Main Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, Jerome Cowan
Release Year: 1937
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
Plot
The seventh of RKO's Fred Astaire--Ginger Rogers musicals, Shall We Dance casts Astaire as a world-renowned ballet dancer and Rogers as a musical comedy headliner. Rogers' manager Jerome Cowan concocts a phony romance between his client and Astaire in order to garner publicity for them both. Eventually, of course, the twosome falls in love for real, but not before a cornucopia of confusion, complications and misunderstandings. Highlights include a number performed on roller skates and Astaire's dance solo in the art-deco boiler room of an ocean liner. The George and Ira Gershwin score (their last for Astaire and Rogers) includes "Slap That Bass," "Beginner's Luck," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "They All Laughed," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and the title number. Shall We Dance was slated as the last of the Fred-and-Ginger romps, but within a year they were together again in Carefree. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
In the 1930s, many Hollywood musicals revolved around the "Should I sing it sweet or sassy?" question -- meaning that the plot had to do with legit singing vs. pop vocalizing. Shall We Dance is the same conflict, but involving dance (ballet vs. hoofing) rather than singing. As usual, it's little more than a pre-text for keeping Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from their inevitable pairing. The movie has many of the characteristics associated with the duo's films, including irritation-at-first-sight, mistaken identities, and Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore -- so much so that the non-musical portions feel a little mechanical. (When Rogers abruptly joins Astaire at the end, it seems almost perfunctory.) But it also has a fabulous George and Ira Gershwin score and some amazing dance numbers. "Slap That Bass" is set in an unbelievable art deco engine room and uses the machinery for some of Astaire's most inventive footwork. The finale, involving Astaire dancing with dozens of chorus girls in Rogers masks, is a trifle bizarre but undeniably fascinating. "They All Laughed" and the oft-quoted "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" give the pair a chance to strut their stuff to very good effect, and Astaire gets to work his magic on "They Can't Take That Away from Me." As always, the chemistry between the stars is unbeatable, and their ease in the musical numbers belies how difficult it all is. The seventh of the Astaire-Rogers films, it's not one of the strongest entries but even their second-level efforts have plenty to recommend them. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
