Mia, you are one of the best reactors on TH-cam, and one of the few who are bold enough to view these very old films of the 30s and 40s. Your reactions are always thoughtful, with good insights. Please consider watching some of these very special cinema classics : The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), How Green Was My Valley (1941), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), and one more recent, In the Heat of the Night (1967). Thanks Mia.
Met Ginger Roger's in San Francisco at the Fairmont hotel in 1970s. She was so friendly and I gave her some artwork I did for her. She was an artist and she wanted to keep in contact with me. We were friends for years. So glad you posted this. Thank you ❤️
wow that’s such an interesting and precious memory, personally im enamored with ginger rogers and working on watching her filmography, it has sm variety of genres, she was very talented and captivating. 🤍
Mia, I was in “heaven” watching you fan girl over this film. And talk about escapism, drinking in all of these sights and sounds is like having an out-of-body experience, right? Everything about this movie sparkles like a handful of freshly cut diamonds and it never fails to put a smile on my face. The chemistry Astaire and Rogers share is off the charts. If it was possible to package all of that combined charm, wit, style, and class into a single substance, you might end up with an illegal narcotic because I swear I always feel a little buzzed after watching movies like this. Films of the 1930’s are utterly unique in that way, especially the screwball comedies and musicals which manage to showcase “glamour” in a way no other era could match. And Astaire and Rogers are the ultimate personification of that. This is a bygone era, to be sure, but it will always live on in glorious black-and-white cinematography. That’s why I love your reactions because stars like Jimmy Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Humphrey Bogart, and the afore mentioned Astaire and Rogers are truly one-of-a-kind. And through your channel I get to fall in love with them all over again. ✌🏽🤟🏽
I love Horton; people my age probably got to know him by voice, when he narrated "Fractured Fairy Tales" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. He graced many and many movie, one of those character actors who enriched every movie he was in. Max Steiner scored many, many movies. He did a lot with Bette Davis; one of the most famous of these was "Dark Victory". At the climactic moment of that one, Davis was to go upstairs for the big moment of the story. Steiner had music for this. Bette Davis, who felt silence was needed for the moment, proclaimed: "Either I go up the stairs, or Steiner goes up the stairs, but not both!" (she lost that battle). An early critique of Astaire went something like: "Bald, unattractive, can't sing, can't act, can dance a little." That critic must have eaten his words. You'll find an informal company in the Astaire-Rogers movies: Horton, Blore and several others join forces and play together.
Thank you for that insight! I can’t believe they said that Fred Astaire was unattractive and couldn’t sing or dance! That reviewer must have been blind! Fred has a certain type of swagger, like he is really comfortable in his own skin! I think that makes him attractive! Also, like I said he is a POWERHOUSE of a man! I am so glad I was introduced to him in this film! Also, I don’t feel like I spoke enough about Ginger Rogers! She is sooo beautiful and sooo talented, a COMPLETE bombshell and triple threat! She kind of reminds me of Christina Aguilera in Burlesque Their chemistry was amazing! You could tell they were friends off camera! I absolutely loved this film!!!
I'm sure you'll remember the great Edward Everett Horton as "Lovey" in Frank Capra's "Lost Horizon". Quite a long career. He was in the last Capra directed film "Pocketful Of Miracles".
@@MoviesWithMia Although Ginger Rogers got her start in musicals, she went on to further stardom in both dramas and comedies. Here's a great example of her comedic chops from the 1938 film "Vivacious Lady" (opposite a young James Stewart) th-cam.com/video/Z-2r3zzZYgA/w-d-xo.html And here are some more examples of how much charm and charisma she had on tap th-cam.com/video/zDSrHoetjJE/w-d-xo.html
I remember the director Paul Thomas Anderson saying if the Ginger Rogers/ Fred Astaire movies don't make you happy, you need a medical check up including a cat scan lol. So true.
What a pleasure watching you watch "Top Hat" for the first time. I am old, have seen it many times, and I still love it the same every time. I have a TH-cam Channel to movie history, started recently, and right now I am covering the enormous careers of Fred and Ginger, 136 combined years, 104 movies, Vaudeville, Broadway, Radio, Television. It was SO NICE to see someone your age love this so. If you do want to see other Fred and Ginger, the next should be "Swing Time". Mostly the same style, but they add a very somber but passionate section, making it the very highly rated. After that, "Roberta", Ginger does a hilarious character, and then, in order (if you are up to it) their reunion 10 years later, "The Barkleys of Broadway", their first movie they had leads "The Gay Divorcee", "Follow The Fleet" and "Shall We Dance". I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed watching this.
MIa, your delight and enthusiasm in watching these old movies brighten my day. Thank you! Irving Berlin wrote all the songs in Top Hat. He wrote more hit songs than anyone else, mostly for movies and stage. Some of his other songs are White Christmas, Easter Parade, Blue Skies, God Bless America, Heat Wave, Let's Face the Music and Dance, Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, Puttin' on the Ritz, Shaking the Blues Away, and There's No Business Like Show Business. Thanks again!
Oh you’re very welcome :) it is such a treat to rediscover these films :) Also, I completely forgot to give Irving Berlin a shout out! The music in this is absolutely phenomenal!
To tell you the truth I myself still feel the same excitement every time I sit down to watch Fred & Ginger. Mia's enthusiasm is lovely but I also enjoy the intelligent comments - for instance I think she's quite right about the zeitgeist of the 1930's. In spite of all the troubles people faced, it feels as if there were strong elements of elegance and adventurousness in the air.
Tiffany, I,love how you appreciate the beauty of black and white films. So many people today see black and white as a drawback, and don’t understand the artistry of it.
Mia, Check out Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn. His dance with the firecrackers is what anchored me to have seen his other films. First time White Christmas was sung by Bing Crosby. 12 years before the movie White Christmas, made because of that song.
