The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

A successful but constantly-feuding husband and wife musical comedy team threatens to break up when the wife entertains an offer to 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:

M·G·M's New Technicolor Musical Hit

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Passed

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

MGM Records issued a truncated sound track album in conjunction with the film's 1949 release, which, like In the Good Old Summertime (1949), was issued only on the 78rpm speed, with no ten-inch LP released. Only four numbers were included, leaving six omitted: "A Weekend in the Country," "Bouncin' the Blues," "Sabre Dance," "Swing Trot," "Manhattan Downbeat" and the Tchaikovsky concerto. Whereas In the Good Old Summertime (1949) was issued on LP in the 1950s, the long-out-of-print The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) would not find is way to LP until 1973.

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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: [singing] The way we danced until three, The way you changed my life, No, no they can't take that away from me, No, they can't take that away from me.

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Connections

Featured in TCM Guest Programmer: Liz Smith (2005)

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Soundtracks

Angel
(1945) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Played when Josh and Dinah are getting food at the party

User Reviews

Fab fluff from Freed

Another fluffy concoction from the Freed unit at MGM, this one most notable for the reteaming of Rogers and Astaire after a ten year break, with the usual mix of tunes and laughs. Full of the usual high jinks expected from the stars, the screenwriters and the creative team it's hard to resist...even if the polish can't completely cover all the cracks. When Fred and Ginger dance (again) to "They Can't Take That Away From Me" you just can't help but melt! Who could ask for anything more?