Of the ten films that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers starred in together, Swing Time was the sixth, and certainly one of the most popular. At this point, I’ve only seen four of their collaborations and I’m torn between Swing Time and Carefree as my favourite. In this film, Astaire stars as Lucky Garnett, on stage dancer and off stage gambler, who is due to marry his fiancee Margaret. Due to some shenanigans and dirty tricks by his fellow stage dancers (who don’t want Lucky to marry because it will ruin their careers), he turns up very late for the wedding. Margaret’s father says that the couple can only get married once Lucky has proven himself and earned $25,000 dollars. Lucky heads off to New York to make his fortune, and there meets dance instructor Penny Carroll (Rogers). The two soon fall for each other, but their romance is hindered by Lucky’s prior commitment, and band leader Ricky Romero, who is in love with Penny.
Well, I loved this film. It had some fabulous dancing (obviously), and lots (and lots and lots) of humour. Fred Astaire is probably at his best here, and Ginger is just beautiful. It’s no wonder that the film studio wanted to keep pairing these two up – their chemistry on screen is undeniable. I particularly liked their first dance together (which is in the clip I’ve posted).
The two other main characters are played by Victor Moore, as Lucky’s dad – always ready to try and make an easy dollar, and is not above petty theft or deceit; and Helen Broderick as Mabel Anderson, Penny’s fellow dance teacher and best friend. They prove to be an excellent addition to the story and between them provide a lot of laughs.
There was one scene which jarred slightly; the Astaire dance ‘Bojangles of Harlem’ where Astaire wears ‘blackface’ make-up. The dance itself is visually stunning, and the use of shadows behind Astaire is imaginative and effective. I just do not like to see white actors in blackface make-up, but I accept that when the film was made (1936), it was considered a perfectly legitimate form of entertainment.
Aside from that one scene, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this musical, and it will be one that I will certainly be watching again in the future.
Year of release: 1936
Director: George Stevens
Writers: Howard Lindsay, Allan Scott, Erwin Gelsey, Ben Holmes, Rian James, Anthony Veiller, Dorothy Yost
Main cast: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Georges Metaxa
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