The Gay Divorcee (1934)

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Approved
1h 47min
Comedy, Musical
12 Oct 1934 (USA)
Movie

7.4 (9,032)

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A woman thinks a flirting man is the co-respondent her lawyer has hired to expedite her divorce.

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Stars:

Awards:

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.
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Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Ginger Rogers in The Gay Divorcee (1934)

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70 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	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 - Knock Knees
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Norman Ainsley	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Jimmy Aubrey	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Finis Barton	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Eleanor Bayley	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	De Don Blunier	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Pokey Champion	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Jack Chefe	...	Night Club Patron (uncredited)
	Cy Clegg	...	Porter (uncredited)
	E.E. Clive	...	Chief Customs Inspector (uncredited)
	Mary Daly	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	George Davis	...	French Waiter #1 (uncredited)
	Virginia Davis	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Charles Dunbar	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Jack Ellison	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Claudia Fargo	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Arna Finston	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Jack Geiger	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Leslie Goodwins	...	Baggage Man (uncredited)
	Jack Grant	...	Porter (uncredited)
	Beatrice Hagen	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Charlie Hall	...	Messenger at Dock (uncredited)
	Geneva Hall	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Cassie Hanley	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Shep Houghton	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Arthur Jarrett	...	Vocalist (uncredited)
	Sydney Jarvis	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Crystal Keate	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Vivian Keefer	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Lois Lindsay	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Mary MacLaren	...	Revue Intime Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
	J.G. MacMahon	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Alphonse Martell	...	French Waiter #2 (uncredited)
	Mary Jo Mathews	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
	Frank Mills	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Ted Oliver	...	Customs Inspector #3 (uncredited)
	Vasso Pan	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Paul Porcasi	...	French Headwaiter (uncredited)
	Sonny Ray	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Irma Richardson	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Ronald R. Rondell	...	Dancer - Continental Number (uncredited)
	Bobbie Sheehan	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Marion Shelton	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	Larry Steers	...	Night Club Patron (uncredited)
	Mary Stewart	...	Dancer / Singer (uncredited)
	Cyril Thornton	...	Customs Inspector #2 (uncredited)
	Rose Vespro	...	Dancer (uncredited)
	William Wagner	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Florence Wix	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Bruce Wyndham	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Directed by

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Mark Sandrich

Written by

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Dwight Taylor	...	(from the book by)

Kenneth S. Webb	...	(musical adaptation) (as Kenneth Webb) and
Samuel Hoffenstein	...	(musical adaptation)

George Marion Jr.	...	(screen play) &
Dorothy Yost	...	(screen play) and
Edward Kaufman	...	(screen play)

Robert Benchley	...	(contributor to dialogue) (uncredited)

H.W. Hanemann	...	(contributor to dialogue) (uncredited)

J. Hartley Manners	...	(unproduced play "An Adorable Adventure") (uncredited)

Stanley Rauh	...	(contributor to dialogue) (uncredited)

Dwight Taylor	...	(musical play "Gay Divorce") (uncredited)

Produced by

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Pandro S. Berman

...

producer (uncredited)

Music by

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Max Steiner

...

(uncredited)

Cinematography by

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David Abel

...

(photographed by)

Editing by

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William Hamilton

Art Direction by

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Carroll Clark
Van Nest Polglase

Costume Design by

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Walter Plunkett

...

(costumes by)

Makeup Department

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Mel Berns	...	makeup artist (uncredited)
Robert J. Schiffer	...	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

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J.R. Crone

...

production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Ray Lissner	...	second assistant director (uncredited)
W. Argyle Nelson	...	assistant director (uncredited)
Ivan Thomas	...	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Glenn Cravath	...	poster artist (uncredited)
Thomas Little	...	props (uncredited)

Sound Department

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George Marsh	...	sound cutter
Hugh McDowell Jr.	...	rerecorded by
Carl Dreher	...	sound director (uncredited)
Robert Wise	...	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Harry Redmond Jr.	...	special effects (uncredited)
Harry Redmond Sr.	...	special effects supervisor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by

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Vernon L. Walker

...

photographic effects (as Vernon Walker)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Willard Barth	...	assistant camera (uncredited)
Joseph F. Biroc	...	camera operator (uncredited)
Jim Davis	...	grip (uncredited)
Fred Hendrickson	...	still photographer (uncredited)
Clifford Stine	...	assistant camera (uncredited)
James Vianna	...	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Claire Cramer

