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Shall We Dance (1937)

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Who's Got the Last Laugh Now?, 18 October 2002
Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida

SHALL WE DANCE (RKO Radio, 1937), directed by Mark Sandrich, which reunites Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for the seventh time on the musical screen, ventures them into a new world of dance, the art of ballet. But while the opening credits focus silhouettes of ballet dancers in the backdrop, the movie itself is not essentially devoted to ballet, but only a combination of both ballet and modern dance.

Fred Astaire plays Petrov, an American dancer born under the name of Peter P. Peters of Philadelphia, P.A., who has won fame as a Russian ballet star with the help of Jeffrey Baird (Edward Everett Horton), his impresario. While in Paris, where the first portion of the story takes place, Petrov is in love with Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers), an American dancer whom he hasn't met, but knows of her by profession and still photographs he keeps with him. After Petrov briefly meets Linda in her hotel room, by which he made no impression (especially with that Russian accent that sounds more like Charles Boyer than Mischa Auer!), he soon learns that she is leaving Paris and returning to New York by sailing on the Queen Anne. In order to get to know her better, Petrov agrees to an engagement in New York to dance at the Metropolitan only if Jeffrey arranges for him to book passage on the Queen Anne, which he does. Before sailing, Petrov meets up with Lady Denise Tarrington (Ketti Gallian), his former ballet dancing partner whom he now wants out the way. This is done when Jeffrey tells her that Petrov is married, with Petrov filling in on the details that he is the father of five children (with a set of twins). When news of Petrov's marriage reaches the media, compliments of Denise, the passengers, who have read about the secret marriage in the ship newspaper, believe Linda Keene to be the wife, since they have been seen constantly together. In order to prevent Linda from quitting her dancing career so she can marry the well-to-do but dull Jim Montgomery (William Brisbane), Arthur Miller (Jerome Cowan), Linda's manager, joins forces with Jeffrey to keep the marriage and scandal alive, even it it means playing tricks or practical jokes. After boarding in New York, Petrov and Linda find that in order to stop the rumors, they must actually get married (in New Jersey) and then file for divorce.

A casual reworking and revamping of the earlier Astaire and Rogers themes, SHALL WE DANCE (an appropriate title for the team) succeeds on a higher level with a bright score and creative dancing by Astaire than on the flimsy plot with the usual misunderstandings and amusing one liners. Aside from Horton making his third and final engagement with the team, Eric Blore returns for the fifth and final time playing the bewildered Cecil Flintridge, a New York City hotel floorwalker. Coming in late into the story, Blore is seen to good advantage, having more screen time and doubletakes with Horton and others than he did in his previous outing. The scene where he gets arrested and telephones for Jeffrey to bail him out, and having to spell out the Susquhanna Street Jail, where he is being held, letter for letter, is amusing in itself, in spite that it looks more like an Abbott and Costello comedy routine. While Rogers usually has female companions to accompany her, mainly middle-aged women, such as Alice Brady or Helen Broderick (and later Edna May Oliver) for moral support, she has no such bonding here. Jerome Cowan as Arthur Miller steps in for them.

On the musical program, with words and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin, the songs include: "Slap That Bass" (sung by Mantan Moreland and Fred Astaire, who later does a dance solo in the ship's engine room surrounded by machinery of rhythm); "Walking the Dog" (instrumental); "I've Got Beginner's Luck" (sung by Fred Astaire); "They All Laughed" (sung by Ginger Rogers/ danced by Rogers and Astaire); "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (sung and danced by Astaire and Rogers on roller skates); "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (sung by Astaire); "They Can't Take That Away From Me" (ballet dance with Astaire and Harriet Hoctor); "Shall We Dance?" (sung by Astaire/ danced by Astaire and Rogers); and "They All Laughed" (reprise by Astaire and Rogers).

