This, the second of Astaire's outings with Hayworth, avoids wartime themes, and benefits from lavish production values – a consequence of the box-office success of the earthier You'll Never Get Rich. Kern here created a memorable standard with "I'm Old Fashioned", and there is a faultless trio of classic dance routines; but sugary sentimentalism enters, and rather eccentric art direction. Initially, Kern was unhappy about the selection of Cugat and his orchestra; however, when production was complete, he was so pleased with the band's performance that he presented him with a silver baton. Although Hayworth had a fine voice, Harry Cohn insisted on her singing being dubbed throughout by Nan Wynn.
The film follows the usual conventions established by Astaire in his earlier musicals, such as an anti-romantic first meeting between the two leads, a virtuoso dance solo for Astaire, a playful dance duet and a romantic dance duet.
Fred Astaire And Rita Hayworth -- "I'm Old Fashioned"
The famous dance under moonlight from their last pairing on screen: "You Were Never Lovelier" in 1942.
Jerome Kern wrote the classic song "I'm Old Fashioned", with a lyric by Johnny Mercer, for this film.
Looks crazy to hear Astaire (in any role) say "I am strictly from corn!", but he (the actor) really was born in Omaha!
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I fell for Rita Hayworth after seeing her in COVER GIRL (1944) several years ago. After that I watched everything of her that I could get my hands on. This is a charming movie and "I'm Old Fashioned" a great song! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRupert