Shall We Dance (1937)

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Harold Buchman (story)
Lee Loeb (story)

Release Date:

7 May 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Hot Feet !

Plot:

A budding romance between a ballet master and a tapdancer becomes complicated when rumours surface that they're already married.

Plot Keywords:

Tap Dancing | Broadway New York City | Ballet | Dance | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Peter P. Peters
Ginger Rogers	...	Linda Keene
Edward Everett Horton	...	Jeffrey Baird
Eric Blore	...	Cecil Flintridge
Jerome Cowan	...	Arthur Miller
Ketti Gallian	...	Lady Denise Tarrington
William Brisbane	...	Jim Montgomery
Harriet Hoctor	...	Harriet Hoctor

Also Known As:

Stepping Toes (USA) (working title)
Watch Your Step (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

109 min | Argentina:116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System) | Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:G | Finland:S | USA:Unrated | UK:U (video rating) | USA:Approved | UK:U (original rating)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

The scene where Fred and Ginger dance on roller skates took about 150 takes, according to one of the VHS versions of the film.

Quotes:

Arthur Miller: What does your watch say?
Jeffrey Baird: It says, "Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Plots with a View (2002)

Soundtrack:

Shall We Dance?

Rogers, Astaire and Gershwin!

Considered a lesser Astaire-Rogers starring vehicle this slim-plotted musical is still a delight thanks to 3 great Gershwin songs: They Can't Take That Away from Me, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, and They All Laughed. Slap That Brass isn't bad either.

Astaire plays a ballet star (!) who wants to dance jazz; Rogers plays a brassy revue star who is bored by men. They have two terrific dance numbers together: They All Laughed and a roller skating dance to Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.

Throw into the mix the always fun Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore and you have a smooth and easy musical with great comedy support. Unfortunately the film also has the blah Ketti Gallian who has NO appeal whatsoever and the overblown Harriet Hoctor who was as mediocre as they come. Her ballet number is boring. Jerome Cowan, William Brisbane, and Ann Shoemaker add nothing. Indeed the film looks badly edited as Shoemaker, who gets good billing, has one brief scene aboard ship. Also Cowan has a confederate about halfway thru the film who is never even identified.

Still worth seeing for the great Gershwin songs and the matchless Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.