ballroom dancing. How can an adolescent identify with a skinny balding narrow-shouldered dancer in a tuxedo who doesn't swing from ropes? But there's no longer much doubt in most peoples' minds, including mine, that Astaire was by far the better dancer, Kelly's charm notwithstanding. Astaire was elegant and precise and his dance steps were varied; Kelly seemed to repeat his leg-over-leg jumps over and over in each number.
At any rate, the plot of "You Were Never Lovelier" is rather original for an Astaire musical. I don't think it goes farther back in history than Aristophanes. It's a complicated business involving mistaken identities, an interfering father, and whatnot. But it doesn't matter, because the numbers are what counts. Kern and Mercer provide two songs that have become standards: "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old Fashioned." Anyone who wants to see the Hollywood musical at its best would be advised to listen to either song and to watch the dancing during "I'm Old Fashioned." "Dearly Beloved" occurs throughout the film as a kind of theme, and is sung once by Astaire and once by Hayworth, but is never accompanied by a dance. There are other songs too, of course, although none enchants the way these two ballads do. One of the numbers is "The Shorty George." Astaire's movies often had references to a new popular dance craze -- The Carioca, The Yam, the Sluefoot -- and this is an instance of that tendency. It was named after a real dancer, George Snowden, a dancer at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, known as "Shorty." If "I'm Old Fashioned" has a swooping grace, "The Shorty George" includes sections set at a blistering tempo and demonstrates Rita Hayworth's energy and range as a dancer.
Speaking of energy, how do they do it? "I'm Old Fashioned", like most of Astaire's numbers, consists of very long takes in medium distance that depend on both precision and physical stamina. (If you want to see an example of the opposite, watch Travolta do his final number in "Staying Alive.") I counted three cuts during the entire dance, which lasts four minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I'd have a heart attack after the first thirty-seven seconds.
Well, okay. It's not Fred and Ginger. It's not even Tosca. But if you want to watch two people engaged in the unpretentious exercise of a physical skill acquired only with the utmost difficulty, this one shouldn't be missed.
"I wish you wouldn't speak while I'm interrupting"
ackstasis4 April 2010
Fred Astaire's films are all pretty much the same: quaint romantic hijinks driving a ridiculous but entertaining screwball plot. By the 1940s, he and Ginger Rogers had parted ways (at least until 'The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)'), and the studios were left to find him a suitable new partner. RKO's first experiment, opposite Joan Fontaine in 'A Damsel in Distress (1937),' had been far less than successful, as much as I love Joan Fontaine. Astaire's best prospects came from a lovely young lady named Rita Hayworth, with whom he starred in 'You'll Never Get Rich (1941)' and 'You Were Never Lovelier (1942).' Ah, Rita Hayworth! (Forgive me while I regain my train of thought). This comedy musical, directed by William A. Seiter, features the same unlikely romantic mix-ups you'd expect to find in a Fred and Ginger movie of the 1930s. In fact, the director had previously made 'Roberta (1935),' and he improves upon that film.
Eduardo Acuña (Adolphe Menjou) is a man very much used to getting his own way. Determined that his second daughter Maria (Hayworth) should fall in love, he begins writing her anonymous love letters, only for her to mistake American dancer Bob Davis (Astaire) for her nameless romantic suitor. Bob reluctantly agrees to carry on the deception, but soon falls for Maria himself. It doesn't take a genius to guess where this is going, but, like Astaire's previous films, it is well worth watching for the marvellous chemistry of the two leads. Put simply, Hayworth is endlessly, stunningly, ravishingly gorgeous. Though Ginger Rogers' exquisite comedic timing is noticeably absent (leaving Fred to take up the comedic slack), every scene with Hayworth is spent in breathtaking company. And she's not just a pretty face: the young actress is a very talented dancer, keeping up with Astaire step-for-step.
Eduardo Acuña (Adolphe Menjou) is a man very much used to getting his own way. Determined that his second daughter Maria (Hayworth) should fall in love, he begins writing her anonymous love letters, only for her to mistake American dancer Bob Davis (Astaire) for her nameless romantic suitor. Bob reluctantly agrees to carry on the deception, but soon falls for Maria himself. It doesn't take a genius to guess where this is going, but, like Astaire's previous films, it is well worth watching for the marvellous chemistry of the two leads. Put simply, Hayworth is endlessly, stunningly, ravishingly gorgeous. Though Ginger Rogers' exquisite comedic timing is noticeably absent (leaving Fred to take up the comedic slack), every scene with Hayworth is spent in breathtaking company. And she's not just a pretty face: the young actress is a very talented dancer, keeping up with Astaire step-for-step.
A charming and romantic movie musical.
mark.waltz3 February 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Having seen this when I was a naive teenager, I was curious to see how it stood up after the years in between. As a teen, I enjoyed it for the funny situation and comical lines, as well as the singing and dancing of Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, and Xavier Cugat and his orchestra.
Seeing it 14 years later, I can say that it pleasantly stands the test of time. The story surrounds an American dancer (Astaire) who runs out of cash while on vacation in Buenos Aires, and tries to get a job with grouchy hotel owner Adolph Menjou. In the process, he meets Menjou's beautiful but frosty daughter Hayworth, and compares her to the inside of a refrigerator.
Determined to chill her out, Menjou starts sending his daughter orchids, and in a strange turn of events, it is Astaire whom Hayworth believes has sent her the orchids. Romance errupts in spite of Menjou's interference, and love ends up conquering all.
Romantic films like this just aren't made anymore, at least not with the class and style of this film. While Fred Astaire may not be much in the looker department, he makes up for that with his grace and charm, so it is not hard to believe that Hayworth would fall for him.
Hayworth, one of the screen's great beauties, was also a very talented actress, dancer, and comedian, although her singing was dubbed. As a team, I find Hayworth and Astaire to be even better than Astaire and Rogers. They only did two films together (the other was the more traditional World War II musical "You'll Never Get Rich") as Astaire did not want to limit himself to one partner.
As the irrascable Acuna, Adolph Menjou is likable in spite of his grouchiness and manipulative nature; His scenes with secretary Gus Schilling (who must have taken the parts that Franklin Pangborn was unavailable for) were hysterical. Jerome Kern's score is simple and lovely; It includes the title song and "I'm Old Fashioned" (one of the most romantic dance numbers ever performed) as well as the snappy "Shorty George". Well worth a look.
Seeing it 14 years later, I can say that it pleasantly stands the test of time. The story surrounds an American dancer (Astaire) who runs out of cash while on vacation in Buenos Aires, and tries to get a job with grouchy hotel owner Adolph Menjou. In the process, he meets Menjou's beautiful but frosty daughter Hayworth, and compares her to the inside of a refrigerator.