A notch below their previous efforts, SHALL WE DANCE takes a while to get down to business. In fact, Astaire and Rogers don't get to dance together on screen until almost a hour from the start of the story. Astaire gets a dance solo as does Rogers, briefly with an actor named Pete Theodore, but after that, the plot moves briskly as complications become more on the amusing side, followed by one good song after another, all standards in the Gershwin songbook. There are a couple of songs introduced here that aren't followed by dancing, something unusual for an Astaire film, but then again, not so unusual. Of the tunes selected for this production, "They Can't Take That Away From Me" was nominated for an Academy Award as best song, but lost to "Sweet Lelani" in WAIKIKI WEDDING starring Bing Crosby. This is the song Astaire sings to Rogers in the foggy night on the Staten Island ferry, with the brief closeup of Rogers with tears slowly building up in her left eye. A sentimental moment and a memorable one well handled.

But after seven musicals opposite Rogers, Astaire manages to not repeat himself when it comes to the dance numbers. Other than dancing in the steam room surrounded by black stokers, another memorable moment occurs with "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" in which Astaire and Rogers dance on roller skates in Central Park. As difficult as it was to stage this, it appears simple and casual, and at times amusing. One wonders what they could have done on ice skates to compete with the recent performer of Sonja Henie of 20th Century-Fox musicals? After a lengthy ballet dance towards the end of the story featuring Astaire and Harriet Hoctor (who arches her head to her heals, and dancing like a swan), it returns to familiar territory when Rogers steps in for the "Shall We Dance" number.

Also seen in the cast are Emma Young as Tai, Linda's maid; Ann Shoemaker, Ben Alexander and Charles Coleman in smaller roles.

One final note. Ketti Gallian, whose brief Hollywood movie career was coming to a close, usually a blonde now seen in this production as a brunette, plays Denise, Petrov's former ballet partner. While her part is relatively small, with scenes occuring in the beginning and near the end of the story, why is it that Harriet Hoctor does the ballet dancing instead of Gallian. Better yet, why couldn't Hoctor have played the role as Denise, so all this could make sense? But overlooking these minor flaws, SHALL WE DANCE, is true to the word as a formula Astaire and Rogers musical, ranking one of their most revived films, alongside THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934), TOP HAT (1935) and SWING TIME (1936). It's available for viewing on video cassette and can be seen occasionally on American Movie Classics or Turner Classic Movies.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Music by Gershwin, dancing by Astaire and Rogers, with Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore in tow, 20 December 2000

Author: Robert Reynolds (minniemato@hotmail.com) from Tucson AZ

This film (one of the better ones Astaire and Rogers did) probably doesn't get quite the praise it merits because Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee are so widely praised (rightly so). But this movie is equally well executed and any movie that has in it's score the songs, "Shall We Dance", "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and especially "They Can't Take That Away" deserves to be warmly remembered. There's a score by Gershwin, dancing by Astaire, Rogers and others and Edard Everett Horton and Eric Blore in support (they appeared in so many of the Astaire-Rogers films that their casting must have been legally required!). Well worth your time. Recommended.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
We shall not only dance, we shall roller-skate ...!, 13 April 2003

Author: John (opsbooks) from Blue Mountains, Australia

It was a delight to come across the movie on DVD. 'Shall We Dance' was the only Fred and Ginger movie of 1937 and didn't do as well as previous efforts, making less than half a million dollars profit at the time (ref. 'The RKO Story' by Jewell and Harbin). Obviously I'd never be able to pick a money-maker as I found it totally brilliant from beginning to end! A wonderful sound track and beautiful score - the only one George and Ira Gershwin ever wrote for Fred and Ginger, more's the pity.

The skimpy story involving romances, misunderstandings and a luxury liner across the Atlantic has been done numerous times but here it seems to work, thanks to the wonderful Eric Blore, Edward Everett Horton and a good supporting cast, with the exception of Ketti Gallian. This lady seems out of place, not unlike the unfortunate Randolph Scott in 'Follow the Fleet'. The musical numbers are a knockout, especially the ship's engine room and roller-skating sequences. Fred plays one of his most endearing parts while Ginger is spellbindingly gorgeous. Viewing a sharp transfer really does show up a lot of things missed when watching less than good prints on television. Ginger's eyes kept me transfixed whenever she appeared :)

A movie to be viewed, and enjoyed, again and again. As good as 'Swing Time' and not far short of my favourite Fred and Ginger movie, 'Flying Down to Rio'.

