The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

A married musical team splits up so the wife can become a serious actress.

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

Betty Comden (original screenplay), Adolph Green (original screenplay)

Stars:

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Astaire	...	Josh Barkley
Ginger Rogers	...	Dinah Barkley
Oscar Levant	...	Ezra Millar
Billie Burke	...	Mrs. Livingston Belney
Gale Robbins	...	Shirlene May
Jacques François	...	Jacques Pierre Barredout (as Jacques Francois)
George Zucco	...	The Judge
Clinton Sundberg	...	Bert Felsher
Inez Cooper	...	Pamela Driscoll
Carol Brewster	...	Gloria Amboy
Wilson Wood	...	Larry

Storyline

Josh and Dinah Barkley are a successful (though argumentative) musical-comedy team, yet Dinah chafes as Galatea to her husband's Pygmalion. When serious playwright Jacques Barredout envisions her as a great dramatic actress, Dinah is not hard to persuade.

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Plot Keywords:

astaire and rogers | reference to trilby | reference to svengali | telephone call | charity benefit | 

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Taglines:

Joyously Together Again!

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was first telecast in Los Angeles 15 February 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11); it first aired in Chicago 4 April 1957 on WBBM (Channel 2), in New Haven CT 26 April 1957 on WHNC (Channel 18), in Seattle 7 June 1957 on KING (Channel 5), in Syracuse 8 June 1957 on WHEN (Channel 8), in Philadelphia 27 August 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6), in Akron 22 September 1957, where, together with Honky Tonk (1941), it launched the MGM Library on WAKR (Channel 49), in Tampa 26 September 1957 on WFLA (Channel 8), in Binghamton NY 8 October 1957 on WBBF (Channel 12), in Minneapolis 28 November 1957 on KMGM (Channel 9), in New York City 5 February 1958 on WCBS (Channel 2), and in San Francisco 29 November 1958 on KGO (Channel 7). At this time, color broadcasting was in its infancy, limited to only a small number of high rated programs, primarily on NBC and NBC affiliated stations, so these film showings were all still in B&W. Viewers were not offered the opportunity to see these films in their original Technicolor until several years later.

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Goofs

The "Shoes With Wings On" number could not have been presented on a stage. The dancers controlling the shoes would have been visible. The "invisible" dancers could only be done with optical effects. Notice that you cannot see the inside of the shoes.

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Quotes

Josh Barkley: I hope you'll find your new director easier to get along with - than I was.
Dinah Barkley: I doubt that. Good-bye.
Josh Barkley: Good-bye.
Dinah Barkley: Don't you even want to - shake hands?
[imitating Josh imitating Jacques' French accent]
Dinah Barkley: Perhaps you should not be quite so demonstrative. Throwing your arms around me and kissing me in front of all of those people. Discipline, you know. Discipline.

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Connections

Referenced in Heavy Traffic (1973)

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Soundtracks

The Courtin' of Elmer and Ella
(1949) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Written for the film but not used

User Reviews

I find that girl completely resistible.

The Barkleys of Broadway is directed by Charles Walters and written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant, Billie Burke, Gale Robbins and Jacques François. Music is by Lennie Hayton and cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr.

Fred and Ginger play the Barkleys, a successful husband and wife musical comedy team that seems to thrive on feuding. However, one day it goes too far and a break up appears certain when the wife entertains an offer from Jacques François to become a serious actress.

Firsts and lasts here as it was the first film Astaire and Rogers did for MGM, their first in colour, and their last they would make together after reconvening after 10 years - Rogers stepping in when Judy Garland fell to her troubled wayside. The screenplay is pretty thin, serving only as a thin piece of meat to the dance and musical numbers sandwich, but with stand-outs like the wonderful "Shoes with Wings On" and the joyous uplift of 'They Can't Take That Away from Me' to spend time with, it's a film to brighten the darkest of days. 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

1 September 1949 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

You Made Me Love You

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,325,420 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1