Like you, I LOVE the Art Deco period: the pale neutrals, silky satins, geometric patterns, touches of Chinese, African and South American designs and decor, mingled with industrial materials. I watch reruns of the tv series Poirot just to drink in the splendid Art Deco sets! The lighting in this film was magical! Loved it all and your ardor for it made the viewing even better! Mia, you must listen to Cheek to Cheek sung by the immortal Ella Fitzgerald! That’s my favorite version - her voice is like creamy, silky chocolate! And I literally clapped my hands when you announced The Sound of Music next! Wheeee! Can’t wait until Saturday! ❤️
I absolutely love the Art Deco throughout this film! And I HAD NO IDEA THAT ELLA FITZGERALD DID A COVER OF CHEEK TO CHEEK!!!!!! Oh I gotta check that out!!! Thank you for sharing that :)
@@MoviesWithMia A lot of people recorded Cheek to Cheek including Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Doris Day. Songs written in this period are often referred to as "Old Standards." They are classics just like the films your reacting to. The music in these 30's/40s musicals were usually drawn from different Broadway shows from the 20s and 30s written by such geniuses as the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin, etc. Their musical creations have lasted over almost 100 years. Glad you're on this wonderful road of discovery.
Thanks for saying Fred was a great actor too. I think that's why the Fred & Ginger films hold up, not just the dancing, but their Rom Com chemistry and acting while NOT dancing!
I can't tell you how happy it made me watching how happy Top Hat made you. Cheers for the selection and the watch. The enthusiasm and intelligence you bring to discovering movies that many people your age would dismiss out of hand makes me equally happy. (Not as happy as "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" but close!) About the wobble in the push-in you noticed early on, hand-held 35mm shooting wasn't really an option once sound came to movies. The industry camera for early sound film production was the Mitchell NC, which couldn't be practically operated on one's shoulder while it was "blimped" to mask the loud operating noise. The first lighter innovation that replaced it, the Mitchell BNC (B for blimped), weighed a still impractical 135 lbs. Then when you start talking about Mitchell Technicolor cameras, the weight is just ludicrously heavy -- a rig often compared to a tank. So what you're seeing in that camera move in Top Hat, and most such camera moves for the next several decades, was a crane dolly. All the more amazing then when you see skilled directors and dps utilizing the moving camera so effectively and beautifully!
Oh wow! Thank you for all this insight! I couldn’t even imagine having to lug around 135 lbs on my shoulder!! So, yeah it would make sense that it’s a crane shot!! Also, I am so glad that you enjoyed the video :)
I can't tell from this video how good the copy of "Top Hat" you had was (looks a little blurry from here), but I think it's worth emphasizing something about older movies. Many assume that film tech was just so primitive back then that all old movies were blurry or had blown out contrast, etc. This just isn't the case. Mostly people think this because for years these old films were only widely available to watch on TV, VHS, or low-res TH-cam, media which were much lower quality than the originals. Of course it's also true that for various reasons no pristine prints of some films have survived. Another complication might be that some peoples' exposure to "old" movies only extends back as far as the 1970's at most. The social turmoil of the seventies inspired a fashion for "grittiness" in both the topics and execution of cinema. This fashion included more visible film grain and a flatter pallete for colors and contrast. Because of this there are many films from earlier decades that have brighter colors and contrast or a sharper picture than those from the seventies, or in some cases than current films. The fact is that if one can find a quality HD transfer of even an early 1930's film like this one, many of them can look just as crisp and clean as a film produced last week.
Oh I absolutely agree with you! I was watching something on TH-cam from the 1930’s and the resolution was STUNNING! I was mesmerized! I think it’s another thing that is not talked about in regards to the 1930s! Thank you for sharing that insight :)
I know I'm two years late to this party, but I just discovered your content. I've been a huge Fred Astaire fan for years ever since I first saw Easter Parade. If you haven't seen that one, I highly recommend it.
I love Fred and Ginger movies. I once heard Ginger say they dyed her shoes to match her dresses. She said they had to dye several pairs because she and Fres rehearsed the dances so much her feet would bleed and stain the shoes. Hearing that made me appreciate how hard they were working to make the dances seem effortless and beautiful.
Ginger designed that feathered dress, the colour was ice blue. Both Fred and director Mark Sandrich wanted it out, but Ginger and her mother Lela threatened to "walk" if it was dropped, so it stayed! When Fred saw the finished cut he sent Ginger a gold feather for her charm bracelet.
When I was little in the 80s, Fred Astaire was one of my favorite actors. I think I heard/read that he got offered big songs not because of his voice, but because of how he could bring the music to life. I love to watch him, he always brings a smile to my face.
So, Fred Astaire and his sister were child prodigies. He was originally from Omaha, dad lost his job, and the family made a move to NY City to put the brother and sister act in the big time in 1905. Turns out, both children were very, very talented, and they eventually made their way to Broadway and the London stage and grew up as Vaudeville stars. Doing a dance and singing in front people was just another day at work for him by the time he did this movie. He had spent his life in front of the powerful and wealthy, which I think explained his effortless charm and grace. He was in showbiz all his life, and it didn't screw him up. Fascinating, beautiful man. Making comments as I'm seeing your comments: Max Steiner wrote the music for Gone With the Wind as well. I'm not absolutely sure what they used for moving shots, but I'm thinking they had to use a dolly and a track for any moving shots. The cameras back then were HUGE, so hand held was not possible. The art deco sets and costumes in this film are beautiful. I love Ginger Rodgers bed in the hotel, and every dress she wears. I know what you're saying about the 1930's. Maybe because the peak of the rebellion wave from the Victorian era crested and receded at that time, it felt different. it was a "between eras" kind of time, when "anything goes". It did have a special feel of pessimism and wild optimism. They did have the technology to dub, and did so quite frequently with singing. But, yeah, that's Fred singing and recording on set this time. If you love seeing the first time a very famous song was used, view some Busby Berkeley musicals. Gold Diggers of 1933 and Dames (both have Ginger Rodgers without Fred) both have songs that have become highly recognizable standards we know even now.
Wow! Now I can see why Fred was so charismatic on screen!! Thank you for the insight!! Also, thank you for the recommendations :) I will add them to the list :)
@@MoviesWithMia I know you will enjoy them. Both Dames and Gold Diggers have surprisingly feisty, strong female characters for movies with what would now be called sexist titles. They also both have very subversive messages against the wealthy and powerful, like many films made during the depression.