Determined to chill her out, Menjou starts sending his daughter orchids, and in a strange turn of events, it is Astaire whom Hayworth believes has sent her the orchids. Romance errupts in spite of Menjou's interference, and love ends up conquering all.
Romantic films like this just aren't made anymore, at least not with the class and style of this film. While Fred Astaire may not be much in the looker department, he makes up for that with his grace and charm, so it is not hard to believe that Hayworth would fall for him.
Hayworth, one of the screen's great beauties, was also a very talented actress, dancer, and comedian, although her singing was dubbed. As a team, I find Hayworth and Astaire to be even better than Astaire and Rogers. They only did two films together (the other was the more traditional World War II musical "You'll Never Get Rich") as Astaire did not want to limit himself to one partner.
As the irrascable Acuna, Adolph Menjou is likable in spite of his grouchiness and manipulative nature; His scenes with secretary Gus Schilling (who must have taken the parts that Franklin Pangborn was unavailable for) were hysterical. Jerome Kern's score is simple and lovely; It includes the title song and "I'm Old Fashioned" (one of the most romantic dance numbers ever performed) as well as the snappy "Shorty George". Well worth a look.
Ridiculous Plot
watto353517 November 2017
OK. I'll probably annoy most people by this revue but here goes: the plot is farcical, the actors and actresses are simply going along with the childish script and you wonder how did they get enough money for the over-the-top sets and dresses. Then you consider the dance numbers which change whole film in about 15 minutes of pure magic. The dance steps are phenomenal. There is an artistry involved which each of the steps is breathtakingly new and novel. Rita Hayworth also changes from a rather pedestrian actress to a wonderful dancer. If she could learn these steps in a morning then she must have an unusual memory. Whether she was better or worse than Ginger is irrelevant; she brought a different 'character' to the dancing that was new and refreshing.
Old-fashioned is fine
ahearn0226 January 2003
Eight out of ten seems an extravagant score for a fairly nonsensical bit of cotton-candy, but earned, if only for the muted elegance of the "I'm Old-fashioned" number, which is the absolute essence of romance. Although he always maintained a tactful evasiveness on the subject, I suspect Rita Hayworth may have been Fred's favourite partner. She, nee Cancino, was born into a (flamenco) dancing family, and like Astaire, danced with her whole body. While he, as is evident from the long roster of screen partners (including the late TV specials), obviously believed, with some justice, that he could transform any reasonably adequate dancer into what was required, he must have rejoiced, making this and their other joint movie, to work with a woman whose instincts were, uncoached, a match for his own. See it.
You Were Never Lovelier
standalone-magazine27 March 2013
Jerome Kern lovely music is what gives this film LIFE! And the fact that Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire are fantastic in this film.
Fred Astaire was one of the best dancers in motion picture history. But, not a lot of people know that, Rita Hayworth was a very talented dancer too. And believe me, she puts her skills to work in this film.
Now...I'm not going to lie, it's not the best storyline and the acting isn't the best. Although (Adolphe Menjou) really keeps the film going with his short temper and wit.
Robert Davis (Fred Astaire) is a well known dancer who tries to get a contract at Eduardo Acuna (Adolphe Menjou) night club, but he's not having any luck at all.
Through some very insane events Robert and Maria Acuna (Rita Hayworth) begin to have feeling for one another. But her father Eduardo Acuna doesn't want his daughter messing around with a dancer.
But with a number of wonderful tunes and some great moves 'Love' wins-out in the end.
It's a fun little film that all of you will enjoy...You Were Never Lovelier.
Fred Astaire was one of the best dancers in motion picture history. But, not a lot of people know that, Rita Hayworth was a very talented dancer too. And believe me, she puts her skills to work in this film.
Now...I'm not going to lie, it's not the best storyline and the acting isn't the best. Although (Adolphe Menjou) really keeps the film going with his short temper and wit.
Robert Davis (Fred Astaire) is a well known dancer who tries to get a contract at Eduardo Acuna (Adolphe Menjou) night club, but he's not having any luck at all.
Through some very insane events Robert and Maria Acuna (Rita Hayworth) begin to have feeling for one another. But her father Eduardo Acuna doesn't want his daughter messing around with a dancer.
But with a number of wonderful tunes and some great moves 'Love' wins-out in the end.
It's a fun little film that all of you will enjoy...You Were Never Lovelier.
Rita was never lovelier
bkoganbing12 June 2005
It would have been nice had this not been World War II and we could actually have done this film in Buenos Aires. As it is, except for a few newsreel shots at the beginning of the film, this might as well have taken place in San Diego.
Having said that this tinsel of a story is put over by the charm and beauty of its two leads, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Not to mention a good supporting cast led by Adolphe Menjou who is busy poaching on the preserve of Hollywood cranky fathers usually inhabited by folks like Eugene Palette and George Barbier.
Menjou's got some strange ideas. He wants to see his daughters get married, but in descending order. Rita is number two daughter and she's holding things up for three and four. Of course numbers three and four have fiancés panting at the bit.
Through the usual comedy of errors that are prevalent in Fred Astaire movies, Menjou's conceived a dislike for Fred and Rita's seeing something in him. How will it all work out?
Astaire movies always have flimsy or silly plot lines, but they have him and an attractive female partner dancing to some of the best music ever written for the screen. And when it's Jerome Kern's music, it don't get much better than that.
And the dancing partners don't get more talented than Rita Hayworth. She is positively radiant in this film. And she and Fred dance divinely to one of my favorite Jerome Kern ballads, I'm Old Fashioned.
Reason enough to see this film.
Having said that this tinsel of a story is put over by the charm and beauty of its two leads, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Not to mention a good supporting cast led by Adolphe Menjou who is busy poaching on the preserve of Hollywood cranky fathers usually inhabited by folks like Eugene Palette and George Barbier.
Menjou's got some strange ideas. He wants to see his daughters get married, but in descending order. Rita is number two daughter and she's holding things up for three and four. Of course numbers three and four have fiancés panting at the bit.
Through the usual comedy of errors that are prevalent in Fred Astaire movies, Menjou's conceived a dislike for Fred and Rita's seeing something in him. How will it all work out?
Astaire movies always have flimsy or silly plot lines, but they have him and an attractive female partner dancing to some of the best music ever written for the screen. And when it's Jerome Kern's music, it don't get much better than that.
And the dancing partners don't get more talented than Rita Hayworth. She is positively radiant in this film. And she and Fred dance divinely to one of my favorite Jerome Kern ballads, I'm Old Fashioned.
