This 1937 film is the second adaptation of P G Wodehouse’s novel of the same name, and Wodehouse himself helped write the screenplay for this version.
The films stars Joan Fontaine in an early role, as Lady Alyce Marshmorton, of Tottney Castle, in England. She must marry soon, and the staff at the castle have a sweepstake on who she will choose. After the all the likely – and less likely candidates are chosen, young Albert chooses ‘Mr X’, knowing as he does that Lady Alyce is in love with an American man who none of the staff know.
When Alyce goes to London to meet up with her secret beau, she instead bumps into American entertainer Jerry Halliday (Fred Astaire) who is in the city with his agent George (George Burns) and George’s ditzy secretary Gracie (Burns’ real life wife, Gracie Allen). Jerry immediately falls for Alyce, and is incorrectly led to believe that she feels the same way. He goes to Tottney Castle to try to meet her. False impressions and mistaken identities lead to a fine comedy of errors…
This film came after several of Astaire’s pairings with Ginger Rogers, and the public’s enjoyment of Astaire and Rogers together may be why A Damsel In Distress actually flopped at the box office. Joan Fontaine is no Ginger, and can not really hold her own when dancing with Astaire. They have just one number together here, and it’s a very simple one. In fact, while Fontaine looks beautiful, she fails to make much of an impression at all in this film; however, she was right at the start of her career, and she went on to show that she did indeed possess buckets of talent as an actress, in such films as Rebecca (1940) and Suspicion (1941).
Astaire however, is as graceful and entertaining as ever, and of course his dancing is top-notch. While he is an excellent leading man, the show is almost whipped out from under his feet by the excellent George Burns and Gracie Allen. Gracie’s one-liners, her perfect delivery and her facial expressions are absolutely hilarious, and Burns is the perfect foil (it was an act which they successfully did together for several years). Astaire, Burns and Allen together have amazing chemistry, and there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments.
The superb Gershwin score also gives the three of them a couple of terrific dance numbers together. The first – Put Me To The Test – is a very enjoyable number, but the second – Stiff Upper Lip – was absolutely mesmerising. Set in a fun fair, this dance makes full use of the sliding floors, rotating surfaces, and distorting mirrors, to produce a fantastic, fun filled dance number, which almost demands repeated viewing. It truly is a marvellous sequence and one which is surely guaranteed to make the audience smile.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film – great dancing, lots of zingy one-liners, and a daft but funny plot make this an often overlooked, but worthwhile gem of a film. Catch it if you can!
Year of release: 1937
Director: George Stevens
Writers: P.G. Wodehouse (book), Ernest Pagono, S.K. Lauren, Ian Hay
Main cast: Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Joan Fontaine, Reginald Gardiner, Ray Noble, Montagu Love, Harry Watson
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