Today’s entry finds us looking at a film made just a year later than It Happened One Night, the subject of our first entry. As I mentioned previously, musicals were very popular during the depression, and no team was more famous and celebrated for their dancing than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers who made ten films together. Of those films we are going to discuss my personal favorite, 1936's Swing Time, directed by George Stevens.
Swing Time finds Astaire playing a professional hoofer, and ridiculously lucky gambler (appropriately named Lucky), who through a pants related incident arrives for his wedding to a high society bride unforgivably late. In a plea for another chance he convinces his father-in-law to be that he can raise a fortune of $25,000, making Lucky worthy of a second chance with the old man's daughter (a pretty bizarre plot contrivance, but what can you do?). With his faithful sidekick Pop in tow, he hops a train to New York to make his fortune. Within minutes of arriving in the big city they run into Penny Carrol, played by the effervescent Ginger Rogers and immediately antagonizes her. They follow her to the dance school she works at and promptly get Penny and her Aunt Mabel, the receptionist at the dance school, fired. What follows is one of the most charming dance sequences you could find as Lucky shows Penny's (get it Lucky Penny?) boss everything she has "taught" him. Dance school owner immediately hires her back and has the couple audition at the Silver Sandal nightclub.
Penny's dislike for Lucky soon melts away into love, but the pesky specter of the fiancé he left back at home and a bandleader with eyes for Penny stand against the couple’s unification. As you would expect everything turns out all right in the end. The story wouldn't particularly win any awards, but the gorgeous music, winning cast, and fabulous dance sequences make this movie a charming watch. While the comedy could be considered corny, I find it well meaning and incredibly enduring in its simplicity.
There is one thing that I should warn anyone watching this film for the first time. Fred Astaire does a musical number known as Bojangles of Harlem, where he unfortunately dresses as the legendary Bill "Bojangles" Robinson complete with black face. Though it is clear that the number is meant as a tribute to the great tap dancer, for those who offend easily it might be best to skip the scene. To me it is an unfortunate time capsule of certain attitudes of the era, but you have to appreciate Astaire’s skill as a dancer and the amazing art design surrounding the number.
It is interesting to note that while the dance sequences appear seamless, Astaire and Rogers spent over 350 hours rehearsing for them. The final Never Gonna Dance sequence took 47 takes to achieve one take that met with Astaire’s unbelievably high standards. By the end of the grueling day, Ginger Roger’s feet bled. If you’ve ever been curious about the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, this is a great introduction into their filmography. It’s an easy watch that could charm the pants off the most cynical beast.
