Main Cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore
Release Year: 1936
Country: US
Run Time: 103 minutes
Plot
The sixth of RKO's Fred Astaire -Ginger Rogers pairings of the 1930s, Swing Time starts off with bandleader Astaire getting cold feet on his wedding day. Astaire's bride-to-be Betty Furness will give him a second chance, providing he proves himself responsible enough to earn $25,000. Astaire naturally tries to avoid earning that amount once he falls in love with dance instructor Ginger Rogers. Numerous complications ensue, leading to the "second time's the charm" climax, with Ginger escaping her own wedding to wealthy Georges Metaxa in order to be reunited with Astaire. The film's most indelible image is that of Fred Astaire, immaculately attired in top hat and tails, hopping a freight car--a perfect encapsulation of the film's Depression-era cheekiness. The Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score includes such standards-to-be as "Pick Yourself Up," "A Fine Romance," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Never Gonna Dance" and "Bojangles of Harlem." The peerless supporting cast of Swing Time includes Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore, and Landers Stevens, the actor-father of the film's director, George Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Perhaps the perfect example of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers appeal, Swing Time is a charming romantic-fantasy that's almost impossible to resist when its musical set pieces are in motion. The plot, however minimal, only distracts from the classic melodies and entertaining dance sequences. Directed by the venerable George Stevens, Swing Time was the fifth Astaire-Rogers film, and came out during the peak of their popularity; it's of a piece with the duo's other successes, and in fact markedly resembles their earlier hit, 1935's Top Hat. Perhaps the most cherished dance number is "Bojangles of Harlem," during which Astaire dances with shadows and pays tribute to famous dancer Bill Robinson. The stellar score also includes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "A Fine Romance." ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Carroll Clark - Art Director, Van Nest Polglase - Art Director, Hermes Pan - Choreography, Bernard Newman - Costume Designer, John W. Harkrider - Costume Designer, George Stevens - Director, Henry Berman - Editor, Dorothy Fields - Composer (Music Score), Jerome Kern - Composer (Music Score), Nathaniel Shilkret - Musical Direction/Supervision, Mel Burns - Makeup, Dave Abel - Cinematographer, Pandro S. Berman - Producer, Darrell Silvera - Set Designer, Vernon Walker - Special Effects, Erwin S. Gelsey - Screen Story, Howard Lindsay - Screenwriter, Allan G. Scott - Screenwriter
