Customer Reviews

Shall We Dance [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The beloved "Shall We Dance" was the only Fred and Ginger film with songs from George and Ira Gershwin, and they were splendid. Songs like "They Can't Take That Away From Me" made for great entertainment when coupled with the opulent RKO sets in this Pandro S. Berman production. The lively tale of mix-ups and misunderstandings was from a screenplay by Allan Scott and Ernest Pagno, based on an adaptation by P.J. Wolfson of a story by Lee Loeb and Harold Buchman. Ginger's gowns by Irene were fabulous as always and Mark Sandrich once again took the helm.

On his stay in Paris, Pete (Fred Astaire), a famous ballet dancer also known as Petrov, wants to meet musical comedy star Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers), and in fact, would like to marry her! Pete and his pal Jeffrey (Edward Everett Horton) discover she's sailing on the S.S. Queen Anne and follow her. Pete uses a fake accent for a short time but is eventually found out, and finds out that dogs are the way to a girl's heart.

A wild story Jeffery told Lady Tarrington (Ketti Gallian) in Paris comes back to haunt Pete, as suddenly everyone on the cruise thinks he and Linda have been secretly married, and are going to have a baby! It's a bit much for Linda, who has sworn off reporters, and they decide to really get married, so they can get divorced. But it's too late for Linda, as she has fallen in love with the pursuing Pete, and there is a sadness as Pete sings "They Can't Take That Away From Me" on a ferry to Manhattan after it's all done. The tune was nominated as Best Song but lost the Oscar to "Sweet Leilani" from "Waikiki Wedding."

Hilarious moments in the film include Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore in a "hushing" duel with ballet patrons, Horton and Jerome Cowan getting tight, with Horton getting ill afterward, and Fred convincing Horton that he's seasick, even though the water is perfectly calm. Blore ends up in jail for the second time in one of the couple's pictures and is once again a riot.

Ginger sings "They All Laughed" and she and Fred share a lovely dance that culminates with a smile, as the couple sit on a piano. A fun and famous scene has them on skates in the park, dancing to "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." Fred's character Pete wants to dance with Linda all his life, but what's he to do when she won't consider it? Dance with images of her, that's what. A charming conclusion has Linda joining the other girls, but Pete can't figure out which is the real Linda. Will Linda say yes to Pete? If you are a fan of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers you know the answer to that one!

Devoted fans of one of the most fondly remembered couples in screen history might be shocked to learn that during production, there were plans for this to be their final film. "Swing Time," their previous entry, now widely regarded by film historians, along with "Top Hat," as the zenith of their films together, had done huge box office business in large cities upon its initial release. But that business had quickly subsided and there were those at RKO who felt they had gone to the well once too often.

Fortunately for us, that theory was squashed, and we got to see the hilarious "Carefree" and the tender "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle" before the couple said farewell. Again, fortunately, we don't have to say farewell, only "see you later," because we now have the ability to watch these wonderful films at home whenever we want. "Shall We Dance" is a charming reminder of a magic that passed this way only once, and something you'll want to capture forever by picking up a copy today.

There's a special place in my heart for the films of Astaire & Rogers, and I think most people feel that way too about them. There was an innocence to their films. There was charm, wit, wonderful music (from the likes of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, or, as in this movie George & Ira, and don't you dare ask George & Ira WHO?!)and there were great dance numbers. There was all of this and more. The chemistry between these two was unbelieveable. They played off each other so well. And their films clearly show this, watch any of them to find out.
"Shall We Dance" was directed by Mark Sandrich, the team's most trusted director, he directed 5 films with them ("Top Hat", "Carefree", & "Follow the Fleet" to name a few). And this film is just as good as any other film with Fred & Ginger. The plot in this one could border line on screwball comedy, and I suppose that's what makes it all the more enjoyable, we don't see movies like this anymore. "Shall We Dance" is about a great American dancer, Pete Peters (Fred Astaire) who happens to fall under the charms of Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers) when Peters finds out that Keene is going abroad, he gets a wonderful idea, perhaps he should go abroad too! But wait, more is added to this, Peters, pretends to be a famous Russian ballet dancer, the Great Petrov. Which of course means nothing to Linda. Then the usual "mistaking idenity" bit is played, but, it works.
As I stated before, all the Astaire & Rogers films offer great music, and the score by George & Ira could be one of the best score's Fred & Ginger ever sang and danced too. The songs include "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "They All Laughed", "Slap That Bass", "I've Got Beginner's Luck", and the standout closing number, "Shall We Dance". That closing song and dance number is maybe among the most charming moments in film history. It's just thinking about moments like that, that put a smile on my face, and take you far away. If anyone reading this has never seen an Astaire & Rogers picture, this would be a good place to start. A lot of the elements that made the team so famous are here in this movie. If you're already familar with the team, well, then there's no need for me to tell you how great they were together, and how good any of their films are.
Bottom-line: A truly charming film that lifts up are spirits and reminds us of a time gone by. A great musical score and good acting all makes for some wonderful light hearted entertainment.

