IMDb >
The Band Wagon (1953)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Band Wagon (1953) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
7 August 1953 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Get Aboard! more
Plot:
A pretentiously artistic director is hired for a new Broadway musical and changes it beyond recognition. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Choreographer
|
Movie Star
|
Director
|
Top Hat
|
Ballet
more
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 2 wins
&
1 nomination
more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
Scenes We Love: The Band Wagon
(From Cinematical. 13 November 2009, 3:45 PM, PST)
Gigi Blu-ray Review -- Dellamorte enjoys the velvet touch of Master Vincente Minnelli
(From Collider.com. 20 April 2009)
(From Cinematical. 13 November 2009, 3:45 PM, PST)
Gigi Blu-ray Review -- Dellamorte enjoys the velvet touch of Master Vincente Minnelli
(From Collider.com. 20 April 2009)
User Comments:
The best of the lot (MGM lot, that is...)
more (73 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Fred Astaire | ... | Tony Hunter | |
| Cyd Charisse | ... | Gabrielle Gerard | |
| Oscar Levant | ... | Lester Marton | |
| Nanette Fabray | ... | Lily Marton | |
| Jack Buchanan | ... | Jeffrey Cordova | |
| James Mitchell | ... | Paul Byrd | |
| Robert Gist | ... | Hal |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
I Love Louisa (USA) (working title)
more
more
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono )Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Argentina:Atp |
West Germany:12 |
Canada:G (video rating) |
USA:Passed (National Board of Review) |
Australia:G |
Finland:K-16 |
Sweden:15 |
UK:U |
USA:Approved (PCA #16342)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
After Les and Lilly have their fight in the alley, Les heads for the bar across the street. In the background you can see a poster for the play "Every Night At Seven". This was the title of the play that Fred Astaire and Jane Powell starred in in the movie Royal Wedding (1951).
more
Goofs:
Continuity: At the New York opening night, the theater name on the marquee is Alcott Theatre, but the program cover has Stratton Theatre.
more
Quotes:
Tony Hunter:
No, don't say it - "Tony Hunter! 1953!" I hereby declare my independence. Tony Hunter, 1776.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in That's Dancing! (1985)
more
Soundtrack:
I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (73 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Band Wagon (1953) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Funny Girl | On the Town | Singin' in the Rain | Start Cheering | Stage Door |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |

Basically, the only competition for The Band Wagon (TBW) for the title of MGM's Uncontested Musical Champion is Singin' In The Rain (SITR). SITR is certainly the better-known of the two and features one of film's iconic dance sequences. That said, in an itemized comparison, TBW is the winner and by more than a nose.
Star: Astaire over Kelly. As usual. (Stop that. You know it's true. There's no point in contesting it.)
Co-star: Cyd Charisse slam-dunks the ever-annoying Debbie Reynolds (herself a major overall factor in SITR's loss to TBW), but herself gets trounced by Jean Hagen (best squeaky virago ever). A draw.
Supporting: Jack Buchanan, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray triple-team Donald O'Connor (in his defining and best screen performance) and edge out a victory.
Choreography: Kelly and O'Connor (under Kelly's direction) hoof up a storm, just outdoing Astaire and Charisse. Kelly's title track number over Astaire/Charisse's Dancing In The Dark, although the latter is the best duet Astaire's done since Night and Day with Ginger Rogers, and is itself a textbook to economy, style, and subtlety in choreography.
Music: Dietz and Schwartz over Freed and Brown. Despite Louisiana Hayride being a kitsch feature almost unparalleled in MGM musical history.
Book: Comden and Green's TBW ties Comden and Green's SITR.
Finale: Girl Hunt Ballet over Broadway Rhythm Ballet. By a mile. The former is tongue-in-cheek, visually-engaging despite its smaller scale, and imaginatively-choreographed. The latter a bit obvious and, in typical Kelly style, a little heavy-handed in its inclusion of "serious", "dramatic" elements. Cyd Charisse too, too hot in both, of course.
Overall: SITR lights up in the Hagen-Kelly sparring and O'Connor's zinging bits, as well as in the "early days of talkies" bits and the proto-postmodernism of the Beautiful Girls sequence, but Debbie Reynolds and the love interest numbers cause the film to drag and buckle. TBW, by contrast, hums throughout, going from strength to strength: Buchanan's God of the The-ah-tuh role, Levant as Levant, Astaire's wistful By Myself, Triplets (why no Hoops?), the disaster that is the Damnation Scene, Astaire and Buchanan, signifiers for "class", soft-shoeing on I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan. An uninterruptedly-enjoyable movie, from start to finish.
So, there you have it. See The Band Wagon. Become a TBW fanatic. It's that simple.