Reason enough to see this film.
Lovely Rita...
Lejink24 May 2008
Light and frothy Fred Astaire musical paired this time with the young and very lovely Rita Hayworth as his unlikely paramour. Amazing that surrounded by a horde of young hunks in their best bib and tuckers rich ingénue Hayworth falls for old hair-receding lantern-jawed Fred, but hey, hooray for Hollywood, go with the flow and accept this pleasant confection for what it is. Adolphe Menjou enters into the spirit of the piece with an endearing turn as Hayworth's crusty papa who of course eventually relents and accepts Fred into the family. The rest of the cast ditter and fritter about pleasantly, in their fine clothes and slight roles in a narrative replete with the customary ups and downs, coincidences and happy ending of every Fred musical ever made. The interior settings are plush befitting Menjou's part as the richest man, it would appear, in the whole of South America and the direction is brisk - I always find myself watching for the cuts in the dancing sequences, cleverly disguised as usual. The music I found a little ho-hum, all moon-in-June rhyming down Dingly Dell, certainly no Hart or Porter - type witticisms present here. Fred is Fred as usual, a little bit hammy, unbelievable, as I've indicated as Hayworth's love interest but great in his dance routines as ever (shame about his singing). Hayworth is best of all, alluring and sophisticated and already hinting here and there at the depths of future parts such as "Gilda" and "The Lady From Shanghai". Here she is captured, however, in her innocent youth, lighting up the screen, dancing well into the bargain opposite the maestro. In summary, not a movie on a par with the Fred and Ginger classics of the 30's but enjoyable on its own terms for all that.
Rita Hayworth, YOU were never lovelier...
jem13212 June 2006
...and Fred Astaire was never as boyishly charming as he is here. This is a lovely, escapist, feel-good musical made in the early 40's to appease WW2-weary audiences. This is Rita and Fred's second (and final) outing after the surprise success of 'You'll Never Get Rich', and, while the first film was very enjoyable, this is an improvement on it's predecessor.
Hayworth shines as the girl who's not very interested in marriage until a 'secret admirer' and Fred Astaire come into the picture. She's very beautiful and glamorous in the role; the 'Cansino-to-Hayworth' transformation was going along nicely at the film's time of release. Astaire is always very appealing, and he does light comedy quite well. This hs a far sharper script than 'You'll Never Get Rich' and benefits from the non-wartime backdrop. Yes, the war was going on when Rita and Fred were making dancing magic, but you'd never know it from the happy little self-contained vacuum that Columbia creates for the pair in a story meant to be set in exotic South America.
I guess Rita, with her Latin roots, was the perfect choice for Maria, and she manages to outdo the master Astaire in the Latino-inspired dance routines. Her singing is dubbed, but Rita's dancing is sublime and her acting is very effective.
This film also has more memorable songs than the 1941 Astaire-Hayworth outing (I don't particularly like to compare, but it's hard not to), with 'You Were Never Lovelier', 'Shorty George' and 'I'm Old Fashioned' being great tunes. 'Shorty George' entranced me so much that I re-played the sequence on DVD three times before I moved forward in the film!
It doesn't have much of a plot, but we know that Astaire's musicals were always light on this factor so we can be forgiving. What it does have is a perfect, innocent sweetness that cannot possibly be recaptured today. From early scenes with Astaire trying to make conservation with a haughty Rita, to the final scene where the awkward yet lovable Fred arrives as Rita's 'knight in shining armor' on a white horse, 'You Were Never Lovelier' is just...well, lovely.
8/10.
Hayworth shines as the girl who's not very interested in marriage until a 'secret admirer' and Fred Astaire come into the picture. She's very beautiful and glamorous in the role; the 'Cansino-to-Hayworth' transformation was going along nicely at the film's time of release. Astaire is always very appealing, and he does light comedy quite well. This hs a far sharper script than 'You'll Never Get Rich' and benefits from the non-wartime backdrop. Yes, the war was going on when Rita and Fred were making dancing magic, but you'd never know it from the happy little self-contained vacuum that Columbia creates for the pair in a story meant to be set in exotic South America.
I guess Rita, with her Latin roots, was the perfect choice for Maria, and she manages to outdo the master Astaire in the Latino-inspired dance routines. Her singing is dubbed, but Rita's dancing is sublime and her acting is very effective.
This film also has more memorable songs than the 1941 Astaire-Hayworth outing (I don't particularly like to compare, but it's hard not to), with 'You Were Never Lovelier', 'Shorty George' and 'I'm Old Fashioned' being great tunes. 'Shorty George' entranced me so much that I re-played the sequence on DVD three times before I moved forward in the film!
It doesn't have much of a plot, but we know that Astaire's musicals were always light on this factor so we can be forgiving. What it does have is a perfect, innocent sweetness that cannot possibly be recaptured today. From early scenes with Astaire trying to make conservation with a haughty Rita, to the final scene where the awkward yet lovable Fred arrives as Rita's 'knight in shining armor' on a white horse, 'You Were Never Lovelier' is just...well, lovely.
8/10.
Astaire and a Stunning Hayworth Dance to Jerome Kern and Rise Above the Predictable Shenanigans
EUyeshima2 April 2009
This movie is appropriately titled, as it's hard to imagine a woman more breathtakingly beautiful than Rita Hayworth in the early 1940's. The fact that she was an accomplished dancer - reportedly Fred Astaire's favorite partner - only adds to her ethereal, otherworldly appeal. Their second and sadly last pairing in this lightweight 1942 confection hardly does justice to either star, but it's a pleasant enough romantic comedy highlighted by just two numbers where they dance together. Those moments are worth slogging through the silly plot co-penned by Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano, and Delmer Daves.
Directed by studio journeyman William A. Seiter, the film has American hoofer Bob Davis in Buenos Aires losing his savings at the racetrack. Looking for work, he seeks a chance to audition for hotel owner Eduardo Acuna. Enlisting the help of bandleader Xavier Cugat (Charo's future husband) and his orchestra, he fails to impress Acuna. However, through various plot machinations including mistaken identity and parental scheming, Bob meets and becomes smitten with Acuna's headstrong daughter Maria, who has decided she will never marry. This upsets her two giggly younger sisters who cannot marry their respective sweethearts until Maria marries. The resolution to this dilemma is predictable, but it is all wrapped in a soundtrack that combines Latin rhythms and sonorous songs by Jerome Kern. One of the composer's best, the über-romantic "I'm Old-Fashioned", provides the film's unequivocal high point as Hayworth lip syncs the classic chestnut to Nan Wynn's dusky alto and moves into a graceful pas de deux with Astaire peppered with a Latin-flavored interlude.