Mia, love your reactions to these classics. These movies are a true escape from the real world. I agree the b & w films have an immense quality that color does not. Keep up the great work. ❤
Aside from Fred/Ginger movies, you definitely should check it out musicals from the earlier 30s like: 42nd Street (1933) , Dames (1934), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Footlight Parade (1933).
Lovely reaction! And just to make a slight clarification to what you stated early in the video, Rogers and Astaire did do nine films together for RKO. But there are in fact ten starring the duo in total. Ten years after their ninth feature, the two ended up starring in a musical for MGM, "The Barkleys of Broadway" (1949), which originally was set to have Judy Garland opposite Astaire. However, a string of events led to Rogers stepping in, re-teaming with Astaire one last time. It is also the only one of their ten films to be shot in color. Regarding the lack of awards, 1935 was a rather stacked year for cinema, with the likes of "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The Informer," "Captain Blood," "David Copperfield," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and several other phenomenal features all competing alongside "Top Hat." However, "Top Hat" was indeed nominated for Best Picture (then labeled as Outstanding Production), which is still quite an honor. I'm sure you'll work your way through the rest of their films together, so I'd instead like to recommend some of their individual movies. For Rogers, "The Major and the Minor" (1942) is a delightful screwball comedy with a corker of a premise and "Vivacious Lady" (1938) is a sweet rom-com that also stars Jimmy Stewart. For Astaire, "You Were Never Lovelier" (1942) is a charming romantic comedy that also features Rita Hayworth, who Astaire said was his favorite dance partner.
When I read Astaire’s autobiography, he did indeed note Hayworth as his favorite trained partner. But he also went one step further and stated that Judy Garland was his favorite untrained partner!
Since you mentioned Rita Hayworth I would love Mia to react to Cover Girl with her and Gene Kelly. And in the movie Xanadu, Gene Kelly’s character had the same name as his character in Cover Girl
I saw a feature on TCM about Fred Astaire where he consoled Debbie Reynolds who was having a tough time working with Gene Kelly (who could be very demanding) while filming Singing In The Rain. While the cast was gone on lunch break, Fred strolled in and found her sitting under a piano I recall, sobbing a little, depressed, frustrated. Then he had her get out from under there, comforted her some and then went to work with her on several dance steps all while cheering her up, and I think he gave her a few pointers on dealing with Kelly... and it worked! It's been a good while since seeing that so don't quote me! LOL! Saw another bio about Ginger Rogers and how talented of an actress she was in dramas. Also, during all the song & dance movie making they said her feet actually bled sometimes because of the endless hours of rehearsing and filming each day. Another enjoyable reaction! I'll look for your Sound of Music vid. Saw it in 1965 at a Panavision big-screen theater. The outdoor scenes are unforgettable. And like in Casablanca, they're fighting the Nazis again! Christopher Plummer recently died, and although he'd been in many TV shows since 1953, it was 1965s Sound of Music I believe made him into a very popular movie star.
That's interesting because I read that Fred could be quite hard on his dance partners as well and the main reason he liked working with Ginger was because she was the only one who could handle his perfectionist attitude and didn't cry
I watch this movie every Chritsmas (don't know why at that time of the year) and I LOVE how you fangilr over it!! I feel like someone can watch old movies and enjoy them in all their wonderfulness as I do. It makes me so happy XD Blessings from Spain XD
As far as I know the only Astaire-Rogers movie to get a high definition blu ray release in the U.S. is 'Swing Time'. That's a really good one, too (it has 'Pick Yourself Up' which is one of my favorite numbers) - but I'm waiting (and hoping) for 'Top Hat'. Maybe one day...sigh.
I grew up watching these films on television. It's lovely to see new generations discover them, especially folks as enthusiastic as you are. Too many studios have forgotten how much impact can be gotten from understated techniques. Today's blockbusters just don't capture the imagination of these classics. One of the best compliments I ever heard regarding a performer was given to Ginger Rogers, that she did everything Fred Astaire did, but in high heels, and backwards. Fred had many dance partners during his career, including the fabulous Cyd Charisse, but no one ever sparked the public's imagination the way Ginger did. Have you seen any films choreographed by Busby Berkley? He was an innovative choreographer with great vision. He developed the style of choreography that formed complex patterns when filmed from above, a technique easily recognized when used in more recent films.
Oh how lovely!! Yes! I wish more people would talk about these classic films!! Ginger Rogers was magnificent!! And yes I have seen a Busby Berkeley film, in fact my first one this past weekend during our MWM live!! We watched Dames! It was fantastic!! Thanks so much for your comment 😁
Hi im 74 live in Australia in the 50's they would play all these old movies on Sunday morning loved them then and still do Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn movies also great together in "Bring up Baby" 1938 and the "The Philadelphia Story"1940 thank you for showing old movies.
Hi Steve!! That is so cool that you are from Australia!! Thank you for watching :) Sundays are the BEST days for watching movies 😊 I am so glad that you are enjoying the videos :) also, I have Bringing up baby on the schedule! Thank you so much for recommending :)
In my book, Fred Astaire is my favorite entertainer of the 20th century. The best songwriters then--Gershwin, Berlin, et al--wanted Fred to introduce their best songs! He's versatile: good actor, singer, dancer supreme...
My favorite Fred Astaire film is from the 1950s: Daddy Long Legs, with Leslie Caron. There’s a fabulous song a dance duet called Something’s Gotta Give.
Great reaction! I love Fred Astaire so much that I’ve got a cat named after him. A tuxedo, of cause. And yes there’s a ginger too, but nobody asks a 17 year old red haired mouse catcher to dance backwards and in heels… 😂😂
I have seen “Top Hat” at least 100 times. I love the fact that you enjoyed it. Your comments are insightful and very enjoyable. I have enjoyed most movies from the 30s and 40s. Keep your interest, especially introducing that interest to the next generation.
