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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Irene Castle (stories)
Oscar Hammerstein II (adaptation) ...
more
Release Date:
29 March 1939 (USA) more
Plot:
This is the film version of Vernon and Irene Castle, sensational ballroom dancers prior to World War I. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
A Musical with a Plot more (22 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Fred Astaire | ... | Vernon Castle |
 | Ginger Rogers | ... | Irene Castle nee Foote |
 | Edna May Oliver | ... | Maggie Sutton |
 | Walter Brennan | ... | Walter Ash |
| Lew Fields | ... | Lew Fields |
| Etienne Girardot | ... | Papa Aubel |
| Janet Beecher | ... | Mrs. Foote |
| Rolfe Sedan | ... | Emile Aubel |
| Leonid Kinskey | ... | Artist |
| Robert Strange | ... | Dr. Hubert Foote |
| Douglas Walton | ... | Student Pilot |
| Clarence Derwent | ... | Papa Louis |
| Sonny Lamont | ... | Charlie, Tap Dancer |
| Frances Mercer | ... | Claire Ford |
| Victor Varconi | ... | Grand Duke |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Victor System)
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The ninth (of ten) dancing partnership of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The last Astaire and Rogers musical fro RKO Studios and the only film based on a true/biographical story. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Walter, the Foote's and later the Castle's servant/ factotum, was in reality a black man. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Fred Astaire: Puttin' on His Top Hat (1980) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
COME, JOSEPHINE IN MY FLYING MACHINE more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (22 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| The Least Known | vernvaquer |
| Walter + Maggie | katydid579 |
| Interesting change of pace | cnb |
| help with music | demonwarhead |
Recommendations
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| De-Lovely | The Long Gray Line | A Mighty Heart | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford | My Life So Far |
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |
"The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" was the last of the major Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930s. And it was different in many ways from the others, namely that the story was more important than the songs and dances.
Really, is "Top Hat" with its emphasis on production numbers linked by a thin plot of mistaken identity really a lot different than today's action movies with endless car chases and pyrotechnic special effects linked by a very thin story about a hit man or the earth getting hit by a comet? Sorry about that analogy, I'll take the great musicals over the "actions" any day! "Yo" is not great dialog.
My parents tell me that at the time, this film was panned by the critics and did not make it as big at the box office. Could it be that everyone wanted another "Top Hat" or Swing Time?" I enjoyed those lovely musicals with their big production numbers. Could it be the emphasis on Vernon's patriotic service with the RAF in World War I might have offended many people's "isolationism" in 1939 about the growing World War II?
Fred and Ginger wanted to do a movie with more substance, and they pulled it off in grand style. The songs and dances were nice, with only one very brief "production number." But they did a great job of showing how two young entertainers met, fell in love, became famous, and made a sacrifice in the war. In 1911, young Irene Castle "discovers" Vernon, a second-rate vaudeville comic when she sees him dancing at an evening outing. She shows Vernon her not ready for prime time dance number "The Yama Yama Men." The two fall in love and marry, and with a lot of self-taught dance technique, suddenly hit the big time in France by dancing their famous "Castle Walk." The Castles' fame grew and grew and they toured Europe and America, and made a lot of money through merchandising things like Irene Castle hats. Long before Michael Jordan's basketball shoes. In fact, you will see entries for both Vernon and Irene here in the Movie Database. Irene went on to star in a few silent films, but never made a "talkie." You'll be glad to know that Irene served as an advisor for the Rogers -Astaire film, enhancing its accuracy.
As always, they had some great character actors. I never knew Walter Brennan was ever that young. Fred and Ginger really showed a depth to their acting. From there, of course, Ginger moved into dramatic movies, including her Oscar-winning "Kitty Foyle." I think Fred's later movies matured too.
In short, I think you will like this movie, but don't expect to see a clone of "Swing Time."