Swing Time (1936)

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Erwin S. Gelsey (story)
Howard Lindsay (writer) ...

Release Date:

12 October 1936 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

A glorious songburst of gaiety and laughter!

Plot:

A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancée, only to become entangled with a beautiful aspiring dancer.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | New York City | Nightclub | Wager | Backstage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 16

6:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	John 'Lucky' Garnett
Ginger Rogers	...	Penelope 'Penny' Carroll
Victor Moore	...	Everett 'Pop' Cardetti
Helen Broderick	...	Mabel Anderson
Eric Blore	...	Gordon
Betty Furness	...	Margaret Watson
Georges Metaxa	...	Ricardo 'Ricky' Romero

Also Known As:

I Won't Dance (USA) (working title)
Never Gonna Dance (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #2273)

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The shadow dance idea for "Bojangles of Harlem" occurred to choreographer Hermes Pan and Fred Astaire during rehearsals, when three different light sources illuminating Astaire produced three shadows.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Penny Carrol's things fall on the ground, Pop Cadetti takes her purse and introduces his left hand in it to pick up back the Lucky Garnett's quarter. But after the cut, he holds the quarter in his right hand.

Quotes:

Everett 'Pop' Cardetti: Lucky, please don't feel bad. You still got me. Course I ain't a young and pretty girl. I ain't even a girl, but I'll stick. I'll never leave you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fred Astaire: Puttin' on His Top Hat (1980) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Fine Romance

their almost-best movie

Aside from the perfection of "Top Hat" the previous year, this one is my next-favourite of the Fred and Ginger collaborations. The songs are excellent Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields ones (A Fine Romance, The Way You Look Tonight, Pick Yourself Up, Never Gonna Dance) and the dance sequences are good, especially the one not far from the end with those huge staircases as backdrop; the ad-hoc tap at the dance centre, and Bojangles of Harlem, with its shadow play dancers behind a screen.

In support Helen Broderick and Eric Blore is back (although sadly Blore's appearance in "Swing Time" is brief), and Victor Moore plays a card sharp magician who slowly becomes tedious viewing. There's a recurring joke about trouser cuffs which both sets off the plot and ends it, and Fred and Ginger have the usually sparking repartee which ran through most of their work together.