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
shall we skate?, 23 January 2004
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

Perhaps the best number in this is Fred and Ginger's dance 'n tap on roller-skates, but the terrific Gershwin score helps a lot (including 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off', 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' and several others).

This is one of the pair's best, with the usual strong support from Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore and Jerome Cowan. A silly plot, with Astaire as a Russian ballet dancer (not really Russian, his real name is Peter P Peters!) and Rogers as a musical revue star, who meet and get embroiled in a fake marriage run-around. Horton plays Astaire's fussy manager, Blore plays a pompous hotel manager (the scene in the jail prompting the cop to ask 'what is this, a spelling bee?' is hilarious), and Cowan plays Rogers' manager (a chap distractingly named Arthur Miller).

'Shall We Dance' showcases Ginger Rogers in particular and gives her chance to shine; Fred Astaire remains the usual unattractive pest until he breaks into singing and dancing; and the finale, with a bevy of masked honeys who look like Ginger, has a certain originality. A great team at their very best.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
"Still I Always Always Keep The Memory Of", 20 December 2007

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

With a fluff plot that's sillier than usual, Shall We Dance marks the one and only time the brothers Gershwin wrote a score for an Astaire/ Rogers musical. Fred was certainly no stranger to George and Ira, they had written Funny Face on Broadway for him and also had done Damsel in Distress which he co-starred with Joan Fontaine the year before.

This also is the last complete score the Gershwins did for the screen. While writing the score for the Goldwyn Follies, George would suddenly die of a brain tumor. It's a beautiful selection of songs, topped off by They Can't Take That Away From Me, a song forever after identified with Fred Astaire. It's also one of my favorite Gershwin songs, in fact one of my favorites period.

Fred's a hoofer at heart, but he's pretending to be a Russian ballet star named Petrov, appropriate for a guy named Peter Peters in real life. The girl he's infatuated with, musical comedy star Ginger Rogers is sailing to America on the same ship.

Through an incredible combination of circumstances rumor gets around that the two of them are in fact married. All the doing of her producer Jerome Cowan and Fred's manager Edward Everett Horton. They actually have to get married to keep the ruse going. Of course I needn't say what happens after that.

Two other Gershwin standards, They All Laughed and Nice Work If You Can Get It are sung and danced by the pair, the latter on roller skates. I also liked Fred's solo number with the engine room men on the ocean liner, Slap That Bass. The brothers Gershwin obviously saw the success Astaire had with Bojangles of Harlem in Swing Time and decided to imitate shall we say.

Look for a nice performance also by Eric Blore who plays the frustrated hotel manager who is getting positively flustered about how to handle the married/unmarried pair of Astaire and Rogers in his hotel.

There is a touch of sadness to this musical realizing that an incredible talent in George Gershwin would be stilled very shortly. I do love that man's music so.

You'll keep the memory of this film long after seeing it even once.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Quiet little nothing in the Astaire/Rogers canon - still delightful, 11 August 2005

Author: Nick Zegarac (movieman-200) from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Mark Sandrich's Shall We Dance (1937) is a tad heavy in the schmaltz department, particularly as it casts Astaire as the most unlikely of ballet stars, Pete Petrov Peters. Smitten with lovely musical star, Linda Keene (Rogers), Pete makes passage on the same luxury liner as his par amour. Theirs is a quiet - if glib - little shipboard nothing that results in a few choice dances but precious little else; that is, until a hint of gossip gets overblown for the tabloids so that by the time the ship docks in Manhattan harbor everyone believes Petrov and Linda are husband and wife. This was the sort of reluctant romantic dribble that the Astaire/Rogers franchise was beginning to develop into by the end of their tenure at RKO. It is one of the examples chiefly responsible for both stars eventually choosing NOT to renew their contracts and go their separate ways; he to even greater acclaim with a string of lush and lovely Technicolor musicals at MGM (The Band Wagon, Silk Stockings, Three Little Words); she on the road to a dramatic career (Kitty Foyle) and choice turns as a dead pan comedian (Stage Door, Roxy Hart).

