The Belle of New York (1952)
Trivia
Mae West was considered for the part of Mrs. Hill but wanted too much money. Fifi D'Orsay and Beatrice Lillie were the next choices but both turned down the role, before it went to Marjorie Main.
There are two versions of Fred Astaire's "I Wanna be a Dancin' Man" number. The first was shot in front of a red curtain with Astaire in casual attire. MGM wasn't pleased with the costume, so they reshot the number in front of a different backdrop, with Astaire in a far more debonair suit. They then did a split-screen comparison of the two numbers; the side-by-side comparison demonstrated the technical precision of Astaire's dancing.
The "walking/dancing on air" special effects were done with a traveling matte. This is especially evident when Fred Astaire is dancing alone near the top of the monument. His cigarette smoke is visible only so long as it is over his body, vanishing immediately as it moves to the side.
Fred Astaire had been set for the lead for this film since the mid-1940s by producer Arthur Freed. The film was originated as a project for Astaire and Judy Garland, but since the two stars had overlapping film schedules, the project never materialized until the early 1950s with Astaire and Vera-Ellen.
During the "Who Wants to Kiss the Bridegroom?" number, the "champagne" in the glasses is solid, presumably so it wouldn't spill as the actors moved around.
Based on the first American stage musical to play London's West End, where it was a big hit in 1897.
The song "Baby Doll" originally was composed by Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer for Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) but deleted before release. The DVD special features of that film include part of the number sung by Gene Kelly and danced by Kelly and Esther Williams.
The redhead who gives the toast at Charlie's bachelor dinner is played by Lyn Wilde, one of the Wilde Twins, who appeared in several MGM productions, including Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944), Twice Blessed (1945), and Till the Clouds Roll By (1946).
This film bombed at the box office, resulting in a loss to MGM of $1,576,000 according to studio records.
A dance to "When I'm Out With the Belle of New York", by Vera-Ellen and chorus, was cut from the film.
Partially based on the Broadway play of the same title that opened at the Casino Theatre, 1404 Broadway, on September 28, 1897 and ran for 64 performances, with revivals in 1900 (24 performances) and 1921 (124 performances).
