Swing Time (1936)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Howard Lindsay (screenplay) and
Allan Scott (screenplay) ...

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 | Gambler | Dancer | Vending Machine | Tailor

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Lucky Garnett
Ginger Rogers	...	Penny Carroll
Victor Moore	...	Pop Cardetti
Helen Broderick	...	Mabel Anderson
Eric Blore	...	Gordon
Betty Furness	...	Margaret Watson
Georges Metaxa	...	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 | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #2273)

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

This was Ginger Rogers' favorite of her films with Fred Astaire.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the shadow dance, the shadow behind Lucky is visible through him.

Quotes:

John "Lucky" Garnett: Now, eh... how did you say that last step went? Eh... oh, yes!

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)

Swing Time Response

I agree that George Stevens contribution to Swing time is noteworthy however it is the brilliance of Jerome Kern that truly stands out from this production. Kern's beautiful melodies:- 'Pick Yourself Up', 'A Fine Romance' and the 'The Way You Look Tonight'had left an indelible effect on my conscience, because programmers had been clever enough to utilise their qualities in advertisements and TV sitcoms in the UK in the 70's & 80's. But when I learnt recently that these numbers all originated from the same production I was surprised.

I had the pleasure of seeing this picture for the first time over the Christmas holidays (2004) and was entranced by the execution of these compositions in their original form. Of course much of the credit goes to Dorothy Field's lyrics - perfectly delivered by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. No wonder Irving Berlin and George Gershwin also wrote for them. We should remember that Astaire the vocalist is the equal of Astaire the dancer! Notwithstanding Kerns's melodies - which like Mozart's piano concertos are pure and simple but undoubtedly the work of a master - it is also the sexual chemistry of Astaire and Rogers that is expertly conveyed by Stevens and far ahead of its time! Forget Mike Nichol's Closer (2004) it is George Steven's Swing Time (1936) which suggests the leading players and their companions have an interesting private life and are far nicer people than Closer's protagonists too!