The Gay Divorce (1934)
"The Gay Divorcee" (original title)

Mimi Glossop wants a divorce so her Aunt Hortense hires a professional to play the correspondent in apparent infidelity. American dancer Guy Holden meets Mimi while visiting Brightbourne (... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Dwight Taylor (from the book by), Kenneth S. Webb (musical adaptation),

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Guy Holden
Ginger Rogers	...	Mimi Glossop
Alice Brady	...	Aunt Hortense
Edward Everett Horton	...	Egbert 'Pinky' Fitzgerald
Erik Rhodes	...	Rodolfo Tonetti
Eric Blore	...	The Waiter
Lillian Miles	...	Singer - Continental Number
Charles Coleman	...	Guy's Valet
William Austin	...	Cyril Glossop
Betty Grable	...	Dance Specialty

Storyline

Mimi Glossop wants a divorce so her Aunt Hortense hires a professional to play the correspondent in apparent infidelity. American dancer Guy Holden meets Mimi while visiting Brightbourne (Brighton) and she thinks he is the correspondent. The plot is really an excuse for song and dance. The movie won three Academy nominations and the first Oscar for Best Song: "The Continental", a twenty-two minute production number.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | aunt | dancer | dance | password | 

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Taglines:

Musical Triumph Of Two Continents

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

12 October 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Continental

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$520,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the Internet Movie Car Database, some cars are identified as follows: The car that Tonetti drives up to the resort in is a 1927 Austin Seven Swallow. The car that asks to get by in the fake roadblock is a 1927 Bugatti Type 40. The car Ginger Rogers is driving is a 1929 Dusenberg J. Fred Astaire is driving a 1931 MG J2 Midget.

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Goofs

During the "Continental" sequence Rodolfo Tonetti is shown playing a concertina and singing along. Though he moves the concertina in and out, and you can hear the music, his fingers never move on the keys.

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Quotes

Tonetti: Rodolfo Tonetti at your service.
Egbert Fitzgerald: Yes... well, I am Mr. Fitzgerald.
Tonetti: Mr. Fitzgerald?
[shaking hands]
Tonetti: Oh, I'm delightful!
Egbert Fitzgerald: Oh, I shouldn't doubt it, old man, I shouldn't doubt it. But, don't you think that a corespondent ought to come to work quieter? Let's have more repose and less Rigoletto.
Tonetti: Ha, I am ready for action, and I will do a first-class job.
Egbert Fitzgerald: Well, don't be too determined about it. Remember, the lady in question is very sensitive, and you must treat her accordingly.
Tonetti: Bene, whichever way the...

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Connections

Featured in Broadway: The American Musical (2004)

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Soundtracks

"The Continental"
(1934)
Music and Lyrics by Con Conrad and Herb Magidson
Song performed by Fred Astaire (uncredited), Ginger Rogers (uncredited), Erik Rhodes (uncredited), Lillian Miles (uncredited)
Dance performed by Fred Astaire (uncredited), Ginger Rogers (uncredited), chorus

User Reviews

Chance Is the Fool's Name for Fate

After staying in Paris on vacation, the American dancer Guy Holden (Fred Astaire) and his Londoner lawyer friend Egbert Fitzgerald (Edward Everett Horton) return to London by ship. Guy meets the wealthy American blonde Mimi Glossop (Ginger Rogers), who is traveling with her aunt Hortense Ditherwell (Alice Brady), in the harbor and Mimi asks him to call her aunt to open her luggage since her dress is trapped in the trunk. Guy tries to release her dress but he accidentally rips Mimi's dress. Guy lends his overcoat to her expecting to receive it back with a thank-you note with her name and address, but Mimi returns the coat without any card.

Meanwhile, Hortense seeks out Egbert, who is replacing his father in the office, expecting to get the divorce of Mimi and her husband, the geologist Cyril Glossop (William Austin). However, Cyril advises that it would be difficult to make Cyryl accepting the divorce and he suggest to Mimi to hire the "correspondent" Rodolfo Tonettito (Erik Rhodes) to stay with her in a hotel room. Meanwhile, Egbert would hire private eyes to arrive in Mimi's room and surprise the couple, forcing the divorce of Mimi and Cyril.

Egbert gives a password to Tonettito to identify Mimi and uses a sentence created by Guy – "Chance Is the Fool's Name for Fate". Mimi believes that Guy is her correspondent and stays with him in her room. When Tonettito arrives in her room, the disappointed Mimi learns the truth and feels better. But she is still married and can not marry Guy.

"The Gay Divorcée" is a great classic musical, with Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire shining and dancing. The long song "The Continental" was awarded with the Oscar of Best Music in 1935 and it is delightful to see the choreography of the dance.

In IMDb Trivia, there are interesting information about this film that I will not repeat in my review. In addiction, Ginger Rogers drives the mighty Duesenberg Model J, one of the most popular luxury cars as well as a status symbol in the United States and Europe. This car that cost between US$ 20,000.00 to US$ 25,000.00 in 1935 was driven by Clark Gable and Gary Cooper (the rare model SSJ 125), Al Capone, Greta Garbo, Howard Hughes, Mae West, Tyrone Power among others personalities. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Alegre Divorciada" ("The Gay Divorcée")