{"id":5152,"date":"2008-01-18T17:48:46","date_gmt":"2008-01-19T00:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5152"},"modified":"2021-01-20T11:36:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-20T18:36:38","slug":"swing-time-1936","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5152","title":{"rendered":"Swing Time (1936)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;No one could teach you to dance in a million years.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Swing-Time-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Swing-Time-Poster-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-23026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Swing-Time-Poster-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Swing-Time-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/Swing-Time-Poster.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA dancer with a penchant for gambling (Fred Astaire) is challenged by his future father-in-law (Landers Stevens) to earn $25,000 before marrying his daughter (Betty Furness), and heads to New York with his trusty sidekick, &#8220;Pop&#8221; (Victor Moore) to secure the funds. Once he arrives, however, he falls immediately in love with a young dance instructor (Ginger Rogers), and tries his best <em>not<\/em> to earn the money; meanwhile, Rogers is pursued by a slick orchestra conductor (Georges Metaxa) who is eager to marry her.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dancers<\/li>\n<li>Fred Astaire Films<\/li>\n<li>George Stevens Films<\/li>\n<li>Ginger Rogers Films<\/li>\n<li>Love Triangle<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary&#8217;s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAs Peary notes, &#8220;there&#8217;s little to complain about&#8221; with regards to this &#8220;enchanting&#8221; Astaire\/Rogers collaboration &#8212; often cited along with <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5118\"><em>Top Hat<\/em><\/a> as one of their most successful ventures. He points out that, for once, &#8220;the stars play real &#8212; well, <em>almost<\/em> real &#8212; people&#8221;, noting that it&#8217;s easy to root for them given that they&#8217;re playing such &#8220;appealing, unpretentious characters&#8221;. Unfortunately, the script gets off to a rather painful start, with no dancing for the first half hour, and a truly cruel &#8212; albeit ultimately &#8220;for the best&#8221; &#8212; practical joke played upon poor Astaire, who&#8217;s made to miss his own wedding. Once he arrives in New York and meets Ginger, however, the sparks begin to fly, with song after song a true delight. The script somewhat predictably revolves upon mistaken identities (Rogers doesn&#8217;t know that Astaire is an engaged man), but this time around the storyline remains relatively believable, and eminently affecting. <\/p>\n<p>Rogers &#8212; perhaps due to expert guidance from director George Stevens &#8212; is in peak form, investing her character with pathos and genuine charm; Astaire is equally fine, and it&#8217;s fun to see both Eric Blore and Helen Broderick returning in supporting roles (though Blore&#8217;s part should have been bigger). It&#8217;s amazing to note that the <em>New York Times<\/em> reviewer of the day (Frank Nugent &#8212; evidently tone deaf) dismissed Jerome Kern&#8217;s score as &#8220;merely adequate, or worse&#8221; &#8212; he actually complained about not being able to &#8220;whistle a bar&#8221; of any of the tunes upon leaving the theater! Personally, I can&#8217;t get &#8220;A Fine Romance&#8221; out of my head for the life of me&#8230;  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The series&#8217; signature art deco set designs are still evident, though toned down considerably to suit the working-class characters&#8217; lifestyles. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fred and Ginger&#8217;s first thrilling dance together, &#8220;Pick Yourself Up&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-first-dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-first-dance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5158\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fred singing &#8220;The Way You Look Tonight&#8221; to Ginger while her hair is full of shampoo (actually whipped cream)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-shampoo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-shampoo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5159\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ginger and Fred dancing the classy &#8220;Waltz in Swing Time&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-waltz.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-waltz.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5160\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ginger and Fred singing &#8220;A Fine Romance&#8221; back and forth to each other across the snow<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-fine-romance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-fine-romance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5161\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Astaire&#8217;s Bojangles homage, dancing with the shadows<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-bojangles.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-bojangles.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5162\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fred and Ginger&#8217;s evocative final dance<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-never-gonna-dance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-never-gonna-dance.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5163\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Classy art deco set designs<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-art-deco.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-art-deco.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5155\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ginger Rogers giving perhaps her best performance of the series<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-rogers.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/swing-time-rogers.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5156\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jerome Kern&#8217;s score &#8212; not just his signature songs, but the cleverly orchestrated soundtrack itself\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of the classic Rogers and Astaire collaborations. Peary nominates it for an <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=2606\">Alternate Oscar<\/a> as best picture of the year. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0028333\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/08\/28\/archives\/the-screen-another-astairerogers-song-and-dance-fest-comes.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rogerebert.com\/reviews\/great-movie-swing-time-1936\">Roger Ebert&#8217;s Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1697swing.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/swin.html\">Greatest Films Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/3413\/swing-time#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/swing-time\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;No one could teach you to dance in a million years.&#8221; Synopsis: A dancer with a penchant for gambling (Fred Astaire) is challenged by his future father-in-law (Landers Stevens) to earn $25,000 before marrying his daughter (Betty Furness), and heads to New York with his trusty sidekick, &#8220;Pop&#8221; (Victor Moore) to secure the funds. Once he arrives, however, he falls immediately in love with a young dance instructor (Ginger Rogers), and tries his best not to earn the money; meanwhile,&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5152\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5152"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64668,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5152\/revisions\/64668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}