Swing Time (1936)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Howard Lindsay (screenplay) and
Allan Scott (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 October 1936 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

A glorious songburst of gaiety and laughter!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Gambler | Dancer | Vending Machine | Tailor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

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

Also Known As:

I Won't Dance (USA) (working title)
Never Gonna Dance (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #2273)

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Fred Astaire always insisted that his dance routines be filmed in one continuous camera shot, showing the dancer(s) from head to foot. However, in the "Never Gonna Dance" number, there is an obvious moment when 'Astaire and Rogers' reach the tops of their respective winding staircases that the camera shot changes quickly to reflect the fact that the filming camera had to be brought upstairs to shoot the close-up finale of the dance number.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (2005-11-25)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Bojangles of Harlem

their almost-best movie

Aside from the perfection of "Top Hat" the previous year, this one is my next-favourite of the Fred and Ginger collaborations. The songs are excellent Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields ones (A Fine Romance, The Way You Look Tonight, Pick Yourself Up, Never Gonna Dance) and the dance sequences are good, especially the one not far from the end with those huge staircases as backdrop; the ad-hoc tap at the dance centre, and Bojangles of Harlem, with its shadow play dancers behind a screen.

In support Helen Broderick and Eric Blore is back (although sadly Blore's appearance in "Swing Time" is brief), and Victor Moore plays a card sharp magician who slowly becomes tedious viewing. There's a recurring joke about trouser cuffs which both sets off the plot and ends it, and Fred and Ginger have the usually sparking repartee which ran through most of their work together.