Swing Time (1936)

Directed by George Stevens. Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Georges Metaxa, Bety Furness, Eric Blore.

High-quality Astaire and Rogers pairing has him, a professional dancer and gambling addict, pretend to have two left feet to get close to her, a dance instructor that he ran into on the street; trouble is, he’s promised to another girl (Furness), who’s conveniently out of the picture long enough for the duo to fall in love and twinkle a few toes. Doesn’t succeed much as a farce—there are several funny moments, but the structure is flimsy and the some of the humor creaks and wheezes—but the songs are above average (including “A Fine Romance” and the Oscar-winning “The Way You Look Tonight”) and the dancing is sensational. Astaire’s “Bojangles of Harlem” show-stopper, though admirably intended as a tribute to Bill Robinson, can be uncomfortable to watch with the fleet-footed star in blackface, but the staging, energy, choreography, and shadowplay make it a “must-see with reservations.” Director Stevens’ father, Landers, has a minor role as the father of Astaire’s fiancée.

80/100