The Gay Divorcee (1934)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

J. Hartley Manners (unproduced play)
Dwight Taylor (musical play "Gay Divorce") ...

Release Date:

12 October 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

The King and Queen of 'Carioca'

Plot:

Mimi Glossop wants a divorce so her Aunt Hortense hires a professional to play the correspondent in apparent infidelity...

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Aunt | Dancer | Divorce | Astaire And Rogers

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 nominations

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Guy Holden
Ginger Rogers	...	Mimi Glossop
Alice Brady	...	Aunt Hortense
Edward Everett Horton	...	Egbert 'Pinky' Fitzgerald
Erik Rhodes	...	Rodolfo Tonetti
Eric Blore	...	The waiter
Lillian Miles	...	Singer, Continental Number
Charles Coleman	...	Guy's Valet
William Austin	...	Cyril Glossop
Betty Grable	...	Dance Specialty

Also Known As:

The Gay Divorce (UK)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #282)

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The first film to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song, "The Continental".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the "Continental" sequence Rodolfo Tonetti is shown playing a concertina and singing along. Though he moves the concertina in and out, and you can hear the music, his fingers never move on the keys.

Quotes:

Mimi: I don't care what you did as a boy.
Guy: Well, I did nothing as a girl, so there goes my childhood.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Biography: Betty Grable: Behind the Pin-up" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Night and Day

No Not That Kind Of Gay - The Original Definition

Of the nine Fred and Ginger movies, this is possibly the most charming. It is archetypal for the species -- boy meets girl, misunderstanding develops, misunderstanding resolves, boy gets girl. No villains to speak of, no blood. Lots of music and fun. The paper-thin plot makes it all the more fun. Nobody is taking anything seriously, everybody's in it for the good times. A rendition of "The Continental" is a very stylish song and dance number. A very young Betty Grable stops in for a quick vignette in "Let's Knock Knees". The Italian lothario, played by Erik Rhodes, is one of the funniest comic characters ever. Comedic standard character actors Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore aren't far behind him. Even if you were in the mood for Reservoir Dogs, you won't be able to ignore the natural enthusiasm and love of life in this film.