Swing Time (1936)

A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful aspiring dancer.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Howard Lindsay (screen play), Allan Scott (screen play),

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Lucky Garnett
Ginger Rogers	...	Penny Carroll
Victor Moore	...	Pop Cardetti
Helen Broderick	...	Mabel Anderson
Eric Blore	...	Gordon
Betty Furness	...	Margaret Watson
Georges Metaxa	...	Ricky Romero

Storyline

Lucky is tricked into missing his wedding to Margaret by the other members of Pop's magic and dance act, and has to make $25000 to be allowed to marry her. He and Pop go to New York where they run into Penny, a dancing instructor. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted (till the end of the film at least!) by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricardo, the band leader who won't play for them to dance together.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | gambler | gambling | love | wedding | 

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Taglines:

A glorious songburst of gaiety and laughter!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 October 1936 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

I Won't Dance

Filming Locations:

Southern Pacific Central Station-400 S. Alameda Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$886,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The climax of "Never Gonna Dance" took 47 takes in a single day and required many demanding spins of Ginger Rogers; her feet bled.

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Goofs

When Penny Carrol's things fall on the ground, Pop Cadetti takes her purse and introduces his left hand in it to pick up back the Lucky Garnett's quarter. But after the cut, he holds the quarter in his right hand.

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Quotes

Penelope "Penny" Carrol: Listen. No one could teach you to dance in a million years. Take my advice and save your money!

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Connections

Referenced in George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Bojangles of Harlem"
(1936) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Music by Jerome Kern
Sung by Chorus Girls
Danced by Fred Astaire and Chorus Girls

User Reviews

Swing Time Response

I agree that George Stevens contribution to Swing time is noteworthy however it is the brilliance of Jerome Kern that truly stands out from this production. Kern's beautiful melodies:- 'Pick Yourself Up', 'A Fine Romance' and the 'The Way You Look Tonight'had left an indelible effect on my conscience, because programmers had been clever enough to utilise their qualities in advertisements and TV sitcoms in the UK in the 70's & 80's. But when I learnt recently that these numbers all originated from the same production I was surprised.

I had the pleasure of seeing this picture for the first time over the Christmas holidays (2004) and was entranced by the execution of these compositions in their original form. Of course much of the credit goes to Dorothy Field's lyrics - perfectly delivered by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. No wonder Irving Berlin and George Gershwin also wrote for them. We should remember that Astaire the vocalist is the equal of Astaire the dancer! Notwithstanding Kerns's melodies - which like Mozart's piano concertos are pure and simple but undoubtedly the work of a master - it is also the sexual chemistry of Astaire and Rogers that is expertly conveyed by Stevens and far ahead of its time! Forget Mike Nichol's Closer (2004) it is George Steven's Swing Time (1936) which suggests the leading players and their companions have an interesting private life and are far nicer people than Closer's protagonists too!