They did have dubbing technology by this time (needing to record music "live" on set lasted only through the first few years of the sound era). Fred Astaire was just very good at making the singing look real -- probably he sang for real during filming (even if we can't hear it) to make it look real. And yes, in all these old B&W musicals there would always be a big set with a polished floor to dance on. And between takes, minions would have to rush in and polish it all up again, every time. One of my favorite things in this movie is our first view of "Venice," with rows of shiny new Art Deco buildings lined up by the canals -- which are neat and clean enough for bathing beauties to swim in. So (deliberately) hilarious!
I LOVE that you are getting familiar with 1930s movies. My dad was born in 1920 and mom in 1930. I was raised on watching these movies and it’s my favorite movie era. My mom was a seamstress, so every time we’d watch a movie, she’d always point out the costumes/dresses and tell me how she thinks that were sewn. Also, movies before 1935 were pre-code. There are actually some with brief nudity. The early 1930s movies are much grittier and touched on drug use, child neglect, abuse, etc. Then came the 40s-50s that were all sugar-coated and censored (still good though). Also, YES, love the Art Deco of the 30s. I recommend looking for Busby Berkeley movies. Golddiggers of 1933 (and 35 or 37) with Ginger Rogers.
To me the funniest Fred and Ginger movie is Carefree. It's the one for me when Ginger gets to be funny and it's not only Fred being witty Also Fred hated the dress in cheek to cheek. The feathers came off and kept making him sneeze
I'm so happy to have found this channel, since I LOVE classic movies, and they definitely don't get enough appreciation these days! My favorite Astaire/Rogers film is Swing Time. I hope you will get to that one at some point! Another great one that I think you would enjoy is Easter Parade starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland.
One of the things that many musicals of this era did was work entertainers into their plot. So when a character suddenly broke into song and dance, it was because that was their profession. Some numbers moved the plot along; others were simply parts of the "show within a show," and others did both jobs. The concept that regular folks- ranch hands, salesgirls, average folks from the street- would break into song and dance in moments of heightened emotions, then go back to normal: that took over musicals a bit later. But during this age of movie musicals, they usually "cheated," and made performance a part of the plot and characters, just to give them an excuse to sing and dance for our entertainment. And it worked! :) Thank you so much for reacting to movies of this silver era. So few reactors go this far back, but as you have come to discover: so many treasures to be found here! I look forward to seeing more of your reactions to classic films. (Edit: before any fellow Musical Theatre History geeks come at me- the actual history of musicals on stage and screen is more nuanced and complex than what I said. But by and large, I feel it is accurate, as far as it goes, for a TH-cam comment. I'm not gonna type in the complete history from Gilbert&Sullivan to Lin-Manuel Miranda...)
Oh I absolutely adored this film! It felt classic, yet timeless! Fred and Ginger had such a wonderful chemistry in both dancing and acting! So much fun to watch :)
Ughh I’m obsessed with Fred and ginger, other movies recommendations of theirs are “shall we dance”, “story of Vernon and Irene castle”and my Personal favorite, “swing time”✨
Great commentary on the great musical film masterpiece Top Hat 1935. I think it is one of the best films of the great couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The film is very well directed by the great director Mark Sandrich, in addition to the great dance numbers, it is a great comedy with a great script and very good performances from the entire cast, it has incredible sets of the city of Venice. I think it is a movie worth seeing for all fans of classic musical cinema. The truth is that I have always been a great fan of the great musical films of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Oh yeah I absolutely agree with you :) this was such a well-directed, well-acted, sung, and danced film! Fred Astaire has such a natural grace for screen! This was definitely one of my favorites :)
Of course Fred Astaire is known as one of the (if not THE) greatest dancers in film history, but check out what the immortal Tony Bennett said about his SINGING (from the liner notes of his 1993 Fred Astaire tribute album "Steppin' Out"): "America in the 20's, 30's and 40's, blessed with a brotherhood of composers, experienced a renaissance of magnificent songs. Ira and George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin all penned songs for Broadway shows that left the public walking on air, humming and whistling tunes that they instinctively knew would last forever. Although these American songs were recorded and performed by some of the greatest artists in the history of entertainment, as far as these composers were concerned, there was only one particular performer who could best introduce their songs. His name was Fred Astaire. The dancer, in his top hat and tails, had the magic touch. He would impart his charm and class into each one of these musical masterpieces, his sense of elegance permeating the hearts and minds of the American public. If the composer wrote a gem, Astaire would hone it into a diamond." Whoa!
To answer your question about dubbing, yes they had the technology; in fact the on-set microphones usually weren't very good, so the singing would almost always be dubbed afterwards. Not only that, on Astaire's pictures the floor mics were too weak to pick up the taps, so he would go into a recording booth and re-record his own taps; then either he or his dance assistant Hermes Pan would record Ginger's taps, sometimes they would do it wearing heels for the sake of authenticity XD So glad you discovered the great legend who was Fred Astaire - he was phenomenal, multi-threat with countless talents though his main one was obviously dance. In his autobiography, Fred wrote about how during his Broadway career, he had the idea for the 'machine gun' male chorus dance in the middle of the night and started blocking it out using an umbrella for a cane in his hotel room, waking up his sister (who was then his dance partner) in the next room - all of which inspired several scenes in this movie
Fun fat. Fred Astaire hated feathers dresses and Ginger Rogers loved feather dresses. it became A joke on sat where Ginger Rogers bought Fred Astaire a feathered pen and Fred Astaire change the words of dancing cheek to cheek two (feathers I see feathers.”
I took a class on musicals at community college years ago and this was one of the movies that we watched. I really liked it! Interesting tidbit our teacher pointed out: Lucille Ball has a small role as the woman at the flower shop that the owner has a conversation with about Dale and Bedini. You can't see her whole face and she has blonde hair, but that's Lucy.
Another Astaire/Rodgers film I love and reccomend is Swingtime. I love the Nelson Eddy / Jeanette MacDonald musicals and reccomend you watch them. Love your channel.
Hi Mia, LOVE that you're so into this wonderful musical. Hoping this will draw you into what is really my most favorite Astaire/Rogers film, Swing Time.
