Shall We Dance (1937)

• Title:  Shall We Dance (1937)
• Director:  Mark Sandrich
• Date:  1937
• Studio:  RKO (Radio Pictures)
• Genre:  Musical, Romance
• Music:  George Gershwin
• Lyrics:  Ira Gershwin
• Cast:  Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore
• Format:  Black and White, Standard
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I told ya' I haven't even met her ... but I'd kinda' like to marry her."  -- Peter


"If  we get married now, I can start divorce proceedings in the morning."  -- Linda


"I be your pardon, but what are grounds for divorce in this state?"  --  Linda
"Marriage."  -- Law clerk

Shall We Dance is one of my three favorite Fred and Ginger musicals -- the dialogue is wonderfully witty, the plot, involving a secret marriage than isn't, and then is, is great fun, and the Gershwin score is simply marvelous.  The dances are incredible (though I wish Fred and Ginger had actually danced to "You Can't Take That Away From Me" rather than Fred merely singing it to Ginger).  Be sure to take note of  the wonderful "Art Deco" set for "Slap that Bass", and Fred and Ginger tap dancing on rollar skates to "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off".  My other two favorite Fred & Ginger musicals are "Top Hat" and "Swing Time".  Though, I must say, there are parts of all their musicals I enjoy.

Fred Astaire plays Peter P. Peters, a dancer who's discovered by Jeffrey (Horton) and becomes the star of a ballet in Paris, under the name, "Petrov".  Ginger Rogers, is musical comedy / Broadway star Linda Keene who's sick of  the "life" and her stream of unsuitable suitors.

Astaire sees a picture of  Linda and falls for her, so he tries to meet her in Paris.  But when he over-hears her complaining to her maid about all the unsuitable men who see her picture and then try to win her over, he introduces himself as "Petrov", with a very bad Russian accent, rather than Peter P. Peters from Philadelphia, Pa.

However, both soon sail for New York on the steamship Queen Anne.  It takes Peter a while, but his persistence pays off, and soon Linda falls for him.  Yet, when Jeffrey (Horton) tells a unsuitable suitor of Petrov's that he is secretly married to Ms. Keene, and Peter confirms it -- she lets the news slip, and soon the "secret marriage" is headline news.  When Ms. Keene is seen knitting on the ship deck (she's actually making a sweater for her dog), it adds fuel to the fire.  She erupts in anger at the rumors -- and blames Peter for them.

In New York, Peter and Linda are booked into adjoining suites, by the concierge (Blore) -- who, none-the-less keeps locking the door and pocketing the key as he's told the couple is not married.  Linda, however, has her own troubles -- the news media hounds her about her secret marriage; her manager wants to keep her on the stage or he'll lose his theatre, and the man she thinks she wants to marry is angry at her for "lying" about her "marriage to Petrov".  When the manager uses a mannequin of Linda to take pictures of Linda and Peter in bed (a twin no less) and publishes the pictures -- Linda's anger only grows, especially as her boyfriend dumps her.

Linda and Peter go to the park, have a date, and decide to marry in secret in New Jersey, for real, and then publicly divorce so Linda can marry who she wants.  But Peter's now in love with her.  When Linda finally serves him divorce papers, he finds him dancing with a stage full of "Linda Keenes" (dancers with masks).  She's impressed, and in the end Linda and Peter dance together and decide to stay married.

Musical Numbers

• Slap that Bass  -- Fred, vocals and dance
• Beginner's Luck -- Fred, vocals
• They All Laughed -- Ginger, vocals; Fred and Ginger, dance
• Let's Call the Whole Thing Off -- Fred and Ginger, vocals, Fred and Ginger, tap dance on rollar skates
• They Can't Take That Away from Me -- Fred, vocals
• Shall We Dance

Also, an opening sequence of Fred "practicing" alone, that's tap and ballet; and various other sequences of ballet that are "rehearsals".

Recommendation:  See It

Rating:  4.5 of 5 Stars

Next Film:  Shall We Dance (2004)