Blue Skies (1946)

Jed Potter looks back on a love triangle conducted over the course of years and between musical numbers. Dancer Jed loves showgirl Mary, who loves compulsive nightclub-opener Johnny, who ... See full summary »

Directors:

Stuart Heisler, Mark Sandrich (uncredited)

Writers:

Arthur Sheekman (screenplay), Allan Scott (adaptation)

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Joan Caulfield

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Johnny Adams
Fred Astaire	...	Jed Potter
Joan Caulfield	...	Mary O'Hara
Billy De Wolfe	...	Tony
Olga San Juan	...	Nita Nova
Mikhail Rasumny	...	François
Frank Faylen	...	Mack
Victoria Horne	...	Martha - Mary Elizabeth's Nanny
Karolyn Grimes	...	Mary Elizabeth Adams

Storyline

Jed Potter looks back on a love triangle conducted over the course of years and between musical numbers. Dancer Jed loves showgirl Mary, who loves compulsive nightclub-opener Johnny, who can't stay committed to anything in life for very long.

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Plot Keywords:

color in title | song in title | more than one song | more than one singer | more than one dancer | 

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Taglines:

Paramount's Melody Masterpiece Featuring All of Irving Berlin's Biggest Hits!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

16 October 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Del cielo bajó una estrella

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Cooper's name was not in the original lyrics for the song "Puttin' on the Ritz." Irving Berlin rewrote the lyrics for 'Puttin' on the Ritz' for this film in 1946, to be about watching rich people on Park Avenue. But when he originally wrote it in 1929, it was about going up to Lennox Avenue in Harlem to watch black people dressed in ill-fitting, gaudy clothes, having a "jubilee." The 1946 lines "Dressed up like a million-dollar trouper, trying hard to look like Gary Cooper, Super dooper," were originally, in 1929, "That's where each and every Lulu Belle goes, every Thursday evening in her swell clothes, rubbin' elbows." Other original lyrics include the reference to Lennox Avenue (a famous main street in Harlem) and such racist lines as, "Spangled gowns upon a bevy of high browns from down the levy, all misfits, puttin' on the Ritz." Recordings exist, on You Tube for instance, of Astaire performing the original lyrics in 1930, and of Harry Richman's performance of the original song in a production number from the 1930 film, Puttin' on the Ritz (1930) .

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Goofs

In the opening tilt pan shot of Rockefeller Center, the waterfalls are clearly in reverse.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now
Words and Music by Irving Berlin (1920)
Sung by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

Delightful Musical

Sure it's the same old story of two showbiz guys fighting over the girl, but that's just an excuse to have fun with Fred and Bing. The two dance and sing several fine numbers throughout the film.

And there's the added treat of music by one of the legendary composers. Irving Berlin provides his beautiful songs, including the Oscar-nominee "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song." Fred Astaire does his famous "Puttin on the Ritz" number, while Bing sings the title tune. The duo work well together as they did on "Holiday Inn" four years earlier.

Billy De Wolfe has some funny moments in songs and sketches.

Overall, a colorful and entertaining musical. Don't listen to those who'd turn you away just because the plot is kinda thin.

What more could you want?