You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Carlos A. Olivari (story) and
Sixto Pondal Ríos (story) ...

Release Date:

19 November 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Hayworth's glowing beauty! Astaire's glorious rhythm! Kern's greatest score since "Show Boat"!

Plot:

The Acunas, a rich Argentine family, have the tradition that the daughters have to get married in order...

Plot Keywords:

Sister | Love Letter | Singer | Horse Race | Confession

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Robert 'Bob' Davis
Rita Hayworth	...	Maria Acuña
Adolphe Menjou	...	Eduardo Acuña
Isobel Elsom	...	Mrs. Maria Castro
Leslie Brooks	...	Cecy Acuña
Adele Mara	...	Lita Acuña
Gus Schilling	...	Fernando 'Fernie', Acuña's Secretary
Barbara Brown	...	Mrs. Delfina Acuña
Douglas Leavitt	...	Juan Castro
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra	...	Themselves
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Xavier Cugat	...	Himself - 'Cugie'

Also Known As:

Tuesday's Orchids (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #8633)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The song "On the Beam" was written for the film but not used.

Goofs:

Continuity: After he delivers the invitation list to Mrs Acuña, Fernando holds the hat turned to his belly. Next shot he is holding the hat upside down.

Quotes:

[discussing their daughter]
Eduardo Acuña: Maria is going to wait until the right man comes along.
Mrs. Delfina Acuña: Why should she? I didn't.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 in C Sharp Minor

Rita was never lovelier

It would have been nice had this not been World War II and we could actually have done this film in Buenos Aires. As it is, except for a few newsreel shots at the beginning of the film, this might as well have taken place in San Diego.

Having said that this tinsel of a story is put over by the charm and beauty of its two leads, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. Not to mention a good supporting cast led by Adolphe Menjou who is busy poaching on the preserve of Hollywood cranky fathers usually inhabited by folks like Eugene Palette and George Barbier.

Menjou's got some strange ideas. He wants to see his daughters get married, but in descending order. Rita is number two daughter and she's holding things up for three and four. Of course numbers three and four have fiancés panting at the bit.

Through the usual comedy of errors that are prevalent in Fred Astaire movies, Menjou's conceived a dislike for Fred and Rita's seeing something in him. How will it all work out?

Astaire movies always have flimsy or silly plot lines, but they have him and an attractive female partner dancing to some of the best music ever written for the screen. And when it's Jerome Kern's music, it don't get much better than that.

And the dancing partners don't get more talented than Rita Hayworth. She is positively radiant in this film. And she and Fred dance divinely to one of my favorite Jerome Kern ballads, I'm Old Fashioned.

Reason enough to see this film.