Shall We Dance (1937)

A budding romance between a ballet master and a tapdancer becomes complicated when rumours surface that they're already married.

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Allan Scott (screen play), Ernest Pagano (screen play),

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Petrov
Ginger Rogers	...	Linda Keene
Edward Everett Horton	...	Jeffrey Baird
Eric Blore	...	Cecil Flintridge
Jerome Cowan	...	Arthur Miller
Ketti Gallian	...	Lady Denise Tarrington
William Brisbane	...	Jim Montgomery
Harriet Hoctor	...	Herself

Storyline

Ballet star Pete "Petrov" Peters arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as the dancer he's fallen for but barely knows, musical star Linda Keene. By the time the ocean liner reaches New York, a little white lie has churned through the rumor mill and turned into a hot gossip item: that the two celebrities are secretly married.

---

Plot Keywords:

ballet | ship | dancer | ocean liner | gossip | 

---

Taglines:

Foot-free Fred and joyous Ginger...in their gayest, gladdest show!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

7 May 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stepping Toes

Box Office

Budget:

$991,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The seventh (of ten) dancing partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

---

Quotes

Linda Keene: What are the grounds for divorce in this state?
Clerk: Marriage.

---

Crazy Credits

When George Gershwin's name appears in the credits, a bit of "Rhapsody in Blue" plays on the soundtrack.

---

Connections

Featured in Fred Astaire: Puttin' on His Top Hat (1980)

---

Soundtracks

"Shall We Dance"
(1937) (uncredited)
Words by Ira Gershwin
Music by George Gershwin
Danced by Fred Astaire and Harriet Hoctor in the ballet sequence opening this number
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the closing sequence

User Reviews

Lie, Gossip and Dance

While in Paris, the famous dancer Pete "Petrov" Peters (Fred Astaire) meets the also famous tap dancer Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers) and he makes fun with her pretending that he is a Russian ballet master. He immediately falls in love with her and when he learns that she will travel to New York in an ocean liner, her arranges with his producer Jeffrey Baird (Edward Everett Horton) to travel in the same ship as Linda.

In the departure, the annoying dancer and former affair of Petrov, Lady Denise Tarrington (Ketti Gallian), comes to the harbor and Petrov lies to her, telling that he has secretly married Linda, to get rid off Denise. However, Denise sends a telegram to the ship congratulating the couple and the lie turns into a gossip to the press. Now the lives of Petrov and Linda get very complicated with the situation.

"Shall We Dance" is another naive film of the couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with delightful confusion and musical numbers. The gags are dated but funny and the film is a pleasant entertaining for cinema and dance lovers. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Vamos Dançar?" ("Shall We Dance?")