Top Hat (1935)

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Allan Scott (writer)
Dwight Taylor (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 September 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

They're Dancing Cheek-To-Cheek Again!

Plot:

Showman Jerry Travers is working for producer Horace Hardwick in London. Jerry demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in Horace's hotel...

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Face Slap | Reference To Gertrude Stein | Misandry | Man's Hat

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26

4:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Jerry Travers
Ginger Rogers	...	Dale Tremont
Edward Everett Horton	...	Horace Hardwick
Erik Rhodes	...	Alberto Beddini
Eric Blore	...	Bates
Helen Broderick	...	Madge Hardwick

Runtime:

101 min | USA:81 min (re-release) (re-edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The two-minute dance of "The Piccolino" was filmed in one take.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jerry is mentioned early in the film as staying in room "304", but is later described as living in room "403".

Quotes:

Dale Tremont: I dropped up from the room below where I've been trying to get some sleep!
Jerry Travers: Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize I was disturbing you. You see, every once in a while I suddenly find myself... dancing.
Dale Tremont: Oh, I suppose it's some kind of an affliction.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

Soundtrack:

The Piccolino

You can't help but smile watching this movie.

I'm only just now beginning to realize how silly the plot and some of the comedy was in this movie. When I watched it, it was perfectly wonderful, and I smiled all the way through. Fred and Ginger, of course, are perfect, whether dancing so memorably to the likes of "Isn't It a Lovely Day" and "Cheek to Cheek" or pitching woo. Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, and Helen Broderick kept it moving with their throughly entertaining comedy relief. Even almost 65 years after its premeire, it's still in tip-top condition, both in the print and in its impact, on first viewing, at least. (I'm afraid to watch it again, for fear the impact will be destroyed.)

I've seen almost all of Fred and Ginger's pictures since viewing this. Some are good, some less so, and all have their moments of excellence. But none of them matched this one in my mind for sheer feel-goodness. The ones that came closest were Swing Time, Shall We Dance, and The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle and The Barkleys of Broadway, the last two because they had quite plausible stories, (and in the case of Castle, one based on real life). But still, Top Hat is Fred and Ginger at their best, and hopefully will always stay that way in my mind.