On the other end of the spectrum is the be-bop delight, "Shorty George" where a bobby-socked Hayworth tap dances with impressive abandon as she matches Astaire step for step. Astaire's artistry goes without saying, although Bob is pretty much like every hapless character he played in all those movies with Ginger Rogers. At 24, Hayworth is such a serene object of desire as Maria that it's no wonder Astaire's character is rendered speechless and asks her to turn around to avoid further embarrassment. Adolphe Menjou is his usual pompous blowhard as Acuna though hardly believable as an Argentinean, while Cugat seems far more at ease with a baton than with a script. Compared with their 1941 film, "You'll Never Get Rich", this movie has a more fanciful tone without the wartime context, but the highlights are less frequent. This was Hayworth's favorite film, and apparently a fifteen-year-old Fidel Castro is among the extras. The 2004 DVD offers no additional features.
Directed by studio journeyman William A. Seiter, the film has American hoofer Bob Davis in Buenos Aires losing his savings at the racetrack. Looking for work, he seeks a chance to audition for hotel owner Eduardo Acuna. Enlisting the help of bandleader Xavier Cugat (Charo's future husband) and his orchestra, he fails to impress Acuna. However, through various plot machinations including mistaken identity and parental scheming, Bob meets and becomes smitten with Acuna's headstrong daughter Maria, who has decided she will never marry. This upsets her two giggly younger sisters who cannot marry their respective sweethearts until Maria marries. The resolution to this dilemma is predictable, but it is all wrapped in a soundtrack that combines Latin rhythms and sonorous songs by Jerome Kern. One of the composer's best, the über-romantic "I'm Old-Fashioned", provides the film's unequivocal high point as Hayworth lip syncs the classic chestnut to Nan Wynn's dusky alto and moves into a graceful pas de deux with Astaire peppered with a Latin-flavored interlude.
On the other end of the spectrum is the be-bop delight, "Shorty George" where a bobby-socked Hayworth tap dances with impressive abandon as she matches Astaire step for step. Astaire's artistry goes without saying, although Bob is pretty much like every hapless character he played in all those movies with Ginger Rogers. At 24, Hayworth is such a serene object of desire as Maria that it's no wonder Astaire's character is rendered speechless and asks her to turn around to avoid further embarrassment. Adolphe Menjou is his usual pompous blowhard as Acuna though hardly believable as an Argentinean, while Cugat seems far more at ease with a baton than with a script. Compared with their 1941 film, "You'll Never Get Rich", this movie has a more fanciful tone without the wartime context, but the highlights are less frequent. This was Hayworth's favorite film, and apparently a fifteen-year-old Fidel Castro is among the extras. The 2004 DVD offers no additional features.
A basically mediocre movie saved by a radiant Hayworth
richard-178721 June 2016
If you compare this to the musicals made by Astaire for RKO with Rodgers, you can see how inferior this is.
The script is by no means as clever.
There are no great comedy roles, such as those done by Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore in the RKO musicals.
The music is not as good.
But what this movie does have is a radiant young Rita Hayworth. It's a shame she doesn't get more dance numbers, because she is a wonder to watch when she dances. She is what makes this movie worth sitting through.
Trust me, it's worth it.
The script is by no means as clever.
There are no great comedy roles, such as those done by Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore in the RKO musicals.
The music is not as good.
But what this movie does have is a radiant young Rita Hayworth. It's a shame she doesn't get more dance numbers, because she is a wonder to watch when she dances. She is what makes this movie worth sitting through.
Trust me, it's worth it.
Lush & elegant- in B&W.
movibuf19626 March 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I think many people were surprised to learn that Hayworth, one of the screen's most beautiful glamour girls, began as a dancer herself (and under a Latin name, yet). They were probably further surprised to learn that after Astaire and Rogers' stellar partnership, he would be able to find further success following the whirlwind RKO cycle. This movie, a Columbia baby rather than an RKO, comes awfully close to the same light and airy style of the earlier series- right down to the silky b/w photography. And the mistaken identity plot (SPOILER?!) does have an original flavor regarding the gimmick behind nightclub owner Adolphe Menjou: Hayworth plays his gorgeous daughter- the second oldest of four but the only one unattached, and the father's rule is that the girls marry in order of age. The oldest has just married, and Rita is next to be, but by refusing to fall in love under duress, she upsets the matrimonial apple cart. (The whole notion of her being 'frigid' or 'cold' is utter nonsense, but that was the Hollywood stereotype of an alluring woman back then.) Enter Astaire, and some beautiful dance duets- including the tap-happy "Shorty George" and the stunning ballroom turn "I'm Old Fashioned (radiant in a moonlit garden and showing Hayworth off in a flowing black evening gown.)" Hayworth certainly echoes the title of the film, and she and Astaire made for beautiful music in this second of their two films together.
Fred and Rita: the Perfect Mismatch
JoeytheBrit1 July 2009
I assume the title is referring to Rita Hayworth and not dancin' Fred; it has to be said that Hayworth really is enjoying the luminous beauty and healthy sheen of a creature in their absolute prime here. Beside her, Astaire - who, had he attempted a career in movies without those flashing feet, would have been consigned to the role of gawky comedy sidekick instead of elegant leading man - looks skinny and prematurely old. Until he starts dancing, of course, and then they look like they were made for each other.
When the two of them aren't dancing, Adolphe Menjou keeps stealing the picture as Rita's over-protective father who writes anonymous love letter to his own daughter in the hope that she will fall in love with her fictitious beau. Yeah, it's one of those ridiculous Hollywood plots that the studios felt obliged to squeeze in between the musical numbers. I wonder if audiences in the 40s found them as crass as we do today? Anyway, the plot - what there is of it - follows it's predictable course, but nobody really watches these movies for its plot, and this film's greatest strength today is that it transports us back to a Hollywood that no longer exists; a Hollywood that oozes chic glamour and style, and offers escape to those romantics to whom plot and characterisation are secondary concerns.
When the two of them aren't dancing, Adolphe Menjou keeps stealing the picture as Rita's over-protective father who writes anonymous love letter to his own daughter in the hope that she will fall in love with her fictitious beau. Yeah, it's one of those ridiculous Hollywood plots that the studios felt obliged to squeeze in between the musical numbers. I wonder if audiences in the 40s found them as crass as we do today? Anyway, the plot - what there is of it - follows it's predictable course, but nobody really watches these movies for its plot, and this film's greatest strength today is that it transports us back to a Hollywood that no longer exists; a Hollywood that oozes chic glamour and style, and offers escape to those romantics to whom plot and characterisation are secondary concerns.