It doesn't have Fred Astaire, but if you want to see more Ginger Rogers, look up Lady in the Dark. Last I checked it's free on TH-cam (can't get it anywhere, believe me I tried). She fantastic in it, the dancing is great, and the costumes by Edith Head are to die for, especially one that was considered the most expensive costume of its time, and one of the most expensive costumes in movie history (not including now, I think). Here's a hint: it's red and brown. Also, White Christmas is another good one, especially for the holidays. It also has one of my favorite all-time costumes: Vera- Ellen's soft pink dress at the beginning of the film. I adore how it flows when she dances.
Some other 1930s musicals to check out: some other Fred and Ginger movies are: "The Gay Divorcee", "Swing Time" and "Shall We Dance": "Rosalie", "The Broadway Melody of 1936" and "The Broadway Melody of 1940" staring Elenor Powell who is considered by many to be one of the greatest female tap dancers to ever live; Also, "42nd Street" is a showcase of the huge spectacle musicals common of the time; ""Gold Diggers of 1933" is choreographed by the legendary Bubsy Berkeley who specifically filmed spectacle numbers just for the camera.
This is one of my go to movies to cheer me up when I'm feeling low. A movie that was made to cheer up people during the Depression works pretty well. 😉
Edward Everett Horton was a wonderful character actor known to my generation as the narrator of "Fractured Fairy Tales" in Rocky & Bullwinkle. Helen Broderick was the mother of Broderick Crawford who won an Oscar for "All The Kings Men."
Those dresses of Ginger Rodgers were magnificent. The last one was covered in Swarovski crystal and weighed somewhere north of 70 lbs. Imagine dancing while carrying that much weight.
This is one of my favorite movies. Whenever I'm down it can bring me up. The artistry of Astaire was incomparable. And, Ginger Rodgers was pretty good.
Great reaction! I I'll recommend a few musicals to you. Gold Diggers of 1933 - an epic pre-code musical, amazing Busby Berkeley numbers (some pretty sexy) with a very young Dick Powell & Joan Blondell. Babes On Broadway - another fabulous musical with great energy and tons of famous artists in their youth starring Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland. And a completely different Musical - Beyond The Valley of The Dolls (1969) - Roger Ebert (It's screenwriter) called it 'A Camp Sexploitation Horror Musical that climaxes with a quadruple murder and a triple wedding!' fab music, costumes, hair a parody/satire of overwrought hollywood melodramas played totally straight.
a glamorous and enthralling depression-era diversion top hat is nearly flawless with acrobatics by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that make the hardest physical stunts seem light as air, TOP HAT (1935) 100/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Jerry Travers: 🎵Heaven Im in Heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek🎵
I've only just discovered your channel and its been so entertaining to see someone go through the same emotions and excitement discovering these golden age movies that I did! 😄 If I could recommend some films similar to this, there are two films with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth called "you'll never get rich" and "you were never lovelier" which I adore and want to share with the world 😂 Also Rita's most famous film, 1946 film noir "Gilda" which has some amazing songs in it too. Also I want her black dress almost as much as I want Gingers feathery dress in this movie 😂
considering movie tickets were 25 cents, a million dollars was a staggering attendance box office. The media, including music, movies, theatre, and press are so filled with invented escapist glamor . So much of the music in this era was beautifully recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennet during their careers furthering the timeless and eternal character of this art. It is the American Songbook
Just discovered your channel. Very much enjoying it! BTW, in case no one yet has mentioned it, did you catch Lucille Ball as a flower clerk in the scene you referenced around 11:40?
One small thing regarding the box office of old movies, they don't have total gross like we do today, most of the time the number available is 'rentals' which is basically the distributors (studios) cut from the total gross, or sometimes even the profit the studio made on the film.
If you are into Pre Code films , you already love Ginger Rogers and Edward Everett Horton ( the king of the double take ) ….the partnership with Astaire and their extraordinary dancing took it to stellar levels. The art design, the rich black and white and sophistication was so cool ! Also the great songs and cute love story !
Devling into one of your oldies! Your print is much better than mine, jeez! The sound on mine is terrible! One of my favorite musicals from the 30s is "42nd Street" which has some amazing Busby Berkeley numbers. And even though it's not really a musical, "San Francisco" is fantastic. (it has a musical element to it, but it's more of a disaster movie! Amazing!).
Hi 👋🏽! Wow! That is awesome! I love to watch tap dancing! It’s one of my favorite forms of dance! I am sure it takes a lot of practice and work! That is amazing 😊
My father in law had money during the early 1930's, and he owned a top hat and tails. He went out on the town (NYC) dressed up. After he married my mother in law, his money had to go towards his new family, so the top hat got put away. We found that top hat after he died.
I love your reaction. Gingers ostrich dress was actually dyed light blue. Actually the dress she'd on Fred's tux and everyone wanted her to wear another dress. Ginger locked herself in her trailer until she got what she wanted. Thankfully for us Because I couldn't imagine her in any other dress.
Merry Christmas 2023 dear Mia, I have already seen this reaction at the time, but I return to this channel many times, like the thirsty man to the oasis.
If you look at the films of the 1930's it's pure escapism in huge part because of depression. You bought a ticket for the movies and went in and forgot about your troubles for an hour or so. Well probably actually more like an afternoon because back then they had live acts and music and a B movie with the main feature.
The first film they starred together in was Flying Down To Rio but they were not the main leads but they stole the film with the audience when they first danced together and people wanted more so Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were teamed up and they did do 10 films together 9 with RKO Studios and there only one in colour for MGM. The films go as follows Flying Down To Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow The Fleet, Shall We Dance, Swing Time, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle which were RKO and MGM The Barkleys of Broadway which was their last film where Ginger Rogers insisted they danced to You Can't Take That Away from me as she never got the chance to do in the film Shall We Dance. So glad that you are loving these old films and appreciate the hard work that went into them. The late Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Fred Astaire as he took some influences from the musical Band Wagon which was one of many for Mr Astaire outside his partnership with Ginger Rogers for his music video Smooth Criminal.
