Roberta (1935)

Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and company visit his aunt, owner of a posh... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Jerome Kern (from the play by), Otto A. Harbach (book),

Stars:

Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Irene Dunne	...	Stephanie
Fred Astaire	...	Huck
Ginger Rogers	...	Scharwenka
Randolph Scott	...	John
Helen Westley	...	Roberta
Claire Dodd	...	Sophie
Victor Varconi	...	Ladislaw
Luis Alberni	...	Voyda
Ferdinand Munier	...	Lord Delves
Torben Meyer	...	Albert
Adrian Rosley	...	Professor
Bodil Rosing	...	Fernande

Storyline

Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and company visit his aunt, owner of a posh fashion house run by her assistant, Stephanie. There they meet the singer Scharwenka (alias Huck's old friend Lizzie), who gets the band a job. Meanwhile, Madame Roberta passes away and leaves the business to John and he goes into partnership with Stephanie.

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Plot Keywords:

fashion | elevator | ballroom dancing | dancer | dress making | 

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Taglines:

Jerome Kern's Queen of Musical Romances!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Russian

Release Date:

8 March 1935 (USA)

Box Office

Budget:

$610,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During "I Won't Dance," Ginger Rogers sings to Fred Astaire: "But when you dance you're charming and you're gentle/ Especially when you do the Continental," referring to the dance in their previous film, The Gay Divorcee. The two then strike a pose from that number while the band plays a riff.

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Goofs

John is trapped in Roberta's building elevator when it stops between two floors. He calls for help. His upper body is visible and he spreads the gates slightly open suggesting he will climb UP and out. Stephanie hears his calls for help, comes to his rescue, but advises that it is too dangerous to climb UP and out. Stephanie yells in French to the doorman, who is on a lower floor to move the elevator. The scene changes to the doorman who pushes the LOWER or DOWN elevator button. The scene changes back to the floor where John is trapped and Stephanie is standing. The elevator moves UP and John exits.

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Quotes

John Kent: Where ya goin'?
Stephanie: Down.
John Kent: Why?
Stephanie: Because I pushed the button.
John Kent: But I want to talk to you.
Stephanie: That's what you're doing.
John Kent: I just like to tell you I love you.

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Connections

Featured in Great Performances: The Fred Astaire Songbook (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Lovely to Look At"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern and Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Played during the opening credits
Performed by Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

User Reviews

Slow in spots, but silky.

(Spoilers, sort of) Everyone seems to be saying the same thing about this film: great music, burdensome plot. But virtually all 9 RKO Astaire-Rogers films borrowed their plots from one another. They were, after all, the comic relief in 3 different films- including FLYING DOWN TO RIO and FOLLOW THE FLEET. These films- in terms of chronological release- alternated with GAY Divorcée, TOP HAT, and SWING TIME- all which had some combination of Erik Rhodes, Helen Broderick, and Eric Blore as comic support. I could stand the 'two-couple' formula a little more so, because Astaire and Rogers weren't carrying the heavier half of the plot. They usually already know each other and make wicked sideline commentary while waiting to go on the dance floor. This is most evident in their first duet in ROBERTA, "I'll Be Hard To Handle," which appears completely spontaneous, even though it is a rehearsal. Astaire and Rogers wear matching shirts and slacks and enjoy a very funny debate with their tapping feet. We seamlessly go from this sequence to a breathtaking moment with Irene Dunne and title character Helen Westley framed around the song "Yesterdays." (It's a bewitching moment when the light dims in the room as the vocal simultaneously fades away.) And to those of you complaining about the excessive fashion show sequences: well, that's the plot of the movie; didn't you see that coming? All the crazy clothes are worth seeing for the Astaire-Rogers duet of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes." Following a cameo by a platinum-haired Lucille Ball, Rogers emerges as one of the models on parade in a satin gown and joins Astaire for a tender 'walk-around-the-floor' turn. Sublime stuff.