Forget Gilda!
david-197621 October 2006
Rita Hayworth is supposed to have said that "men went to bed with Gilda and woke up next to me," and that was her problem with men. Never having had the opportunity to go to bed with Rita Hayworth, I can't say what would have happened to me, but I can tell you that Maria Acuña would have been more on my mind than Gilda. She and Fred virtually float whenever they dance together, and I think it takes nothing away from Ginger Rogers to say that. It wasn't until I saw this film that I realized what the big deal about Rita Hayworth was all about. Her character in this film, and the character's dancing, is not only gorgeous, but has an insouciance that no other partner of Fred's possessed. Just watching the "I'm Old Fashioned" dance routine, which has hardly any edits in it, and watching Rita and Fred kick the French doors shut is worth the price of admission.
Others have commented about the plot of this film--I don't think we need to go into it here other than to say it's a pretty typical boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy jumps through hoops, boy gets girl back plot. Only three members of the supporting cast really have much to do: Adolphe Menjou as the Maria's curmudgeon father moves the plot along and demonstrates why he was known as "the best-dressed man in Hollywood," even in a kilt, Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra provide a Latin beat, and Cugie gets to demonstrate his skill as a caricaturist. Gus Schilling, as Menjou's rather fey secretary, has to perform a number of tasks that were filled by as many as four actors in the Fred and Ginger films: the "Helen Broderick" comedienne role, the "Victor Moore" sidekick role, and whatever roles were assigned to Eric Blore and Eric Rhodes. I suppose when Schilling was cast Eric Blore was somewhere in the back of someone's mind at Columbia (although Franklin Pangborn also comes to mind). Schilling does a commendable job. The rest of the cast is competent but really doesn't do much to move the plot along. But this is a musical, and the job of all the characters who don't sing and dance, and even some who do, are there simply to move the plot along. The folks lining up at the box office were there to see Fred and Rita dance and to hear Fred and Nan Wynn (I wonder what Rita's singing sounded like) sing.
I just watched the recent DVD of this film, and it's a technical knockout. The print looks like it just came off the truck from Columbia for a first run, and the soundtrack is sharp. It also reveals that Rita Hayworth did NOT have great-looking legs like, say Marlene Dietrich or Lucille Ball. One thing that I did realize, though, is that this, like my favorite Fred-and-Ginger, "Swing Time," features songs by Jerome Kern--here with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, in "Swing Time" with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and that in both films Fred plays a guy who doesn't really LIKE to dance: he sees his vocation as gambling, and only resorts to dancing to pay the bills when he's down on his luck.
This musical makes my "top ten" list of Hollywood musicals, which includes, by the way, any musicals made through 2006. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. "Swing Time" 2. "Show Boat" (with Allan Jones , Charles Winninger, and Irene Dunne, directed by James Whale: emphatically NOT the MGM bomb!) The title sequence to this film is one of the most original of all time. 3. "You Were Never Lovelier" 4. "Shall We Dance" (Fred & Ginger, not the delightful Japanese film) 5. "Oklahoma!" 6. "Top Hat" 7. "The Gay Divorcée" 8. "The Wizard of Oz" 9. "Guys and Dolls" 10. "The Gang's All Here" (Busby Berkeley's biggest production, featuring "The Lady in the tutti- Fruitti Hat") 11. "State Fair," the original "Iowa"version, please 12. "Love Me Tonight" (OK, so there are 12 in the top ten, but 11 is the only film that Rodgers and Hammerstein put together, and it has great songs. as well as Charles Winninger, and 12 has an interesting presentation from Rouben Mamoulian and a great score from Rodgers and Hart.)
Once again, these are listed in no particular order. It should be noted that only "The Wizard of Oz" comes from "the legendary Freed unit" at MGM. Perhaps someday IMDb will publish my yet-to-be-written "why MGM Musicals Suck" essay, but here's one point: All of the films listed above either were written AS movie musicals, or took a Broadway hit and used the power of film to render the book and songs more vividly. "Oklahoma!" is perhaps the best example of that, as opposed to the dismal MGM adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's wonderful "On The Town," which only proves, as do so many other MGM musicals, that Roger Edens may have been a good arranger but as a songwriter he left a lot to be desired--which didn't stop MGM from hacking almost all of the Bernstein-Comden-Green songs out of the movie. It doesn't explain why none of Busby Berkeley's best work came from MGM, but that's a story for another day.
Back to "You Were Never Lovelier:" Irving Berlin said that when he wrote songs he heard Fred Astaire singing them, which is something we should remember: Astaire was not only a great dancer, but a great song stylist who introduced a big chunk of the Great American Song Book. This is a wonderful film that does exactly what it's supposed to do: delight us and lift our spirits.
Others have commented about the plot of this film--I don't think we need to go into it here other than to say it's a pretty typical boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy jumps through hoops, boy gets girl back plot. Only three members of the supporting cast really have much to do: Adolphe Menjou as the Maria's curmudgeon father moves the plot along and demonstrates why he was known as "the best-dressed man in Hollywood," even in a kilt, Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra provide a Latin beat, and Cugie gets to demonstrate his skill as a caricaturist. Gus Schilling, as Menjou's rather fey secretary, has to perform a number of tasks that were filled by as many as four actors in the Fred and Ginger films: the "Helen Broderick" comedienne role, the "Victor Moore" sidekick role, and whatever roles were assigned to Eric Blore and Eric Rhodes. I suppose when Schilling was cast Eric Blore was somewhere in the back of someone's mind at Columbia (although Franklin Pangborn also comes to mind). Schilling does a commendable job. The rest of the cast is competent but really doesn't do much to move the plot along. But this is a musical, and the job of all the characters who don't sing and dance, and even some who do, are there simply to move the plot along. The folks lining up at the box office were there to see Fred and Rita dance and to hear Fred and Nan Wynn (I wonder what Rita's singing sounded like) sing.
I just watched the recent DVD of this film, and it's a technical knockout. The print looks like it just came off the truck from Columbia for a first run, and the soundtrack is sharp. It also reveals that Rita Hayworth did NOT have great-looking legs like, say Marlene Dietrich or Lucille Ball. One thing that I did realize, though, is that this, like my favorite Fred-and-Ginger, "Swing Time," features songs by Jerome Kern--here with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, in "Swing Time" with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and that in both films Fred plays a guy who doesn't really LIKE to dance: he sees his vocation as gambling, and only resorts to dancing to pay the bills when he's down on his luck.