This movie is why Fred and Ginger are a legendary dancing team. And you'll need to watch "Easter Parade" eventually for more Fred Astaire. 🥰 P.S. Don't know if someone has told you the story of that Ginger Rogers dress that you loved yet? Ginger helped design that dress herself with all of these feathers that she knew would look beautiful during the dance. But, the feathers also shed constantly so, Astaire was getting feathers all in his eyes, in his mouth, and all over his suit all throughout the number. So he got really mad at Ginger about insisting on that dress 'cause it was just so annoying. But, after he saw the movie, he told her she had been right about the dress all along and gave her a little feather charm as a present.
I hope I'm not making too many comments, but I'm writing them as I go along... as I listen to you urging younger viewers to check out these old B&W films, I'm remembering a time during the early 90s when I went skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado with a group of co-workers. Except I didn't ski, so while everyone else was out on the slopes, I wandered around town and eventually rented a movie to watch... What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? with Joan Crawford and Betty Davis. It was about halfway through and getting really juicy when everyone straggled in from the slopes, and at first, they just scoffed at me watching this old black and white movie. How boring, right? But if you've ever seen this movie... well, I won't spoil it for you if you haven't but suffice it to say that, one by one, they would stop in their tracks and watch a scene, then silently sink down onto the couch or a chair, and soon everyone was watching, completely enthralled. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.
Oh wow! I love how one-by-one, your co-workers were entranced by What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? By the way you’re describing it, it seems like a interesting movie! I’ll definitely have to check it out :) thank you for sharing that story!
CBS tv Charles Kuralt did Astaire’s obituary for Sunday Morning. Over a clip from Top Hat, “ we knew he really wasn’t the Prince of Wales bu if he had said so we would have believed him.” Kuralt added,”This was a man exempt from gravity.” He added that at the time men were expected to wear white tie and tails nod this was a mapilfered have
I've seen most of all of these old movies when i was a kid. (yes im old) our first tv Everything was black and white. I still love them and glad you do too! I love him and Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face. P.S. mutiny on the bounty won the oscar that year.....Great movie!!
I love Fred with my whole heart and it's always so pleasing to see someone falling in love with him! Every time he shows up I'm like "isn't he a cutie???? Can she see how much of a cutie he is?????? She can. Nice."
Great reaction! And great channel, I just discovered it a few days ago and have been having fun watching your reactions. You might like watching "Bachelor Mother" with Ginger Rogers and David Niven. It is not a musical, but it is a very funny screwball comedy from 1939.
I enjoy watching you discover these films. It is thrilling to see younger people enjoy the great films made before 1970. Some info- the feather dress causes a lot of issues because the feathers would fly off and stick to Fred's tux and everything else. The Venice set stretched through two or three interconnecting sound stages at the back of RKO (now Paramount). As for it not winning Oscars, remember that the 5 or 6 major studios made 40 to 50 films a year so there was a lot of competition. Plus RKO was a "smaller major" studio and the bigger ones tended to dominate the awards in the early days. Please watch His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night. And keep up the good work!
Hi John :) I am so happy that you enjoy the videos :) Thank you for sharing that insight! I thought the Venice set was absolutely gorgeous and the fact that they were able to achieve that is completely astonishing! Also, thank you for your recommendations! I will add them to the list! :)
It's great you can appreciate all these old movies. People went every week to the movies. They didn't have to be reminded of the Depression. They wanted to escape into a wonderland of rich and beautiful people having fun.
Another great reaction, Mia! There is a connection between this movie and the film "The Green Mile," Which is itself another excellent film base on a Stephen King novel. If you liked Fred Astaire's moves here, I think you'd really enjoy Gene Kelly in the color classic musical "Singing In The Rain." Great job -- once again!
Also, someone else brought up The Green Mile! I have seen lots of scenes from that film, but I’ve not seen it all the way through! So cool that they used that scene in the movie!!!
Since you mentioned you like to find popular songs that originally came from an "old" movie, you might want to check out "Dames" (1934). A song originating from this movie "I Only Have Eyes For You" has been covered by the likes of The Flamingoes, Art Garfunkel and Michael Bublé. Since "Dames" is one of those Busby Berkeley big production dance movies, the song is treated with a big production.
Apparently, they both hated that dress, because they both ended up with feathers in their mouths. Rogers once made the point, "I don't know why they make such a big deal out of (Astaire). I did everything he did, but backwards, and in heels."
Love your reaction! Fred and Ginger are my ultimate favourite dance couple, they're just so brilliant together. The media back then liked to portray them as being at odds with each other, because Fred was a known perfectionist (once, Ginger danced until her feet bled). Also, because they didn't kiss in any of their RKO movies, which was at the request of Fred's wife. (They did kiss in The Barkleys of Broadway, maybe because after 10 years Mrs. Astaire had gotten over any jealousy?) Another little tidbit from Top Hat: I can never hear "Cheek to Cheek" without hearing "Feathers, it's all feathers" instead, because Fred absolutely despised that wonderful feather dress (chosen by Ginger), which had the unfortunate habit of shedding feathers *everywhere*. Ever after he called Ginger "Feathers" and even gave her a silver feather as a momento.
Actually, they did kiss several times, but as a joke or plot contrivance, not to mention Fred's secret kiss in "Carefree" just out of sight of the camera! They kissed numerous times in "Barkley's" - I guess maybe Phyllis had given up by then.
Warner Brothers had a competing series of musicals during this time period, such as "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933". They are different in that they actively comment on the Depression, and have elaborate choreography by Busby Berkeley. Worth a look! Also, Ginger's feather dress deserves its own credit!
Wow I think this was your best review to date. Yes everything in this movie was perfect. I was going to comment how the La LA Land number was an homage to the Isn't it a Lovely Day number, but you beat me to it. 2 things you didn't mention: - One of the hallmarks of the Astaire/Rogers films are how funny the supporting players are, like Edward Everett Horton. - This was a score by Irving Berlin, probably America's best composer. After all he wrote White Christmas and God Bless America. Two other F&G movies are Swing Time (Jerome Kern score) and Shall We Dance (George Gershon score). Future recommendations: A Warner Bros. musical like 42nd Street. Unlike other glossy studios, Warner Bros. were realistic and gritty and dealt with the Great Depression. And they were all directed by Busby Berkeley, with all those overhead shots of dancers making geometric shapes!
