Released - August, 1953 

Directed By - Vincente Minnelli

Starring – Fred Astaire (Tony Hunter), Cyd Charisse (Gabrielle Gerard), Oscar Levant (Lester Martin), Nanette Fabray (Lily Martin), Jack Buchanan (Jeffrey Cordova).

Description – Tony Hunter is a veteran musical comedy star of both the stage and screen who’s feeling a little insecure lately. Tony is afraid he’s getting older and losing his popularity.

He needs a show for a strong comeback and his friends Lester and Lily Martin are there to help. The duo has written a show they think is perfect for Tony. Everything seems to be working out until a director is hired.

Chosen to direct the play is big-shot, overly “artistic” director, producer Jeffrey Cordova who has brought with him a prima ballerina to costar with Tony. Cordova changes the theme of the light comedy to a dark reinterpretation of Faust starring himself as the Devil and Tony as the Faust character.

As for Tony and costar ballerina Gabrielle Gerard…it’s hate at first sight. When the out-of-town tryout fails miserably, both the show and Tony’s career seem doomed.

Can a rewrite of the show by Tony and the addition of the originally intended light musical comedy be restored and successful? And if so, there is still one huge problem; the financial backers have pull out.

NOTABLE: In 1995, The Band Wagon was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

The film received three Academy Award nominations; Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, and Best Costume Design, Color.

Although only a modest box-office success, The Band Wagon is considered by many critics to rank right up there with the top MGM musicals.

In 2006, this motion picture was ranked as #17 on the American Film Institutes list of best musicals.

Buy Here The Band Wagon (Two-Disc Special Edition)

The Classic Musicals Collection – Broadway to Hollywood (Easter Parade Two Disc Special Edition / The Band Wagon Two Disc Special Edition / Bells Are Ringing / Finian’s Rainbow / Brigadoon)

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Released - November, 1942 

Directed By - William A. Seiter

Starring – Fred Astaire (Robert ‘Bob’ Davis), Rita Hayworth (Maria Acuna), Adolphe Menjou (Eduardo Acuna), Isobel Elsom (Mrs. Maria Castro).

Description – American dancer Bob Davis is in Argentina both looking for work and gambling away his money. A bandleader friend invites him to perform at the wedding of a local nightclub owner’s daughter with the hope that this might lead to a job.

At the wedding Bob meets Maria another of the nightclub owner’s daughters. He is immediately attracted to her, but she brushes him off.

Maria then begins to receive a series of flowers and love notes from an unknown suitor who she believes to be Bob. It isn’t, so just who is the mysterious suitor and will Bob ever get a chance with Maria?

NOTABLE: This motion picture was nominated for three Academy Awards; Best Music, Original Song, Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture, and Best Sound, Rocording.

The beautiful music in the film was composed by Jerome Kern who was unhappy with the selection of Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. However, after production ended, Kern was so pleased with Cugat’s work that he presented him with a silver baton.

Rita Hayworth’s performance in the movie firmly established her as one of Fred Astaire’s premiere dance partners.

Rita Hayworth has stated that this film was her favorite.

You Were Never Lovelier

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Released – August, 1942 

Directed By - Mark Sandrich

Starring – Bing Crosby (Jim Hardy), Fred Astaire (Ted Hanover), Marjorie Reynolds (Linda Mason), Virginia Dale (Lila Dixon), Walter Abel (Danny Reed), Louise Beavers (Mamie).

Description – A great story, sensational dancing, and the music of Irving Berlin have made this one of the best loved musicals of all time.

The musical act of Hardy, Hanover, and Dixon are preparing for a special Christmas eve show. Jim Hardy intends for this to be his last show as he is planning to marry Lila and retire to a farm in Connecticut.

Lila, however, has other plans. She has fallen in love with Ted and wants to continue in showbusiness as his dance partner. Although brokenhearted, Jim follows through with his retirement and moves to Connecticut.