This musical makes my "top ten" list of Hollywood musicals, which includes, by the way, any musicals made through 2006. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. "Swing Time" 2. "Show Boat" (with Allan Jones , Charles Winninger, and Irene Dunne, directed by James Whale: emphatically NOT the MGM bomb!) The title sequence to this film is one of the most original of all time. 3. "You Were Never Lovelier" 4. "Shall We Dance" (Fred & Ginger, not the delightful Japanese film) 5. "Oklahoma!" 6. "Top Hat" 7. "The Gay Divorcée" 8. "The Wizard of Oz" 9. "Guys and Dolls" 10. "The Gang's All Here" (Busby Berkeley's biggest production, featuring "The Lady in the tutti- Fruitti Hat") 11. "State Fair," the original "Iowa"version, please 12. "Love Me Tonight" (OK, so there are 12 in the top ten, but 11 is the only film that Rodgers and Hammerstein put together, and it has great songs. as well as Charles Winninger, and 12 has an interesting presentation from Rouben Mamoulian and a great score from Rodgers and Hart.)
Once again, these are listed in no particular order. It should be noted that only "The Wizard of Oz" comes from "the legendary Freed unit" at MGM. Perhaps someday IMDb will publish my yet-to-be-written "why MGM Musicals Suck" essay, but here's one point: All of the films listed above either were written AS movie musicals, or took a Broadway hit and used the power of film to render the book and songs more vividly. "Oklahoma!" is perhaps the best example of that, as opposed to the dismal MGM adaptation of Leonard Bernstein's wonderful "On The Town," which only proves, as do so many other MGM musicals, that Roger Edens may have been a good arranger but as a songwriter he left a lot to be desired--which didn't stop MGM from hacking almost all of the Bernstein-Comden-Green songs out of the movie. It doesn't explain why none of Busby Berkeley's best work came from MGM, but that's a story for another day.
Back to "You Were Never Lovelier:" Irving Berlin said that when he wrote songs he heard Fred Astaire singing them, which is something we should remember: Astaire was not only a great dancer, but a great song stylist who introduced a big chunk of the Great American Song Book. This is a wonderful film that does exactly what it's supposed to do: delight us and lift our spirits.
Buenos Aires of the Mind
B2422 July 2003
During World War II, it would have been incongruous to set a fluffy musical like this one in an American city like Los Angeles, which was enduring nightly blackouts and frequent air raid drills, a suspension of many kinds of popular entertainment, and strict rationing. Even New York City faced four years of muted social activity. The closest peacetime location retaining a kind of glamorous cosmopolitan European culture was Buenos Aires, long before it became besotted with Peronism and found itself destined to endure a social and economic tailspin out of which it has yet to recover. (History is full of ironies like this.)
Thus we see Astaire and Hayworth dancing in an elegant setting as if war did not exist, oblivious to the completely American cast, story, ambience, and tone transposed into a quasi-Hispanic country created entirely on a Hollywood soundstage. The only Spanish-speaking cast member was probably Xavier Cugat.
Clearly, the producers of the film wanted to pretend for the sake of a war-weary audience there was still a place offering hope for a postwar culture unscathed by the horrors taking place in the real world. By creating a kind of Buenos Aires of the mind, "You Were Never Lovelier" succeeded at the box office and delivered a message of optimism simultaneously.
The inimitable Adolphe Menjou in his trademark double-breasted suit lived on to become a television mainstay in the 50's, hosting a weekly drama show entitled "Adolphe Menjou Presents." Rita Hayworth stayed in her own Buenos Aires of the mind to create "Gilda" in 1946. And Fred Astaire continued for the rest of his long life to be Fred Astaire. None of these actors ever had a close match in terms of the iconic images they projected into the world. Few actors achieve that lofty height, perhaps no more than a couple of hundred out of millions.
The sound of the bandoneon is notably absent in any Buenos Aires of the mind. More's the pity. But the Kern-Mercer score tells us in any case that we are really in, say, Cincinnati or Kansas City.
Thus we see Astaire and Hayworth dancing in an elegant setting as if war did not exist, oblivious to the completely American cast, story, ambience, and tone transposed into a quasi-Hispanic country created entirely on a Hollywood soundstage. The only Spanish-speaking cast member was probably Xavier Cugat.
Clearly, the producers of the film wanted to pretend for the sake of a war-weary audience there was still a place offering hope for a postwar culture unscathed by the horrors taking place in the real world. By creating a kind of Buenos Aires of the mind, "You Were Never Lovelier" succeeded at the box office and delivered a message of optimism simultaneously.
The inimitable Adolphe Menjou in his trademark double-breasted suit lived on to become a television mainstay in the 50's, hosting a weekly drama show entitled "Adolphe Menjou Presents." Rita Hayworth stayed in her own Buenos Aires of the mind to create "Gilda" in 1946. And Fred Astaire continued for the rest of his long life to be Fred Astaire. None of these actors ever had a close match in terms of the iconic images they projected into the world. Few actors achieve that lofty height, perhaps no more than a couple of hundred out of millions.
The sound of the bandoneon is notably absent in any Buenos Aires of the mind. More's the pity. But the Kern-Mercer score tells us in any case that we are really in, say, Cincinnati or Kansas City.
A Perfect Film Even for the Fan Who Likes Few Musicals
abcj-212 April 2011
YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER is a sweet love story. I love Fred Astaire with Rita Hayworth, and her domineering father played by Adolphe Menjou. It has a terrific supporting cast, too. I actually own this movie, and I don't usually buy them unless I really like them!
The dancing is not what you see when Astaire is with Ginger Rogers, but I just seemed to gel with it somehow anyway. It has a special air of romance, and Hayworth is not only beautiful, but also she's captivating as an actress.
I'm not a huge musical fan, but this is one of my few major exceptions. It has more story and romance than just dance numbers every few minutes, or at least it seems that way. I highly recommend this film to fans of these performers or of the comedy-drama-romance type of musicals.
The dancing is not what you see when Astaire is with Ginger Rogers, but I just seemed to gel with it somehow anyway. It has a special air of romance, and Hayworth is not only beautiful, but also she's captivating as an actress.
I'm not a huge musical fan, but this is one of my few major exceptions. It has more story and romance than just dance numbers every few minutes, or at least it seems that way. I highly recommend this film to fans of these performers or of the comedy-drama-romance type of musicals.
Lovely numbers, disappointing story
fwmurnau24 July 2005
There are a few lovely songs and dances here, including the instant classic "I'm Old-Fashioned". Fred and Rita are marvelous together. Her sensual, full-bodied style brings out something new in Astaire, a devil-may-care energy that's a delight to behold.
