Comments on: Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire on Turner Classic Movies

By: Bonnie Mansfield

Bonnie Mansfield — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:24:19 +0000

Follow the Fleet has goood songs, but not as great as Top Hat. It is exceedingly long and slowly paced. The dances are great, but the secondary plot with Randloph Scott is incredibly boring. The Gay Divorcee is one of Fred’s best early films.. Let’s Knock Knees is hysterical and most of the comedy works. One flaw is Fred and Ginger don’t dance enough. Swing Time and Top Hat are their best movies. Shall We Dance isn’t very good with an insipid plot-great songs by the Gershwins were kind of thrown away. Why in the world is Fred dancing with Harriet Hoctor?

By: Andre Soares

Andre Soares — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:23 +0000

Hello,

I’d say that many — actually, probably most — of my top choices when it comes to movies are “unusual.” In other words, most people would disagree with them.

I need to take another look at “The Sky’s the Limit.” I saw it ages ago. And I must admit I still haven’t watched “On the Beach,” though I have it here on DVD. One of these evenings…

As for “You Were Never Lovelier,” I believe that TCM has shown that one — though not on that particular Rita Hayworth Day.

Thanks for sharing that Jerome Robbins info. I was unaware of it.

By: axelrodh

axelrodh — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:46:34 +0000

BTW, I was surprised to notice that TCM did not screen “You Were Never Lovelier”: the second film pairing of Astaire and Hayworth. This is a better constructed movie than “You’ll Never Get Rich”, with more memorable music, and has two dances that so impressed Jerome Robbins that he staged two ballets based on their choreography. One of these “I’m Old Fashioned”, is still being staged regularly by the NY City Ballet. Hayworth has been quoted as saying that her two movies with Astaire and her one with Kelly, were the only movies who could watch without laughing, and that they were the jewels of her movie career.

By: axelrodh

axelrodh — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:32:18 +0000

I was rather surprised that of the Astaire-Rogers movies you picked “The Gay Divorcee” and “Follow the Fleet” as your favorites. While both are enjoyable, each in their own special way, they do not (in my opinion) have the best music. In the Gay Divorcee (which is now 75 years old), the only Cole Porter song that survived from the stage play is the wonderful “Night and Day”, and it is superbly danced and sung in the movie. In “Follow the Fleet” the only song that passed into music memory is “Let’s Face the Music”. Whereas, many more songs from “Top Hat”, “Swing Time” and “Shall We Dance” remain in the American Songbook. As far as Astaire’s acting, I think his best acted comedy role was in “The Sky’s the Limit” and his best dramatic role was in “On the Beach”. He certainly could act extremely subtly and believably when he had the proper director and role.

By: KellyKelly

KellyKelly — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:02:26 +0000

And the GREAT GREAT Gene Kelly is in it, too!

By: Susan B.

Susan B. — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:59:45 +0000

I’m assuming it slipped your mind: COVER GIRL is a truly enjoyable musical. It should have been one of your recommendations. Rita Hayworth is at her loveliest.