10 Film Collection // Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers {Movie}

I had at least two, maybe three pages written out for all of this... and then hit Ctrl+Z, which apparently on Blogger means "delete everything and don't let me retrieve it."

Yeah, I write everything in Google Drive first, now.

Flying Down to Rio 
The first appearance of Fred and Ginger together... as supporting actors! They're friends with the leading man and lady, and have their own little romance in the background. Flying Down to Rio features a ton of elaborate group numbers, and not too much plot: band-leader guy and hot rich girl fall for each other, girl has to go back home to a quasi-arranged marriage, they all work together to save the hotel, and everything works out in the end.

I hate to spoil a decades-old movie, but the quasi-arranged fiancé is my favorite part of this story, for being a total bro. 

Also notable: a crazy elaborate dance number that involves strapping dancing girls to airplanes.

Gay Divorce 
It’s… not what you’re thinking; it’s not even a pun. This was way back when “gay” actually just meant happy. Guy (Astaire) falls in love with Mimi (Rogers), who is having none of it. Mimi is conveniently trying to get a divorce, and her lawyer -- also Guy’s good friend -- tells her to fake an affair with a paid co-respondent. She mistakes Guy for the co-respondent, and shenanigans ensue.

Don’t ask me what exactly a co-respondent is, but the character is pretty hilarious.

This is one of those movies that hinges on mistaken identities and people not using their words. It’s also one of those movies where Fred is super crazy stalkerish. Dude does not take no for an answer; we’re talking car chase stalker. I think they intended it to be goofy and romantic, but it’s actually pretty terrifying.

Roberta 
Haven’t gotten to this one yet!

Top Hat 
Another series of mistaken identities: guy falls for girl, girl mistakes guy for his married friend, guy stalks girl all over the place until they finally figure it out.

Also featuring the co-respondent from Gay Divorce, this time as a fashion designer.

Follow the Fleet 
Haven’t gotten to this one yet!

Swing Time 
Haven’t gotten to this one yet!

Shall We Dance 
Haven’t gotten to this one yet!

Carefree 
This was both cute and crazypants. Fred’s a (hilariously outdated) psychiatrist who, as a favor to a friend, treats his friend’s fiancée for… being wishy-washy about their engagement? Like, that’s a thing they could do back then?

Anyway, hypnotism happens, she falls in love with him, he sets her back on the fiancé with hypnotism -- but, oh no! He’s fallen in love with her. Clearly it’s time for more hypnotism.

Vernon and Irene Castle 

The actual Vernon and Irene

This was surprisingly good. It’s the movie that made me pick up this collection, since the Castles were some of the earliest promoters of ballroom dancing. As far as I could tell (with my vast Wikipedia powers) it’s fairly factual, and it doesn’t pull any punches.

It also has a much more complicated plot than any of the other movies, following the Castles from first meeting, through their dance career and Vernon’s military service, to the end of their marriage.



The Barkelys of Broadway 
The last of Fred and Ginger’s movies, reuniting them after ten years apart. It’s also a lot less ditzy than their earlier movies. It follows a husband and wife musical comedy duo who are trying to break out of comedy and into more serious dancing/entertainment. With their marriage on the rocks, Dinah (Ginger) tries her hand at acting, while Josh (Astaire) secretly helps her out.