Max Steiner also did Gone With The Wind. Talk about a titan for film composers. So many iconic scores. Swing Time is another fantastic Fred/Ginger movie. It probably has some of their most iconic dance routines in it. I'm a fan of this movie, and I love Fred Astaire too. But I wish his film's plots made a bit more sense😅. They are screwball slapstick ofc. I always have to remember for the time they came out, the 30s-40s during the Great Depression and war, they gave people comfort and escaped, which they needed. Great review 👍
Yes! I truly fell in love with Fred Astaire in this film! He has a sort of swagger that comes with self-confidence and I just loved watching him dance!
@@MoviesWithMia Truly one of a kind. I know he put it in his will to never have a film done on his life, since no film could ever capture him accurately. But he's so fascinating. Dancing is something I wish I was good at😅
There's a documentary from the 80s in which Ginger says she designed that ostrich feather dress. Fred was upset because the feathers kept flying off and onto his tux, but as she said, "I had designed the dress, and I was going to wear it!" She also said, "I DEFY you to see any feathers flying onto his tuxedo." Not that it didn't happen, but it's hard to see.
Your fangirling is how I watch this movie too! 😅 For another Fred and Ginger I would recommend Roberta, which I feel is generally overlooked. It also stars Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott alongside Fred and Ginger so we have two romances going on! It has some of my favourite numbers and the clothes are divine. For something more serious and not a musical but still a huge, art deco triumph, look up Grand Hotel if you haven't already seen it. One of the most stacked casts of all time!
The films were a treasure of the 30s and we see that in the Woody Allen film 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' - even just 90 minutes of being able to forget your troubles and loose yourself in the world of the movie you're seeing, even if it's just through seeing people in elegant apartments and beautiful clothes
@@MoviesWithMia Yes! I was going to comment that 'Purple Rose of Cairo' is, in part, a loving tribute to the escapist Hollywood movies of the 30's like 'Top Hat'. If you haven't seen it, I bet you'd really like it! (It is one of my favorites!)
Oh wow! That is amazing! I am honored to have one of the videos inspire you to get that vinyl record! Cheek to cheek is such a great song! Thank you so much for watching 😊
When Madge says “Good for Horace!”
This instantly became my fav b/w movie.❤
Mia, you are one of the best reactors on TH-cam, and one of the few who are bold enough to view these very old films of the 30s and 40s. Your reactions are always thoughtful, with good insights. Please consider watching some of these very special cinema classics : The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), How Green Was My Valley (1941), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), and one more recent, In the Heat of the Night (1967). Thanks Mia.
Aww thank you, kindly :) I really appreciate that. And thank you for your recommendations, I will add them to the list :)
Met Ginger Roger's in San Francisco at the Fairmont hotel in 1970s. She was so friendly and I gave her some artwork I did for her. She was an artist and she wanted to keep in contact with me. We were friends for years. So glad you posted this. Thank you ❤️
wow that’s such an interesting and precious memory, personally im enamored with ginger rogers and working on watching her filmography, it has sm variety of genres, she was very talented and captivating. 🤍
Ginger was talented on many levels. A sports person, and artist too!❤❤❤
Mia, I was in “heaven” watching you fan girl over this film. And talk about escapism, drinking in all of these sights and sounds is like having an out-of-body experience, right? Everything about this movie sparkles like a handful of freshly cut diamonds and it never fails to put a smile on my face.
The chemistry Astaire and Rogers share is off the charts. If it was possible to package all of that combined charm, wit, style, and class into a single substance, you might end up with an illegal narcotic because I swear I always feel a little buzzed after watching movies like this.
Films of the 1930’s are utterly unique in that way, especially the screwball comedies and musicals which manage to showcase “glamour” in a way no other era could match. And Astaire and Rogers are the ultimate personification of that.
This is a bygone era, to be sure, but it will always live on in glorious black-and-white cinematography.
That’s why I love your reactions because stars like Jimmy Stewart, Ingrid Bergman, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Humphrey Bogart, and the afore mentioned Astaire and Rogers are truly one-of-a-kind. And through your channel I get to fall in love with them all over again.
✌🏽🤟🏽
Oh I am so glad that you can fall in love with these films and actors again through this channel! Thank you, as always, for your comments Jose :)
I love Horton; people my age probably got to know him by voice, when he narrated "Fractured Fairy Tales" from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show. He graced many and many movie, one of those character actors who enriched every movie he was in.
Max Steiner scored many, many movies. He did a lot with Bette Davis; one of the most famous of these was "Dark Victory". At the climactic moment of that one, Davis was to go upstairs for the big moment of the story. Steiner had music for this. Bette Davis, who felt silence was needed for the moment, proclaimed: "Either I go up the stairs, or Steiner goes up the stairs, but not both!" (she lost that battle).
An early critique of Astaire went something like: "Bald, unattractive, can't sing, can't act, can dance a little." That critic must have eaten his words.
You'll find an informal company in the Astaire-Rogers movies: Horton, Blore and several others join forces and play together.
Thank you for that insight! I can’t believe they said that Fred Astaire was unattractive and couldn’t sing or dance! That reviewer must have been blind! Fred has a certain type of swagger, like he is really comfortable in his own skin! I think that makes him attractive! Also, like I said he is a POWERHOUSE of a man! I am so glad I was introduced to him in this film!
Also, I don’t feel like I spoke enough about Ginger Rogers! She is sooo beautiful and sooo talented, a COMPLETE bombshell and triple threat! She kind of reminds me of Christina Aguilera in Burlesque
Their chemistry was amazing! You could tell they were friends off camera!
I absolutely loved this film!!!
@@MoviesWithMia Agreed! Here is a lovely tribute to her from TCM: th-cam.com/video/lGRet1wSI7c/w-d-xo.html.
I'm sure you'll remember the great Edward Everett Horton as "Lovey" in Frank Capra's "Lost Horizon". Quite a long career. He was in the last Capra directed film "Pocketful Of Miracles".
