IMDb > Second Chorus (1940)
Second Chorus
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Second Chorus (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Second Chorus (1940) -- When perennial college students Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor are forced to make it on their own, the competitive pair get jobs with Artie Shaw's band and reunite with ex-manager Ellen Miller.

Overview

User Rating:
5.8/10   427 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Frank Cavett (story)
Elaine Ryan (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Second Chorus on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 January 1941 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
When perennial college students Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor are forced to make it on their own, the competitive pair get jobs with Artie Shaw's band and reunite with ex-manager Ellen Miller. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
User Comments:
Fred's Worst more (20 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Fred Astaire ... Danny O'Neill

Paulette Goddard ... Ellen Miller
Artie Shaw ... Himself
Charles Butterworth ... J. Lester Chisholm
Burgess Meredith ... Hank Taylor
Frank Melton ... Stu
Jimmy Conlin ... Mr. Dunn (as Jimmy Conlon)
Don Brodie ... Apartment Desk Clerk
Marjorie Kane ... Whiteman's secretary
Joan Barclay ... Whiteman's receptionist
Willa Pearl Curtis ... Scrubwoman
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Additional Details

Runtime:
84 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cut from the movie was "Me and the Ghost Upstairs" (music by Bernard Hanighen, lyrics by Johnny Mercer), sung by Fred Astaire and danced by him with the film's dance director, Hermes Pan, who was covered by a sheet. The prerecording and rehearsal footage still exist. Mr. Astaire's commercial waxing, initially released by Columbia Records on a single, has been reissued on two import CD box sets: "The Centenary Collection" from by the British label Castle Pulse, and "Songs & Pictures 1928-1944" on EPM Music, a French company. more
Quotes:
Hank Taylor: I'll buy you a cigar.
J. Lester Chisholm: I don't like cigars.
Hank Taylor: Don't you worry about it! I'll smoke it myself.
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Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Poor Mr. Chisholm more

FAQ

Chapter Headings, an unofficial version:
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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Fred's Worst, 12 February 2007
4/10
Author: bobtaurus from Oakland, California

The only things that save Second Chorus from being a complete disaster are Astaire's dancing and Artie Shaw and his band's music.

The writing is horrendous, managing to make even Astaire's character dislikable, as he does truly nasty things to his "friend," the equally dislikably nasty Burgess Meredith.

Charles Butterworth, who is supposed to be the comic foil in this picture, is as lame an actor as I've seen.

Finally, the look of the film is awful, with harsh lighting and shadows. (I realize this may be because the surviving print of this film has deteriorated over the years.) Unfortunately, the music and dance numbers are few and far between. However, if you're a die hard Astaire and/or big band fan, it's worth fast-forwarding through the dialog to get to any scene where Fred's dancing or Artie and his band are playing.

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