SWING TIME (1936)
90TH ANNIVERSARY PRESENTATION
With a score by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, including their Oscar-winning “The Way You Look Tonight,” and graceful direction by George Stevens, it’s little wonder the sixth pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers is often hailed as their best. The plot is the usual romantic roundelay. He’s out to make his fortune to prove to fiancée Betty Furness and her father he’s worth marrying. To do so, he moves to the city and teams with dance teacher Rogers to create a popular nightclub act. But their success has a downside: when Furness finally deems him worthy of marriage he’s already fallen in love with Rogers. Each dancer’s sidekick —Victor Moore for Astaire and Helen Broderick for Rogers — provided extra comedy. Musical highlights include the couple’s first dance together, “Pick Yourself Up,” the comic duet “A Fine Romance” and their romantic pas de deux “Never Gonna Dance.”
d. George Stevens, 94m, DCP
Restoration by Warner Bros. Discovery.