While not in the same league as 'Swing Time' or 'Top Hat', which are the duo's best musicals. This one still holds surprisingly well and is among their best. It was directed by Mark Sandrich, who also directed 'Top Hat'. The plot is almost as twisting, and the musical numbers are just as good. Astaire & Rogers were at their peak and seem more assured and more mature acting-wise. Ginger Rogers, in my opinion, is one of the cutest actresses of the silver screen. I've always been fascinated by her looks and in this particular film she seems the cutest, maybe because she was a bit older and a lot skinnier. But she's not only looks, she is the only one who can match Astaire in the dance floor. This is not an easy thing but she can do 'everything Astaire does backwards and in heels'. Astaire is also at his most charming and at the height of his dancing abilities. They also took two of the funniest supporting players of the Astaire & Rogers films; Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore. They have some very funny scenes but they're not as charming as their previous films maybe because they are a tad over-used. But still the music and dancing are the highlights. The skating number 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off' is priceless. And Astaire's rendition of the Oscar nominated 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off' is also memorable, this song would later be sung by Sinatra in a more upbeat way. And the last title song dance number is great. If you're looking for 30's Hollywood musical escapism, then look no further and put yourself in the hands of two of the most effortlessly charming musical performers that ever lived. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!

What I want to know is... why couldn't they have been born now? They're funny, it's all in good taste, they dance and sing. What more can you ask for in a musical? I am a teenager and this is one of my favorite movies; tell that to Leonardo along with the fact that Titanic was an awful film. Fred and Ginger dance wonderfully, my favorite scene is when the butler is locked in jail and he has a spelling bee over the phone. I want to watch it all the time, and don't forget... it's in glorious black and white!

I've seen all ten of Ginger and Fred's movies a hundred times each, and this one is still my favorite. The music is wonderful! The plot is a light and breezy romance comedy. And if all you do is watch the roller skate routine, that will be enough to get you hooked. Also, listen for They Can't Take That Away From Me--it'll bring a tear to your eye. If you're looking for a good Fred and Ginger movie, you've found it.

Critics and fans frequently cite this one as a falling-off of the A-R series. I once thought that too, but I bought the video and gave it a significant second look. Plotwise, it's an improvement on that mistaken identity nonsense that usually permeates these films (though you could make an argument that this plot- which has the central characters presumed married, then actually married so they can get divorced- isn't much better). But the nonsensical fun is still there- from Astaire's tap-happy ballet dancer (whose exaggerated Russian accent is hysterical), to the Gershwin score of songs, to the tasty dance numbers: "Slap That Bass" (part tap exhibition and part engine room jam session); "They All Laughed" (the duo's incredibly late first duet); "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (eether/eyether- need we say more?); to the glorious "They Can't Take That Away From Me;" the film's only misfire (but it was a big one) being that this beautiful ballad by Astaire was not danced by him and Rogers. (Reprising it later with ballet contortionist Harriet Hoctor might've been consistent with the plot, but watching her back-kick herself in the head is one of the unintentionally funniest things I've ever seen in any film.) The Gershwin score- more than anything else- takes this one up a few notches.