As a lover of musical comedy, I'm very tolerant of slight plots and cardboard characters, but the story here even tries MY patience. To begin with, there's too much of it. The first half is much too talky, pushing the creaky, leaden plot uphill like Sisyphus pushing his rock.
The poor excuse for a plot consists of a series of artificial misunderstandings (artificial even by musical comedy standards!), each of which could immediately be cleared up by a few words from one of the principals, who instead stand there dumb, allowing everything to go to hell. Characters vacillate between hatred and love of one another with no discernible motivation. The talented Menjou is wasted in an unfunny, one-note role. Compared to this, the Astaire/Rogers movies are models of plot construction and character motivation.
The second half of the movie picks up, with more music and dancing, though Xavier Cugat's band is a bit dull, with its fusty chorus singing in unison.
Not a favorite Astaire film, but worth seeing for the numbers and for lovely Rita, whose chemistry with Astaire, whether dancing or talking, is delightful.
As a lover of musical comedy, I'm very tolerant of slight plots and cardboard characters, but the story here even tries MY patience. To begin with, there's too much of it. The first half is much too talky, pushing the creaky, leaden plot uphill like Sisyphus pushing his rock.
The poor excuse for a plot consists of a series of artificial misunderstandings (artificial even by musical comedy standards!), each of which could immediately be cleared up by a few words from one of the principals, who instead stand there dumb, allowing everything to go to hell. Characters vacillate between hatred and love of one another with no discernible motivation. The talented Menjou is wasted in an unfunny, one-note role. Compared to this, the Astaire/Rogers movies are models of plot construction and character motivation.
The second half of the movie picks up, with more music and dancing, though Xavier Cugat's band is a bit dull, with its fusty chorus singing in unison.
Not a favorite Astaire film, but worth seeing for the numbers and for lovely Rita, whose chemistry with Astaire, whether dancing or talking, is delightful.
Regal Romp Through The Tropics - grandly amusing in every way
movieman-20030 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
After their resounding success in "You'll Never Get Rich" it remained kismet that Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth would reunite for another glossy film musical. The project; "You Were Never Lovelier" is a valiant successor to the aforementioned and, in truth, excels beyond the expectations of their previous venture.
Astaire plays a penniless hoofer from New York who, through a series of mishaps, comes to the attention of Senior Acuna (Adolph Menjou) while on a vacation in Buenos Aires. Acuna has just married off his oldest daughter and, as his family tradition dictates, the rest of his daughters must get married in sequential order. The two youngest daughters are already fixed with a pair of tennis beaux, but the eldest unmarried daughter, Maria (Hayworth) is not only an ice princess of the highest order, but refuses to marry under any circumstance. That is, until she begins receiving orchids from an unknown admirer.
The score by Jerome Kern is magnificent; the poignant 'Dearly Beloved', the jazzy 'Shorty George' and the classy 'I'm Old Fashion'. The latter two songs are danced by Astaire and Hayworth with such polish and finesse that it's impossible not to marvel at their grace and style.
THE TRANSFER: Outstanding. While "You'll Never Get Rich" suffered from an overall dated appearance, "You Were Never Lovelier" appears to have been the benefactor of a digital restoration at some point. It's black and white picture is stunning and smooth. There are brief and minor occasions where fine details slightly shimmer, but these do not distract from your visual pleasure. Fine detail is fully realized. There is a resounding absence of age related artifacts. Digital anomalies are not an issue. The audio is mono but exceptionally well balanced at times sounding very close to having a stereo spread.
EXTRAS: Sorry, none!
BOTTOM LINE: "You Were Never Lovelier" has certainly never looked more lovely than in its DVD incarnation. An absolute must have for your library!
Astaire plays a penniless hoofer from New York who, through a series of mishaps, comes to the attention of Senior Acuna (Adolph Menjou) while on a vacation in Buenos Aires. Acuna has just married off his oldest daughter and, as his family tradition dictates, the rest of his daughters must get married in sequential order. The two youngest daughters are already fixed with a pair of tennis beaux, but the eldest unmarried daughter, Maria (Hayworth) is not only an ice princess of the highest order, but refuses to marry under any circumstance. That is, until she begins receiving orchids from an unknown admirer.
The score by Jerome Kern is magnificent; the poignant 'Dearly Beloved', the jazzy 'Shorty George' and the classy 'I'm Old Fashion'. The latter two songs are danced by Astaire and Hayworth with such polish and finesse that it's impossible not to marvel at their grace and style.
THE TRANSFER: Outstanding. While "You'll Never Get Rich" suffered from an overall dated appearance, "You Were Never Lovelier" appears to have been the benefactor of a digital restoration at some point. It's black and white picture is stunning and smooth. There are brief and minor occasions where fine details slightly shimmer, but these do not distract from your visual pleasure. Fine detail is fully realized. There is a resounding absence of age related artifacts. Digital anomalies are not an issue. The audio is mono but exceptionally well balanced at times sounding very close to having a stereo spread.
EXTRAS: Sorry, none!
BOTTOM LINE: "You Were Never Lovelier" has certainly never looked more lovely than in its DVD incarnation. An absolute must have for your library!
A very light bit of Hayworth fluff
mbrindell16 June 2011
To put it mildly, an unmemorable musical.
Because Rita Hayworth was trained young and raised a dancer, her performances as Fred Astaire's dancing partner are surprisingly mediocre. I don't believe she fairs much better than a veteran Las Vegas chorus girl. She brings to mind a strutting Radio City Rockette; Miss Hayworth is statuesque, brassy, sensual, and with her near ramrod-straight back more than a little bit mechanical. She falls well short of the high water mark regards top Hollywood female dancing talent. But then, many of her teenage stage performances occurred in Tijuana, Mexico, which is hardly a breeding ground for talented dancers (it was more a slumming ground for male directors and actors).
Astaire looks good, and he comes across at his dapper best. His dancing is top draw, but then again, he's severely limited when dancing with Hayworth. She is his albatross.
Menjou is fine in support (isn't he most always?), but Cugat is a tremendous distraction. Hollywood's decision to include conductors like Iturbe, the Jameses and Cugat in productions was a terribly misguided effort to capitalize on the musicians' radio presence, and it was thankfully short lived (it was primarily a WWII morale boosting phenomenon).
Director Seiter shoots in a craftsman-like fashion breaking no new ground.
I am a tremendous advocate for black and white film images, but I must say that it is unfortunate this film was not photographed in color (I know, I know, there was a war on). The movie would have benefited tremendously, critically and commercially. Rita's beautiful colors and her clothing would have provided an adequate cover for her limitations.
When you have a semi-talented actress headlining a big budget Hollywood musical and she can't dance spectacularly, and she can't sing well (all her movies' songs were dubbed), you've got a film can full of trouble.
