Product Details

• Actors: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes
• Directors: Mark Sandrich
• Writers: Dorothy Yost, Dwight Taylor, Edward Kaufman, George Marion Jr., H.W. Hanemann
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
• Language: English, Italian
• Studio: Turner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 3, 1998
• Run Time: 107 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304212143
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,326 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The year before, in 1933, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had grabbed America's attention in Flying Down to Rio, even though they were the second bananas in that film. The duo had a certain chemistry--Fred with his lighter-than-air elegance, Ginger with her moxie--and studio heads gambled that they could carry a starring vehicle of their own. Nobody guessed there would be another eight movies together after The Gay Divorcee, which turned into a huge success for RKO Pictures. The plot is the usual silliness, with Ginger a divorce-minded gal in England, Fred a dancer whose sincere interest in her is mistaken for something else. But plots never mattered much in these affairs, and this one achieves a kind of free-floating bliss. Astaire had starred in the stage version of the story, titled The Gay Divorce. The censors forced the extra e to be added to the title because surely no divorce could be portrayed as a happy one (this frothy movie's evidence notwithstanding). Only one song was carried over from the stage show, Cole Porter's smash hit "Night and Day," which forms the basis for a sublime pas de deux between Fred and Ginger. A tune, "The Continental," written for this film won the first Oscar ever awarded in the best-song category. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite Astaire and Rogers film, July 15, 2004

By 

L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gay Divorcee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Fred Astaire plays a dnacer returning to England from a trip abroad. In the Customs shed he meets Ginger Rogers in an embarassing predicament. He tries to find out who she is, but she refuses to tell him, and he spends ages searching London for her until he finally tracks her down and begins to awaken her interest. Ginger goes down to Brighton with her friend dithery much-married Alice Brady, and Astaire and his dithery lawyer friend Edward Everett Horton go in pursuit. Ginger has gone to Brighton to try and obtain a divorce, she intends to spend the night with a professional co-respondent. Somthing Astaire says makes her think he is the co-respondent, which puts her right off him. Fortunately the real co-respondent, a diminutive Italian, turns up ("your wife is safe with Tonetti,he prefer spaghetti") and the mystery is sorted out. But what will happen when Ginger's husband arrives the next morning? will she get her divorce. This is a wonderful film, with a silly but extremley funny plot, and some wonderful dialogue, particularly between Horton and Brady, who somehow manage to end up married to each other, much to their surprise. An absolutely delightful film.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Night and Day", September 3, 2005

By 

Bobby Underwood "starlighthotel" (Manly NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gay Divorcee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers gave everyone something to smile about for a couple of hours during the depression with a special blend of magic that can never be repeated. Their films were sophisticated and charming, elegant and romantic, and most of all, funny. The Gay Divorcee is a gorgeous production from Pandro S. Berman. A fine screenplay from George S. Martin, Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, based on the novel by Dwight Taylor, helped this wonderful film garner 5 Academy Award Nominations, including one for Best Picture.

The chemistry between Astaire and Rogers lights up the screen during their dance numbers, a romantic yet innocent longing to fall in love in each graceful step and touch. A great supporting cast that includes Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore, and Erik Rhodes add many laughs to this Mark Sandrich directed screen classic. Cole Porter's, Night and Day, is one of the most popular songs ever recorded. The Continental, a song not in Porter's origional Broadway show, but written for the film, won an Academy Award. The musical adaptation from the stage to film was by Kenneth Webb and the great Samuel Hoffenstein.

The story revolves around Mimi Glossip (Ginger Rogers) and her kooky aunt. Alice Brady is a hoot as Hortense, guiding Mimi through her divorce from geologist husband Cyril (William Austin). Guy Holden (Fred Astaire) can't forget the lovely Mimi after he "rescues" her from a snagged dress but she wants nothing to do with him. He searches all over London for her and finally catches up with her after a car chase and immediately decides they should marry. Mimi endeavors not to let herself be charmed by Guy while her aunt arranges for an attorney to aid in her efforts to free herself. The attorney is Guy's good pal, Egbert "Pinky" Fitzgerald (Edward Everett Horton), the black sheep of his family. Neither Mimi or Guy is aware of the coincidence, however, which creates a hilarious situation when Pinky arranges for her to have a correspondent in an effort to get her divorce.

Erik Rhodes nearly steals the film as the correspondent, Rodolpho Tonetti, whose motto is: "Your wife is safe with Tonetti. He prefers spaghetti!" A secret phrase he is instructed to say to Mimi for identification as the correspondent, is one Pinky has overheard his pal Guy say. When Tonetti can't quite remember it, and doesn't have a description of Mimi, you can guess what happens. Most of the fun takes place at a beautiful seaside resort, filled with all the glossy sets RKO could muster, which were considerable at this juncture. Eric Blore is the waiter who will spill the beans and allow Fred and Ginger to dance their way to happiness for the first time. Along the way, there is humor and charm, and a 17 minute sequence of The Continental which alternates between the easy grace of Fred and Ginger and a sparkling dance with practically everyone.

No other couple in film history has ever made love to each other during a dance like Fred and Ginger. Their charm and elegance let people imagine, if only for a couple of hours, that love and heaven existed still, and fostered the notion they were one and the same. Happiness filled the screen and allowed moviegoers to escape for a short interval from hard times, and give them hope that something better was just around the corner. The Gay Divorcee was the beginning of an elegant magic Fred and Ginger would share with us all, until they finally felt it was time to say goodbye. But they never really have to say farewell as long as we have these wonderful film treasures, reminders, of both them, and the romantic innocence we once had.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and funny on many levels, January 5, 2001

By 

Jack Rice (California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gay Divorcee [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Calling the plot of Gay Divorcee "silly" or "needless" reflects the pedantry of the editorial reviewers, who apparently would rather see Astaire and Rogers in tights and tutu. The plot, in my opinion, is clever and funny. Of course, mistaken identity is an old device, but the measure is how well the characters bring it off, and there are six - six! - characters in Gay Divorcee who do this splendidly. How can we ever forget the immortal line, "Your wife is safe with Tonetti, he prefers spaghetti!" and all the permutations of "Chance is the fools name for fate." Or was it "Chances are fate is foolish"?

Anyway, Nureyev said that Fred Astaire was the greatest dancer in the world, and I think Rogers was his best partner. Gay Divorcee's wonderful art nouveau fantasy set, combined with exquisite costuming - even the ridiculous Tonetti is beautifully attired - and the memorable music, provide a perfect framework for the ballets. And the bright, funny dialogue and perfectly cast characters fill in the intervals.

Perhaps the world created by Astaire and Rogers is a fantasy world, but it's plausable enough for me to believe that somehow it would be possible to dress, to act and, yes, to dance in it myself.