"Shall We Dance" is perhaps the finest example of the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers partnership. Set to the music of the Gershwin brothers, Ginger is a musical comedy star and Fred is a famous "Russian Ballet Dancer" from Penn. He sees her and falls in love, she doesn't like him, everyone thinks they are married, then they really are - and it keeps getting better.
The dance scenes are elaborate - imagine roller skates and 30 dancers with Ginger's face - and extremely well done. The supporting cast also help to make the movie. Even though the movie is good, it would be nothing without the help of Eric Blore and Edward Everett Horton (did I get that right?).
The plot is contemporary, the scenes are funny and everything is totally relatable - not counting the fact that everyone spontaneously bursts into song and dance at least once every 7 minutes.
If you have never seen a Fred and Ginger movie, this is the one you should see either first or last. Get your feet wet with the best or save it for last. Definately don't miss it.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, one of the best duos in movie history, dance their way into another romantic comedy in Shall We Dance. From tap dancing in rollerskates to ballet with Harriet Hoctor, Shall We Dance really shows off the moves.

When you watch a Fred and Ginger (F&G) movie you expect to see the two of them to dance together. In their seventh film together, Shall We Dance, you don't see their first dance routine until literally half way through the film (unless you count walking the dog as a dance). The way Harriet Hoctor bends backwards in the final dance number is incredible. Her body must be made of rubber. She's probably a better dancer than Ginger, but because she does not speak or act, we don't appreciate her as much.

As the title suggests, the featurette "They Can't Take That Away from Me: The Music of Shall We Dance" emphasizes the songs in the movie. There is some good information on the composers, George and Ira Gershwin. Did you know that the origin of the song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is based on how F&G pronounced certain words? It includes interviews with Ava Astaire McKenzie (daughter), archivists, and biographers with a mix of F&G photographs and film clips. (Run time 15:41)

In the musical short "Sheik to Sheik" a radio salesman is knocked unconscious by a golf ball and dreams of selling radios to the Foreign Legion and to the Arabs in the desert. The singing duet is quality. No F&G but it has a good plot and is humorous. (B&W, 1936, Run time: 21:28)

In the old Merrie Melodies cartoon "Toy Town Hall" the toys in a child's room come to life and perform. (1936, Run time: 6:31)

"Shall We Dance," (1937), another musical-comedy-romance, was the seventh collaboration Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made for RKO Radio Pictures. It reunites most of the old gang, before and behind the camera, but it's easy to see inspiration is wearing thin: after this picture, Astaire went to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Rogers pursued her ambition to do drama. Still, it's got a lot going for it: most importantly, it was the first, and only George and Ira Gershwin score for the Astaire-Rogers team; and it was, in fact, the last complete film score of the Gershwin brothers: George was to die quite soon, at a shockingly young age. And some of the Astaire/Rogers work to these immortal Gershwin melodies ranks with their finest.

Astaire is Peter P. Peters of Philadelphia, Pa, masquerading as Petrov, great Russian ballet star. Rogers is Linda Keane, popular cabaret dancer. He yearns to meet her, she feels otherwise; he manipulates his way onto a transatlantic crossing of the Queen Ann in order to do so. Rumors get started that they are secretly married, and even that she is pregnant, so when they get to New York, they actually get married, so they can publicly divorce. It's their usual silly script, thinner even than usual, and just what anybody would do in that situation, right? Edward Everett Horton, in his third and final appearance with the team, is on hand to play his usual fussbudget role, Jeffrey Baird. Eric Blore, in his fifth and final appearance with the team, is on hand to play his usual fussbudget role, Cecil Flintridge. Although in this picture, he gets what may have been his funniest riff ever in the Astaire films, the spelling bee at the Susquehanna police station. Rogers lacks her usual middle-aged female chum, and has to get by with Jerome Cowan as her impresario. William Brisbane plays the chinless Park Avenue wonder she's supposed actually to want to marry. One Harriet Hoctor contributes one real strange ballet specialty to the closing number. Ketti Gallion is Lady Denise Tarrington. The movie's notably slow getting off the mark: it's almost an hour til the stars' first dance.

Behind the camera, long time confederates of Astaire held sway. Doug Allen gets a screenwriting credit; Hermes Pan collaborated on choreography; Mark Sandrich directed; Pandro S. Berman produced, with his usual lavish hand for the gorgeous art deco scenery.

But it's the priceless music that hoists this film. Shipboard, in "Slap that Bass," Astaire does a famous jazz-influenced number to the mechanized rhythms of the spotless art deco-inspired engine. The instrumental, "Walking the Dog," is a wordless treat. In Central Park, the stars needed 150 takes to get that roller skated "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." Then there's "They All Laughed," "I've Got Beginners' Luck," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," and the title tune itself. There's seldom been a score as great as this one, so just ignore what passes for its plot; it's easy enough to do.