Miss Hayworth was a manufactured product of Hollywood's studio system, and with very few exceptions thanks primarily to excellent directors/casts/scripts, she was a tremendously flawed and failed product.
Because Rita Hayworth was trained young and raised a dancer, her performances as Fred Astaire's dancing partner are surprisingly mediocre. I don't believe she fairs much better than a veteran Las Vegas chorus girl. She brings to mind a strutting Radio City Rockette; Miss Hayworth is statuesque, brassy, sensual, and with her near ramrod-straight back more than a little bit mechanical. She falls well short of the high water mark regards top Hollywood female dancing talent. But then, many of her teenage stage performances occurred in Tijuana, Mexico, which is hardly a breeding ground for talented dancers (it was more a slumming ground for male directors and actors).
Astaire looks good, and he comes across at his dapper best. His dancing is top draw, but then again, he's severely limited when dancing with Hayworth. She is his albatross.
Menjou is fine in support (isn't he most always?), but Cugat is a tremendous distraction. Hollywood's decision to include conductors like Iturbe, the Jameses and Cugat in productions was a terribly misguided effort to capitalize on the musicians' radio presence, and it was thankfully short lived (it was primarily a WWII morale boosting phenomenon).
Director Seiter shoots in a craftsman-like fashion breaking no new ground.
I am a tremendous advocate for black and white film images, but I must say that it is unfortunate this film was not photographed in color (I know, I know, there was a war on). The movie would have benefited tremendously, critically and commercially. Rita's beautiful colors and her clothing would have provided an adequate cover for her limitations.
When you have a semi-talented actress headlining a big budget Hollywood musical and she can't dance spectacularly, and she can't sing well (all her movies' songs were dubbed), you've got a film can full of trouble.
Miss Hayworth was a manufactured product of Hollywood's studio system, and with very few exceptions thanks primarily to excellent directors/casts/scripts, she was a tremendously flawed and failed product.
Divine dances. Skip the rest
rhoda-111 September 2007
With two such talented and appealing leads, the studio must have felt it needn't spend any money on a script. Not only the story as a whole but the individual gags are from hunger, as we used to say. Sample: Fred Astaire, not knowing who Rita Hayworth is, comments adversely on her family; a minute or two later, he does the same with Adolph Menjou; a few minutes later, he and Xavier Cugat ridicule their boss, Menjou, not realising he has entered the room behind them. How lazy can you get! We are also supposed to think it hilarious that someone falls down. This is condescending enough to the audience, but positively insulting to Astaire when he has to tell Hayworth he is just an unsophisticated rube from Omaha (Astaire's actual birthplace), and she has to ask him (he is over 40) if he has ever kissed a girl! A pity Astaire wasn't as exacting over scripts as he was over choreography.
If it's best to ignore the dialogue scenes, however, the musical numbers are unmissable. We get to see Astaire using Latin rhythms in his choreography, as well as a style of dancing that, as in his "audition" number in Menjou's office, involves a more emphatic use of hips and thighs. The big romantic number, "I'm Old-Fashioned," is sex in motion, a kind of partner to the "Night and Day" number in "The Gay Divorcée." In the earlier film (the first in which he starred with Ginger Rogers), the dance is a seduction of the reluctant maiden. Here, despite Hayworth's being much younger than Astaire, it is, given her greater sensuality, more like the passionate-but-comfortable partnership of a long-married couple. And when the two wrap their arms around each other in the "Shorty George" number, they show a physical pleasure that is absent in their awkward, corny conversation.
Others have remarked on Adolphe Menjou's being angry and domineering and not at all funny in what is meant as a comic role. To those who know Hayworth's sad history, the part is extremely discomfiting, given that Menjou was such an old lech and that the story has him writing anonymous love notes to her, trying to warm up his frigid daughter. In real life, Hayworth's father, with whom she had a dance act, repeatedly raped her, and the sexy, manipulative screen personality she showed the world (as is typical with sexually abused girls), was a cover for her real fear and reserve. As she ruefully said, "Men go to bed with Gilda, but they wake up with me."
If it's best to ignore the dialogue scenes, however, the musical numbers are unmissable. We get to see Astaire using Latin rhythms in his choreography, as well as a style of dancing that, as in his "audition" number in Menjou's office, involves a more emphatic use of hips and thighs. The big romantic number, "I'm Old-Fashioned," is sex in motion, a kind of partner to the "Night and Day" number in "The Gay Divorcée." In the earlier film (the first in which he starred with Ginger Rogers), the dance is a seduction of the reluctant maiden. Here, despite Hayworth's being much younger than Astaire, it is, given her greater sensuality, more like the passionate-but-comfortable partnership of a long-married couple. And when the two wrap their arms around each other in the "Shorty George" number, they show a physical pleasure that is absent in their awkward, corny conversation.
Others have remarked on Adolphe Menjou's being angry and domineering and not at all funny in what is meant as a comic role. To those who know Hayworth's sad history, the part is extremely discomfiting, given that Menjou was such an old lech and that the story has him writing anonymous love notes to her, trying to warm up his frigid daughter. In real life, Hayworth's father, with whom she had a dance act, repeatedly raped her, and the sexy, manipulative screen personality she showed the world (as is typical with sexually abused girls), was a cover for her real fear and reserve. As she ruefully said, "Men go to bed with Gilda, but they wake up with me."
Yes, Rita Never Looked Lovelier, But Story Was Never As Stupid!
ccthemovieman-126 September 2006
Boy, here we go again. It's too bad they had to have just stupid stories in these Fred Astaire movies, especially with the gorgeous and talented Rita Hayworth as his partner. Ginger Rogers was great in her roles as Astaire's most-often dance partner but nobody looked as awesome as Hayworth in the early-to-mid '40s. In one of the numbers here, she wears a short mini-type skirt so you also get to enjoy her great legs.
Her dance scenes with Astaire are almost worth the price of the film.
I say "almost" because, as usual, the story was stupid, insulting anyone's intelligence and not fun to watch. Adolphe Menjou spent the entire movie being gruff and crabby, anything but entertaining. The romance angle was typical for it's film era, which is not a compliment.
Just fast-forward to the dance scenes and you have a film that's watchable.
Her dance scenes with Astaire are almost worth the price of the film.
I say "almost" because, as usual, the story was stupid, insulting anyone's intelligence and not fun to watch. Adolphe Menjou spent the entire movie being gruff and crabby, anything but entertaining. The romance angle was typical for it's film era, which is not a compliment.
Just fast-forward to the dance scenes and you have a film that's watchable.
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