Silk Stockings (1957)

A musical remake of Ninotchka: After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to ... See full summary »

Director:

Rouben Mamoulian

Writers:

Melchior Lengyel (book), George S. Kaufman (play),

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Janis Paige

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Steve Canfield
Cyd Charisse	...	Ninotchka Yoschenko
Janis Paige	...	Peggy Dayton
Peter Lorre	...	Brankov, Commisar
George Tobias	...	Vassili Markovitch, Commisar of Art
Jules Munshin	...	Bibinski, Commisar
Joseph Buloff	...	Ivanov, Commisar
Wim Sonneveld	...	Peter Ilyitch Boroff

Storyline

A musical remake of Ninotchka: After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell, with the help of Steve Canfield, an American movie producer.

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Plot Keywords:

cheesecake | song and dance | communism | song | dancer | 

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Taglines:

BIG BOUNCY BEAUTIFUL! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meias de Seda

Box Office

Budget:

$1,853,463 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 25 seconds

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Goofs

It becomes fairly obvious during the "Fated to be Mated" duet between Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse that Charisse is wearing a skirt one moment and culottes (or flared shorts) the next. The bottom half of her costume changes on each cut of the dance when they are doing deep knee bends, and this is where the culottes show. For the upright spins and lifts, the skirt shows. The dance was obviously performed twice and edited into one sequence.

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Quotes

Ninotchka Yoschenko: In Russia when somebody wants someone they say, "You, come here."
Steve Canfield: Oh, you mad romantic Russians!

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Connections

Featured in AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Fred Astaire (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Fated to Be Mated"
(uncredited)
Written and Composed by Cole Porter
Sung by Fred Astaire
Danced by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse

User Reviews

Dance Scenes

Astaire too old! Gimme a break. He danced with a polish that was always present. Charisse should have been grateful for his presence and I suspect that she was.

A characiture of the USSR and America of the Cold War period? Yes indeed, and it was almost as good as "One, Two, Three" in its dialogue and situation. Its sensuality as presented in its dance numbers far exceeded the 1939 version and all comers of the same subject.

I had no problem watching a 56 year old Astaire romancing a 36 year old Charisse. As a matter of fact, I found the pair quite sensuous.

I have often wondered why in the final dance scene Cyd's costume skirt was switched to a cullote in the middle of the scene. The switch was not seamless as it was very noticeable.

But, all in all I give this delightful musical a rating of 8 on a 0 to 10 scale.

Dave