Within a year, farming has taken its toll on Jim and he spends some time in a sanatorium to calm his nerves. While there he has a brainstorm…he will turn his farm into an inn that will open only on holidays and call it the Holiday Inn.

On Christmas day aspiring entertainer Linda Mason comes to the inn looking for a job. Will Jim find a new romance? Will the idea of a Holiday Inn be successful? Will the return of Ted, who now sets his sights on Jim’s new girlfriend, complicate things again? And what about Lila? To find out, take a little time to enjoy the holiday magic!

NOTABLE: This film won the Oscar for Best Film, Original Song (White Christmas), and was also nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, and Best Writing, Original Story.

In the film, Fred Astaire does a “drunk dance.” The story goes that Astaire had two drinks of bourbon before the first take and another after each additional take. It was the seventh take that was used in the film.

The dancing shoes used in Fred Astaire’s firecracker dance were later auctioned off for $116,000 worth of war bonds.

This was the film debut of the holiday classic White Christmas, which went on to become one of the best selling songs in music history.

The Holiday Inn hotel chain, founded in 1952, took its name from this motion picture.

Personal Note: This is without question one of the most enjoyable of all holiday films. We have several that also include White Christmas (a remake of this film), The Bells of St. Mary’s, A Christmas Story, and a few others that are rotated for our viewing pleasure come holiday season.

Each, in its own way, contributes to a greater enjoyment of the holiday season. This is our favorite.

Holiday Inn (3 Disc Collector’s Set)

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Released – September, 1941 

Directed By - Sidney Lanfield

Starring – Fred Astaire (Robert Curtis), Rita Hayworth (Sheila Winthrop), Robert Benchley (Martin Cortlind).

Description – A musical comedy with a war time theme has stage star Robert Curtis finding himself drafted into the military just before his big show is to premiere. Not giving up, show producer Martin Cortlind bring the show to boot camp.

While trying to get his production completed, Cortilind’s wife discovers a diamond bracelet and thinks her husband is interested in beartiful showgirl Sheila Winthrop. In the mixup of events, Curtis finds himself right in the middle, trying to serve his country and romance the beautiful showgirl himself.

Music and lyrics by Cole Porter.

NOTABLE: This motion picture was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Music, Original Song, and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

This was Rita Hayworth’s first big-budet starring role for Columbia Pictures.

Tremendously successful at the box office, this film was a needed shot-in-the-arm for Fred Astaire who felt his career was suffering since breaking off with Ginger Rogers.

Personal Comment: While not one of the strongest musicals of the era, I’m such a fan of Fred Astaire that I believe just about anything that has him on the dance floor is worth viewing. Especially with the beautiful, graceful, and sensual Rita Hayworth as his dance partner.

You’ll Never Get Rich

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Released – February, 1940 

Directed By - Norman Taurog

Starring – Fred Astaire (Johnny Brett), Eleanor Powell (Clare Bennett), George Murphy (King Shaw), Frank Morgan (Bob Casey).

Description – Rivalry comes between two dance partners (Astaire, and Murphy) in the form of Eleanor Powell.  A love triangle emerges when the three find themselves working in the same production and is further complicated by a case of mistaken identity.

NOTABLE: Great dance numbers including the duo of Astaire and Powell dancing to Cole Porter’s ‘Begin The Beguine’.  This performance is one of those highlighted in 1974′s ‘That’s Entertainment’ and was introduced by Frank Sinatra with this statement – “Take a good look folks.  As long as you live you’ll never see the likes of this again.”

Believe it or not, Fred Astaire was slightly intimidated by Eleanor Powell as she was one of the few female dancers capable of out-performing him.  For Eleanor Powell, the feeling was mutual and it took a while before the two would be comfortable enough to call each other by their first names.

Personal Comment:  Sadly, this was the only on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell; both considered to be the greatest movie musical dancers of their time.

Broadway Melody of 1940

Ziegfeld Girl / Broadway Melody of 1940 (Two-Pack)

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