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You Were Never Lovelier

  • 19421942
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:05
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyMusicalRomance
In Buenos Aires, a man who has decreed that his daughters must marry in order of age allows an American dancer to perform at his club under the condition that he play suitor to his second-ol... Read allIn Buenos Aires, a man who has decreed that his daughters must marry in order of age allows an American dancer to perform at his club under the condition that he play suitor to his second-oldest daughter.In Buenos Aires, a man who has decreed that his daughters must marry in order of age allows an American dancer to perform at his club under the condition that he play suitor to his second-oldest daughter.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
3.8K
YOUR RATING
    • William A. Seiter
  • Writers
    • Michael Fessier(screenplay)
    • Ernest Pagano(screenplay)
    • Delmer Daves(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Fred Astaire
    • Rita Hayworth
    • Adolphe Menjou
    • William A. Seiter
  • Writers
    • Michael Fessier(screenplay)
    • Ernest Pagano(screenplay)
    • Delmer Daves(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Fred Astaire
    • Rita Hayworth
    • Adolphe Menjou
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 58User reviews
    • 15Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos1

    You Were Never Lovelier
    Trailer 2:05
    Watch You Were Never Lovelier

    Photos118

    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, and Adolphe Menjou in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
    Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fred Astaire
    Fred Astaire
    • Robert Davis
    Rita Hayworth
    Rita Hayworth
    • Maria Acuña
    Adolphe Menjou
    Adolphe Menjou
    • Eduardo Acuña
    Isobel Elsom
    Isobel Elsom
    • Mrs. Maria Castro
    Leslie Brooks
    Leslie Brooks
    • Cecy Acuña
    Adele Mara
    Adele Mara
    • Lita Acuña
    Gus Schilling
    Gus Schilling
    • Fernando
    Barbara Brown
    Barbara Brown
    • Mrs. Delfina Acuña
    Douglas Leavitt
    Douglas Leavitt
    • Juan Castro
    Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
    Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
    • Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
    Kirk Alyn
    Kirk Alyn
    • Julia's Groom
    • (uncredited)
    Desi Arnaz
    Desi Arnaz
    • Band singer
    • (uncredited)
    Larry Arnold
    • Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    William A. Boardway
    William A. Boardway
    • Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Brown
    Stanley Brown
    • Roddy - Cecy's Boyfriend
    • (uncredited)
    George Bunny
    • Flower Man
    • (uncredited)
    James Carlisle
    • Wedding Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Chefe
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
      • William A. Seiter
    • Writers
      • Michael Fessier(screenplay)
      • Ernest Pagano(screenplay)
      • Delmer Daves(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Free space at the studio was limited during production so Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth rehearsed most of their routines in a nearby funeral parlor next to a cemetery. They had to stop rehearsing to the upbeat music whenever a funeral procession arrived.
    • Goofs
      When Maria and Mrs. Castro meet Robert in the sky room, Maria holds her overcoat lapels with both hands. Between shots she appears with both her arms hanging.
    • Quotes

      Robert Davis: When do I start dancing?

      Eduardo Acuña: You do not start dancing.

      Robert Davis: But didn't you come to see me about...?

      Eduardo Acuña: About one of my daughters. The one you so gallantly referred to as "the inside of a refrigerator"?

      Robert Davis: Oh... but, I'm afraid I don't follow you.

      Eduardo Acuña: She thinks you're in love with her.

      Robert Davis: Would it be rude of me to inquire if there is any insanity in your family?

    • Connections
      Featured in Rocket Gibraltar (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      You Were Never Lovelier
      (1942) (uncredited)

      Music by Jerome Kern

      Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

      Played during the opening credits and often as background music

      Played by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra and sung by Fred Astaire

      Danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth at the anniversary party

      Danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth at the end and sung by an offscreen chorus

    User reviews58

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Rita Hayworth, YOU were never lovelier...
    ...and Fred Astaire was never as boyishly charming as he is here. This is a lovely, escapist, feel-good musical made in the early 40's to appease WW2-weary audiences. This is Rita and Fred's second (and final) outing after the surprise success of 'You'll Never Get Rich', and, while the first film was very enjoyable, this is an improvement on it's predecessor.

    Hayworth shines as the girl who's not very interested in marriage until a 'secret admirer' and Fred Astaire come into the picture. She's very beautiful and glamorous in the role; the 'Cansino-to-Hayworth' transformation was going along nicely at the film's time of release. Astaire is always very appealing, and he does light comedy quite well. This hs a far sharper script than 'You'll Never Get Rich' and benefits from the non-wartime backdrop. Yes, the war was going on when Rita and Fred were making dancing magic, but you'd never know it from the happy little self-contained vacuum that Columbia creates for the pair in a story meant to be set in exotic South America.

    I guess Rita, with her Latin roots, was the perfect choice for Maria, and she manages to outdo the master Astaire in the Latino-inspired dance routines. Her singing is dubbed, but Rita's dancing is sublime and her acting is very effective.

    This film also has more memorable songs than the 1941 Astaire-Hayworth outing (I don't particularly like to compare, but it's hard not to), with 'You Were Never Lovelier', 'Shorty George' and 'I'm Old Fashioned' being great tunes. 'Shorty George' entranced me so much that I re-played the sequence on DVD three times before I moved forward in the film!

    It doesn't have much of a plot, but we know that Astaire's musicals were always light on this factor so we can be forgiving. What it does have is a perfect, innocent sweetness that cannot possibly be recaptured today. From early scenes with Astaire trying to make conservation with a haughty Rita, to the final scene where the awkward yet lovable Fred arrives as Rita's 'knight in shining armor' on a white horse, 'You Were Never Lovelier' is just...well, lovely.

    8/10.
    helpful•17
    4
    • jem132
    • Jun 12, 2006

    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 19, 1942 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 37 minutes
      • Black and White

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