FRED ASTAIRE WAS BELIEVED TO BE

 

Fred Astaire was believed to be

The greatest Dancer in his field

But Ginger Rodgers did the same

Only backwards and in heels

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – CAREFREE (1938)

 

“Carefree” is a Musical Romantic Comedy, Written by Allan Scott, Ernest Pagano. Dudley Nichols, Hagar Wilde, Marian Ainslee, and Guy Endore and Directed by Mark Sandrich.

Stephen Arden (Ralph Bellamy) has a problem in the relationship with his fiancée, Amanda (Ginger Rogers), so he turns to his friend Dr. Tony Flagg (Fred Astaire), a psychiatrist, for help to understand why she keeps breaking off the engagement.

After some minor misunderstandings, she falls in love with Tony, so he tries to use hypnosis to strengthen her feelings for Steven, however things get complicated when he realises that he’s in love with her.

It’s an interesting and amusing vehicle in which Ginger and Fred acquit themselves ably but are supported by a first-rate group of players headed by old friends like eager Jack Carson and irascible Clarence Kolb plus charming comedian Luella Gear.

FRED ASTAIRE WAS BELIEVED TO BE

 

Fred Astaire was believed to be

The greatest Dancer in his field

But Ginger Rodgers did the same

Only backwards and in heels

RIGHT SAID FRED

 

He’s not to my taste

But he did have a kind of grace

When Fred Astaire was auditioned

His abilities were questioned

They said he can’t act

Nor can he sing

But he can dance a bit

So let him do his thing

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934)

 

“The Gay Divorcee” is a Musical Romantic Comedy, written by George Marion Jr, Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman from the book by Dwight Taylor, musical adaptation Kenneth S. Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein and Directed by Mark Sandrich.

The story concerns American dancer Guy Holden (Fred Astaire) and Mimi Glossop (Ginger Rogers), there’s clearly an attraction between them but Mimi keeps running off.

Then she visits a lawyer in London, Egbert 'Pinky' Fitzgerald (Edward Everett Horton) and tells him she wants a divorce from her absentee husband.

Meanwhile Mimi’s Aunt Hortense (Alice Brady) hires a professional Rodolfo Tonetti (Erik Rhodes) to play the correspondent in an apparent infidelity.

But what neither of them knows in that Guy and Pinky are friends so they travel down to Brightbourne together where the dancer meets Mimi again, but she thinks that he is the correspondent.

When the dust settles and the confusion has been cleared up Mimi’s husband Cyril (William Austin) turns up but he refuses to grant a divorce, luckily the waiter (Eric Blore) comes to the rescue.

The movie is a feast of song and dance and won the first Oscar for Best Song: “The Continental”, a twenty-two-minute production number.