This is the worst looking DVD in the box set; having said that, it's still pretty good by most standards. Age related artifacts are at their most prevalent here as is film grain. But the real culprit which prevents one from thoroughly enjoying the film is the lower than average contrast levels that render the image darker than it ought to be and with considerable loss of tonal gray variations and fine detail throughout. The audio is Mono but nicely presented. Extras include an audio commentary, short subject, a featurette on 'the music' of the film and a theatrical trailer.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Rogers, Astaire and Gershwin!, 13 November 2005

Author: drednm

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.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
They Won't Take THIS Away From Me, 26 October 2005

Author: writers_reign from London, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is undoubtedly one of the best that Fred and Giner made at RKO in glorious black and white and it's singular inasmuch that one is able to wallow in the melodic melodies and literate lyrics whilst simultaneously marvelling at what Depression audiences would sit still for in terms of credibility. All three writers - Lee Loeb, Harold Buchman 'story' and Ernest Pagano 'screenplay' - racked up dozens of other credits - Pagano worked on four other Astaire movies, Carefree, again with Ginger, A Damsel In Distress, You Were Never Lovlier and You'll Never Get Rich - and presumably wrote all five screenplays in the same colander. Consider: The story opens in Paris; Astaire, dancing star of a Russian ballet troupe, is happy to stay there where he hopes to meet Linda Keene (Rogers) an American entertainer with whom he has fallen in love. Impresario Jeffrey Baird (Edward Everett Horton) wants Petrov (Astaire)to return to New York and dance at the Met but Petrov is adamant. Then, he meets Keene and learns she is sailing the very next day (from Paris, mind you, on a Liner, yet) on the Queen Ann so without further ado he informs Baird that he (Petrov) will sail to NY the next day. Just like that. No advance booking necessary, just turn up with your troupe of Russian dancers and yes, of course, you can have a couple of dozen staterooms at a couple of hours notice. More? Halfway across the Atlantic, Ginger, teed off with Fred, persuades the captain to allow her to leave on the plane that comes to collect air mail for New York. Yes, you heard. A plane lands on a liner in the middle of the Atlantic as a matter of course to collect mail. More? Gee, you're tough to please, but okay. The first real song and dance number occurs in the engine room of the ship and this is an engine room where you could eat off the highly POLISHED floor even as you marvel at the pristine art-deco pistons and other paraphernalia. Forget Gene O'Neill and the realistic engine rooms he was putting on stage a decade earlier in such plays as The Long Voyage Home, The Hairy Ape, etc, THIS is an engine room where grease, oil and dirt are strictly forbidden. More? Listen, there IS more, lots more but enough already. I only mention these little things so I can now say they don't MATTER. This is escapism, pure and simple. A great, great score boasting, in addition to the title song, Slap That Bass, Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, They All Laughed, I've Got Beginner's Luck and the immortal They Can't Take That Away From Me. Eric 'Slow Burn' Blore divvies up the laughs with Horton and a wonderful (but, alas, now lost) time is had by all.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Classic Astaire and Rogers, 8 August 2005
Author: Stanley Strangelove from Portland, Oregon US

Astaire plays ballet star Pete "Petrov" Peters who falls for Rogers (Linda Keene).He arranges to cross the Atlantic aboard the same ship as Rogers and along the way he sings and dances and they dance together. Edward Everett Horton plays his manager and provides the comic relief. But who cares about the plot. We watch these movies for the songs and dancing and they are good. A highlight is Astaire's solo number in the steam room of the ship as he dances in time to the ship's pistons. There are some classic George Gershwin songs in this one: "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me".

This is the 7th pairing of Astaire and Rogers. You can also see Astaire and Rogers in these films: Shall We Dance (1937) Swing Time (1936) Follow the Fleet (1936) Top Hat (1935) Roberta (1935) The Gay Divorcée (1934) Flying Down to Rio (1933)

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Perfect, 29 July 2001
Author: daisyduke8000 from NS, Canada

As a classic movie buff,I can honestly say that this is one of the greatest movies Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire ever made together. The story line is light, however, you must remember that this movie was made in the middle of the Depression, a time when people needed a light story(hence the major reason why Musicals were made in the first place). This movie is in my top 4 favorite Astaire/Rogers musicals, along with Top Hat(1935),Swing Time(1936), and Follow The Fleet(1936).I urge everyone to see those as well. The songs in this movie are wonderful,particularly "They All Laughed" and "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off."

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