"Foot-free Fred and joyous Ginger...in their gayest, gladdest show!"
Ballet star Petrov arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as the dancer and musical star he's fallen for but barely knows. By the time the ocean liner reaches New York, a little white lie has churned through the rumour mill and turned into a hot gossip item—that the two celebrities are secretly married.
Fred Astaire
Petrov
Ginger Rogers
Linda Keene
Edward Everett Horton
Jeffrey Baird
Eric Blore
Cecil Flintridge
Jerome Cowan
Arthur Miller
Ketti Gallian
Lady Tarrington
William Brisbane
Jim Montgomery
Ann Shoemaker
Matron
Harriet Hoctor
Ballet Dancer
Ballet star Petrov arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as the dancer and musical star he's fallen for but barely knows. By the time the ocean liner reaches New York, a little white lie has churned through the rumour mill and turned into a hot gossip item—that the two celebrities are secretly married.
“Just Caesar, just Napoleon, only Garbo, so just Petrov is enough... You don’t want to dance with the great Petrov? Don’t be a silly horse.” With an introduction like that, how can “Linda” (Ginger Rogers) possibly decline to dance with this clearly modest and unassuming gent (Fred Astaire) as they embark on an ocean liner bound for New York. As they travel and despite their frosty start, the pair start to bond a little, but nowhere near as much as some gossips assume and before they are halfway across the Atlantic are married! Except, well… She avails herself of the mail aeroplane to disembark but things steadily worsen and the newspapers even start drawing storks above their headlines! “Petrov” - well, “Peter”really knows all along that it’s his publicity people who are stirring things but he is also becoming quite keen on this lady - despite being the centre of the attentions of the recently freed-up “Lady Tarrington” (Ketti Gallian). Amusingly, though, even he is befuddled when photos appear in the papers that even he can’t quite fathom. Who is the dummy now? Making up this chaotic storyline are his dedicated butler “Cecil” (Eric Blore) and his right-hand man “Baird” (Edward Everett Horton) who is in danger of tripping over his own conspiracy cloak! There is a really gorgeous chemistry on display here, with Rogers’s facial expressions speaking volumes of disdain, disbelief and, believe it or not, affection too. There are two stand out musical set-pieces from the Gershwins in “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”; the dance routines - especially on the ice rink, are mischievous and naturally choreographed and the whole film effortlessly entertains us with some great comedic timing, a little zany behaviour and a cast of professionals who all look like they were having a good laugh.
Janie lives to dance and will dance anywhere, even stripping in a burlesque house. Tod Newton, the rich playboy, discovers her there and helps her get a job in a real Broadway musical being directed by Patch. Tod thinks he can get what he wants from Janie, Patch thinks Janie is using her charms rather than talent to get to the top, and Janie thinks Patch is the greatest. Steve, the stage manager, has the Three Stooges helping him manage all the show girls. Fred Astaire and Nelson Eddy make appearances as famous Broadway personalities.
Lucky is tricked into missing his own wedding to Margaret and has to make $25,000 so her father will allow him to marry her. He and business partner Pop go to New York where they run into dancing instructor Penny. She and Lucky form a successful dance partnership, but romance is blighted by his old attachment to Margaret and hers for Ricky.
A Broadway artiste turns a faded film star's comeback vehicle into an artsy flop.
Fleeing 1930s New York and leaving behind a chequered past, the giltzy divorcee Mrs Stella Erlynne travels to Italy's sun-dappled Amalfi coast. Mrs Erlynne's appearance causes a stir amongst the visiting aristocracy. Based on the Oscar Wilde play "Lady Windemere's Fan."
An Argentine heiress thinks a penniless American dancer is her secret admirer.
After writing a tell-all book about her days in the dance troupe "Barry Nichols and Les Girls", Sybil Wren is sued for libeling her fellow dancer Angele. A Rashômon style narrative presents the story from three points of view where Sybil accuses Angele of having an affair with Barry, while Angele insists that it was actually Sybil who was having the affair. Finally, Barry gives his side of the story.
When billionaire Jean-Marc Clement learns that he is to be satirized in an off-Broadway revue, he passes himself off as an actor playing him in order to get closer to the beautiful star of the show, Amanda Dell.
Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and company visit his aunt, owner of a posh fashion house run by her assistant, Stephanie. There they meet the singer Scharwenka (alias Huck's old friend Lizzie), who gets the band a job. Meanwhile, Madame Roberta passes away and leaves the business to John and he goes into partnership with Stephanie.
Two sailors on shore leave head out for four days of partying – only to become involved in the affairs of an aspiring singer and her precocious nephew.
Seeking a divorce from her absentee husband, Mimi Glossop travels to an English seaside resort. There she falls in love with dancer Guy Holden, whom she later mistakes for the corespondent her lawyer hired.