Themes: Haunted By the Past, Lovers Reunited, Ladder to the Top
Main Cast: Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Joan Caulfield, Billy De Wolfe, Olga San Juan
Release Year: 1946
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
Plot
Jed Potter (Fred Astaire) is a popular radio personality who was once a famous dancer. He also used to be friends with Johnny Adams (Bing Crosby) until they became rivals for the affections of Mary O'Hara (Joan Caulfield). Jed lost out when Johnny and Mary got married, but life hasn't been too rosy for the couple since; Johnny's career in business was a washout, and not long after the birth of their daughter, the couple decided to divorce. Mary gave Jed another chance with her, but in time she chose to patch things up with Johnny, leading Jed to a close partnership with alcohol that ended with an accident, preventing him from ever dancing again. However, the aftermath of this tragedy helps bring the three former friends back together. Blue Skies was not much more than a framework for a bunch of musical numbers featuring great tunes from the Irving Berlin catalog, but when you've got Bing singing and Fred dancing to songs like "Puttin' on the Ritz," "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song," "A Couple of Song and Dance Men," and "White Christmas," why carp? Noted stage actor and tap dancer Paul Draper was originally cast as Jed, but he was fired after several days of filming and replaced by Astaire; Draper would make only one more movie before his film career came to an end after he was branded a Communist sympathizer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
A screenplay was written and shot for Blue Skies, but they really needn't have bothered; this is a film that can only be enjoyed in spite of its script, a situation that is unfortunately true of many other musicals. However, unlike many other musicals, Blue Skies has a score of Irving Berlin oldies (and one or two originals) and the likes of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire to deliver them. If you can forget (or just skip over entirely) the dialogue, you're apt to be mighty entertained, for both men are in fine musical form. Crosby delivers a persuasive "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song," a melancholy "All by Myself," and, with a peppery Olga San Juan, a lively "I'll See You in C-U-B-A." Astaire, whose swan song this was supposed to be, joins San Juan for a torrid "Heat Wave" and escorts a number of beauties in a lavish "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody." But it's Astaire alone -- except for ten miniature copies of himself -- who provides the film's highlight with a dynamite "Puttin' on the Ritz" that is deservedly acknowledged as one of the classic musical film moments. (Astaire and Crosby also team up for "A Couple of Song-and-Dance Men," a number that is quite good without quite being exceptional.) As indicated, in between numbers, Blue Skies becomes a bit of a bore -- especially when Joan Caulfield is onscreen or when Billy De Wolfe is encouraged to hang around for more than a minute or two. Still, it's worth catching for the two stars and the songs. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
