Swing Time (1936)

A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful aspiring dancer.

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Howard Lindsay (screen play), Allan Scott (screen play)

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Lucky Garnett
Ginger Rogers	...	Penny Carroll
Victor Moore	...	Pop Cardetti
Helen Broderick	...	Mabel Anderson
Eric Blore	...	Gordon
Betty Furness	...	Margaret Watson
Georges Metaxa	...	Ricky Romero

Storyline

Lucky is tricked into missing his wedding to Margaret by the other members of Pop's magic and dance act, and has to make $25000 to be allowed to marry her. He and Pop go to New York where they run into Penny, a dancing instructor. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted (till the end of the film at least!) by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricardo, the band leader who won't play for them to dance together.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | wedding | love | dancer | performer | 

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Taglines:

Singing! Dancing! Romancing!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

12 October 1936 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

I Won't Dance

Filming Locations:

La Grande Station, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$886,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Ginger Rogers' favorite of her films with Fred Astaire.

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Goofs

During the shadow dance, the shadow behind Lucky is visible through him.

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Quotes

Everett 'Pop' Cardetti: Lucky, please don't feel bad. You still got me. Course I ain't a young and pretty girl. I ain't even a girl, but I'll stick. I'll never leave you.

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Connections

Referenced in Holiday Inn (1942)

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Soundtracks

It's Not in the Cards
(1936) (uncredited)
Music by Jerome Kern
Written for the movie and filmed, but cut from the final print; some of the music remains in the score

User Reviews

Excellent Astaire/Rogers Feature

An excellent feature in almost every respect, "Swing Time" is usually (and deservedly) considered to be, along with "Top Hat", the best of the series of Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire musicals. And while "Top Hat" is a well-crafted and enjoyable movie, "Swing Time" might be even better. The story is light but entertaining, and the singing and dancing sequences are not only first-class, but also contain quite a variety of material, making this an ideal showcase for the stars and their talents.

Fred and Ginger are joined by Helen Broderick, who fits in very well. Victor Moore has some good moments, although his character is a bit over-used, and ceases to be funny after a while. The four of them carry almost all of the load - Eric Blore and Betty Furness are in the cast, but they do not get a lot of screen time.

The story is not bad, but it is the musical numbers that make this so enjoyable. Practically all of them can be watched a number of times without becoming dull. The upbeat sequence in the dance studio, and the "A Fine Romance" song in the snow both show, in different ways, the two stars working together closely. Astaire's tribute to Bojangles is an impressive display of talent and choreography. Then there are the more thoughtful sequences between the two, which show yet another side of their talents.

If "Swing Time" had Edward Everett Horton back in the cast, instead of the Victor Moore character, this would easily be the best of all of the Astaire/Rogers musicals. Even as it is, it's awfully good.