...

wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department

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Philip Faulkner Jr.	...	music recordist (as P.J. Faulkner Jr.)
Murray Spivack	...	music recordist
Max Steiner	...	musical director
Maurice De Packh	...	music arranger (uncredited)
Howard Jackson	...	music arranger (uncredited)
Louis Kaufman	...	musician: violin (uncredited)
Bernhard Kaun	...	music arranger (uncredited)
Gene Rose	...	music arranger (uncredited)
Eddie Sharpe	...	music arranger (uncredited)
Clifford Vaughan	...	music arranger (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Trudy Wellman

...

continuity (uncredited) / script clerk (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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RKO Radio Pictures (presents) (A Pandro S. Berman Production)

Distributors

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RKO Radio Pictures (1934) (United States) (theatrical) (as A Radio Picture)
RKO Distributing Corporation of Canada (1934) (Canada) (theatrical) (as RKO Distributing Corporation of Canada, Ltd.)
RKO Radio Pictures (1934) (United Kingdom) (theatrical) (as RKO Radio Pictures, Ltd.) (re-titled)
RKO Pictures (Australasia) (1934) (Australia) (theatrical)
Films Bosman & Bourland, Les (1935) (Belgium) (theatrical)
Svea Film (II) (1935) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Bio-Kuva (1935) (Finland) (theatrical)
C&C Television Corporation (1955) (United States) (tv)
Image Entertainment (1991) (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
PTV (1994) (Finland) (tv)
Warner Home Video (2000) (United States) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2000) (United States) (VHS)
Yleisradio (YLE) (2002) (Finland) (tv)
Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD)
Chapel Distribution (2009) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
Warner Home Video (2010) (Canada) (DVD) (4 film collection)
Warner Home Video (2010) (United States) (DVD) (4 film collection)
HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
Astral Video (1985) (Canada) (VHS)
CEL Home Video (1987) (Australia) (video)
Turner Home Entertainment (1990) (United States) (VHS)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary	Mimi Glossop wants a divorce, so her Aunt Hortense hires a professional to play the co-respondent in apparent infidelity. American dancer Guy Holden meets Mimi while visiting Brightbourne (Brighton) and she thinks he is the co-respondent. The plot is really an excuse for song and dance. The movie won five Academy nominations and the first Oscar for Best Song: "The Continental", a 17 1/2-minute production number. Written by Ed Stephan Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	screwball-comedy based-on-broadway-musical 1930s american-abroad male-dancer See All (100) »
Taglines	The Whole United States is Whistling Its NEW Enchanting Tunes! The music marvel of the stage, ten times as gorgeous on the screen! (Print Ad-Daily Kentucky New Era, ((Hopkinsville, Ky.)) 7 February 1935) See more »
Genres	Comedy Musical Romance
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:Atp Brazil:Livre Canada:G (Ontario) Finland:S Finland:K-16 France:Tous publics Sweden:15 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:U (tv rating) United Kingdom:U (video rating) United States:Approved

Additional Details

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Also Known As	La alegre divorciada (United States, Spanish title) The Gay Divorce (United States) Continental (Japan, English title) The Gay Divorce (United Kingdom) La Joyeuse Divorcée (France) See more »
Runtime	107 min
Official Sites	Streaming on "Lady V" YouTube Channel
Country	United States
Language	English French Italian
Color	Black and White
Aspect Ratio	1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (RCA Victor System) (as R C A Victor System)
Filming Locations	Santa Monica, California, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget

$520,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia	The musical number "The Continental" lasts 17 1/2 minutes, the longest number ever in a musical until Gene Kelly's 18 1/2-minute ballet at the end of An American in Paris (1951) 17 years later. It is also the longest musical number in all of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' films together. See more »
Goofs	During the car chase, Guy makes a quick turn on a dirt road, and a sound effect of squealing tires is heard. Tires do not make a squealing noise on dirt. See more »
Movie Connections	Edited into Joan of Paris (1942). See more »
Soundtracks	Don't Let It Bother You See more »
Quotes	Tonetti: [unable to remember his passphrase "Chance is a fool's name for fate," Tonettie repeatedly muffs it] Chance is the foolish name for fate. / Give me a name for chance and I am a fool. / Fate is a foolish thing to take chances with. / I am a fate to take foolish chances with. / Chances are that fate is foolish. / Fate is the foolish thing. Take a chance. See more »

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