Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Leon Gordon (screenplay) and
George Oppenheimer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 February 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Tagline:

Eleanor Powell - Fred Astaire - In The Finest Broadway Melody Of Them All

Plot:

Johnny Brett and King Shaw are an unsuccessful dance team in New York. A producer discovers Brett as the new partner for Clare Bennett, but Brett, who thinks he is one of the people they lent money to gives him the name of his partner.

Plot Keywords:

Broadway New York City | Dance | Sequel | Love Triangle | Show Business

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Johnny Brett
Eleanor Powell	...	Clare Bennett
George Murphy	...	King Shaw
Frank Morgan	...	Bob Casey
Ian Hunter	...	Bert C. Matthews
Florence Rice	...	Amy Blake, Casey's Secretary
Lynne Carver	...	Emmy Lou Lee
Ann Morriss	...	Pearl Delonge
Trixie Firschke	...	Juggler

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

It had been reported that Astaire was intimidated by Powell because she was the only few known female tap dancers capable to out-perform him.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny substitutes for King at the last minute, the costume fits the much smaller Johnny perfectly.

Quotes:

King Shaw: The more I know about women, the less I know about women.
Johnny Brett: Maybe someday you'll learn they're not all the same.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "MGM: When the Lion Roars" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Please Don't Monkey with Broadway

Tapping on the summit

The greatest thing in all the "That Entertainment" films is the "Begin the Beguine" number from Broadway Melody of 1940". After years of carrying Ginger Rogers, (and her mother), Fred Astaire finally has a partner who can really DANCE! On Ice, it was Sonja Heine. In the water, it was Esther Williams. But on the dance floor, it was Eleanor Powell, the only female dancer ever to become an above the title movie star in her own right. In Broadway Melody of 1936, there is a male dancer, (not prestigious enough to get a turn with Eleanor), who seems to have the same general look and physique of Fred Astaire, who was working for RKO at the time. I think MGM wanted to prove they could find a "Fred Astaire", too. I call this guy "Faux Fred". In Broadway Melody of 1940, Eleanor gets to dance with the real thing, and the result is marvelous.

There is no big production, even thought the set is sumptuous, with a floor that is a flawless mirror. But other than that, it's the two of them, giving it all they had. Their dancing is flawless. It's what makes them different that is really interesting. Fred Astaire danced with his whole body. Most dancers look like puppets, (see James Cagney). It's all they can do to hold their arms out at the side. But Fred used beautiful hand movements, (his hands were as long and lithe as his legs), to frame everything he did. Eleanor Powell is a master of projection. You will notice most famous movie dancers have "big mouths". It enables their smile to light up the screen. Nobody did this more than Eleanor Powell, who made love to the camera while she danced. You can see them reacting to each other during their big number. At one point, Astaire is painting a picture with his fingers and you can see Powell spotting this and getting her hands out there, too. She doesn't want all the eyes to be on Fred. Then Fred notices her huge smile and breaks into a broad grin himself, feeling, no doubt that he doesn't want to be in Eleanor's shade. It just doesn't get better than this.