The Silver Screen Oasis

I just watched "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" (1939).

It kept making me think of Warner Brothers, oddly enough. The opening of the film put me in mind of "The Roaring Twenties," with the scene of Astaire in Roger's parents' home watching her dance as something of a parallel to Cagney coming home from WWI and finding the girl who sent him the hot picture was a high school student. The later part of the movie mostly felt like a dry run for "Yankee Doodle Dandy." (YDD is a far better film. Maybe they learned from this.

I guess I liked Walter Brennan best in the film. His character made me think of William Demarest. Keeping with the WB mood I was in, when Brennan wore a derby, he made me think of Elmer Fudd (who was coming into existence around this time.)

I liked the early part of the film best, before Irene and Vernon got married. That part of the film was fun and lively. After they got married, the film became a standard back stage history lesson.

[quote="MikeBSG"]I just watched "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" (1939).

A love story par excellence

Ginger could certainly act rings around old bony knees.

It's the Fred and Ginger film I cared for the least, I thought Fred was good as Vernon but didn't buy Ginger as Irene and sad as it is in the end I don't think it suits their style which to me is more cheeky, flirtatious and optomistic.

And that is what makes it one of their most romantic movies they made together.....(along with SWINGTIME).

I love Swingtime, their most romantic for me.

I would say "Shall We Dance?" is my favorite Fred&Ginger film, with "Swing Time" a close second.

"Top Hat" is the most famous, but I think the big dance at the end, "The Carioca," is just a flop. But I've never been a huge Fred&Ginger fan myself.

Oh well if we are all going to jump in on this subject, I'll add my two cents too. I like all their movies, but my favorite would be Top Hat.

My favorite dance of theirs ever is Isn't This a Lovely Day? And follow it up with Cheek to Cheek... well, I'M in heaven. I like all the songs, with Fancy Free being my favorite. The routine for it is wonderful, too. For me there isn't a weak number in the movie. My least favorite is Top Hat. The Carioca doesn't bother me one bit, I love the cheesy-ness of it, and it doesn't last nearly as long as The Continental. I also like Ginger's costume in The Carioca.

Swing Time and Shall We Dance have too much plot for my liking. I just want to see them dance. I prefer more dance numbers strung together with incidental talk and plot. Plus I prefer Edward Everett Horton to Victor Moore any day. However, Never Gonna Dance is just superb and the Kern/Fields songs are lovely.

Right now, I am leaning toward their early musicals together as my favorites. They may not be as polished, but they have a natural fun and energy to them that is contagious.

My favorite of all their tap numbers:

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and the one which makes me melt:

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I love Fred and Ginger. I do like plot with my dancing though. My favorite film is "Swing Time." Helen Broderick slays me. Look at the blonde at the gambling table. In a little while she'll be a redhead, and have a modicum of success...as Lucille Ball. Look at the "Swing Time" YouTube clip. At :54 seconds look at those quicksteps they take together. Their dancing...its grace and timing and sensuality are utterly impeccable. They are sublime.

Look at the blonde at the gambling table. In a little while she'll be a redhead, and have a modicum of success...as Lucille Ball.

Actually, that clip is from Follow the Fleet. And she had a funny speaking part, and Betty Grable had a small one, too.

My favourite dance is the Swing Time dance that Nancy has posted. I also love Let's Face the Music and Dance, I think that's in Follow the Fleet, Ginger looks amazing and if you look closely at 5.36 , her dress smacks Fred in the kisser

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I can watch any of the films quite happily just for the exquisite dances.

This is not my genre, and I haven't seen them all. But I kind of like CAREFREE. It has a little more story than some of the others.

that dress she was wearing was very very heavy,and Fred was black and blue after the routine was done. It not only smacked him in the face, it continuously hit his legs. OUCH. Ginger was forever nicknamed Feathers by Fred after another of her dresses, loaded with feathers, 'molted' during that particular dance routine...

[quote="knitwit45"]Actually, that clip is from Follow the Fleet. And she had a funny speaking part, and Betty Grable had a small one, too./quote]

You're right Knitty. My sentence was not grammatically correct. I should have separated the two films. Why do I get the feeling that if there were no plots connecting the dances, folks would complain about their being no plots to connect the dances.