@@MoviesWithMia Although Ginger Rogers got her start in musicals, she went on to further stardom in both dramas and comedies. Here's a great example of her comedic chops from the 1938 film "Vivacious Lady" (opposite a young James Stewart) th-cam.com/video/Z-2r3zzZYgA/w-d-xo.html
And here are some more examples of how much charm and charisma she had on tap th-cam.com/video/zDSrHoetjJE/w-d-xo.html
@@epsteinisms1483 Yes, indeed! And, at this very moment, TCM is playing "The Great Garrick", and Horton's in the cast.
I remember the director Paul Thomas Anderson saying if the Ginger Rogers/ Fred Astaire movies don't make you happy, you need a medical check up including a cat scan lol. So true.
What a pleasure watching you watch "Top Hat" for the first time. I am old, have seen it many times, and I still love it the same every time. I have a TH-cam Channel to movie history, started recently, and right now I am covering the enormous careers of Fred and Ginger, 136 combined years, 104 movies, Vaudeville, Broadway, Radio, Television. It was SO NICE to see someone your age love this so.
If you do want to see other Fred and Ginger, the next should be "Swing Time". Mostly the same style, but they add a very somber but passionate section, making it the very highly rated. After that, "Roberta", Ginger does a hilarious character, and then, in order (if you are up to it) their reunion 10 years later, "The Barkleys of Broadway", their first movie they had leads "The Gay Divorcee", "Follow The Fleet" and "Shall We Dance".
I hope you enjoy as much as I enjoyed watching this.
MIa, your delight and enthusiasm in watching these old movies brighten my day. Thank you!
Irving Berlin wrote all the songs in Top Hat. He wrote more hit songs than anyone else, mostly for movies and stage. Some of his other songs are White Christmas, Easter Parade, Blue Skies, God Bless America, Heat Wave, Let's Face the Music and Dance, Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, Puttin' on the Ritz, Shaking the Blues Away, and There's No Business Like Show Business.
Thanks again!
Oh you’re very welcome :) it is such a treat to rediscover these films :) Also, I completely forgot to give Irving Berlin a shout out! The music in this is absolutely phenomenal!
To tell you the truth I myself still feel the same excitement every time I sit down to watch Fred & Ginger. Mia's enthusiasm is lovely but I also enjoy the intelligent comments - for instance I think she's quite right about the zeitgeist of the 1930's. In spite of all the troubles people faced, it feels as if there were strong elements of elegance and adventurousness in the air.
Tiffany, I,love how you appreciate the beauty of black and white films. So many people today see black and white as a drawback, and don’t understand the artistry of it.
Mia, Check out Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn. His dance with the firecrackers is what anchored me to have seen his other films.
First time White Christmas was sung by Bing Crosby. 12 years before the movie White Christmas, made because of that song.
Like you, I LOVE the Art Deco period: the pale neutrals, silky satins, geometric patterns, touches of Chinese, African and South American designs and decor, mingled with industrial materials. I watch reruns of the tv series Poirot just to drink in the splendid Art Deco sets! The lighting in this film was magical! Loved it all and your ardor for it made the viewing even better!
Mia, you must listen to Cheek to Cheek sung by the immortal Ella Fitzgerald! That’s my favorite version - her voice is like creamy, silky chocolate!
And I literally clapped my hands when you announced The Sound of Music next! Wheeee! Can’t wait until Saturday! ❤️
I absolutely love the Art Deco throughout this film! And I HAD NO IDEA THAT ELLA FITZGERALD DID A COVER OF CHEEK TO CHEEK!!!!!! Oh I gotta check that out!!! Thank you for sharing that :)
@@MoviesWithMia A lot of people recorded Cheek to Cheek including Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Doris Day. Songs written in this period are often referred to as "Old Standards." They are classics just like the films your reacting to.
The music in these 30's/40s musicals were usually drawn from different Broadway shows from the 20s and 30s written by such geniuses as the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin, etc. Their musical creations have lasted over almost 100 years.
Glad you're on this wonderful road of discovery.
Thanks for saying Fred was a great actor too. I think that's why the Fred & Ginger films hold up, not just the dancing, but their Rom Com chemistry and acting while NOT dancing!
Oh yeah! Well there is something about Fred Astaire that is so suave and charismatic! I think he was a multi-threat! Absolute legend of a man!
If you want another good Fred Astaire Ginger Rodgers movie there's 'The Gay Divorcee'
Oh yes! I definitely need to watch this one!!
I can't tell you how happy it made me watching how happy Top Hat made you. Cheers for the selection and the watch. The enthusiasm and intelligence you bring to discovering movies that many people your age would dismiss out of hand makes me equally happy. (Not as happy as "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" but close!)
About the wobble in the push-in you noticed early on, hand-held 35mm shooting wasn't really an option once sound came to movies. The industry camera for early sound film production was the Mitchell NC, which couldn't be practically operated on one's shoulder while it was "blimped" to mask the loud operating noise. The first lighter innovation that replaced it, the Mitchell BNC (B for blimped), weighed a still impractical 135 lbs. Then when you start talking about Mitchell Technicolor cameras, the weight is just ludicrously heavy -- a rig often compared to a tank.
So what you're seeing in that camera move in Top Hat, and most such camera moves for the next several decades, was a crane dolly. All the more amazing then when you see skilled directors and dps utilizing the moving camera so effectively and beautifully!
Oh wow! Thank you for all this insight! I couldn’t even imagine having to lug around 135 lbs on my shoulder!! So, yeah it would make sense that it’s a crane shot!! Also, I am so glad that you enjoyed the video :)
I can't tell from this video how good the copy of "Top Hat" you had was (looks a little blurry from here), but I think it's worth emphasizing something about older movies. Many assume that film tech was just so primitive back then that all old movies were blurry or had blown out contrast, etc. This just isn't the case. Mostly people think this because for years these old films were only widely available to watch on TV, VHS, or low-res TH-cam, media which were much lower quality than the originals. Of course it's also true that for various reasons no pristine prints of some films have survived.
Another complication might be that some peoples' exposure to "old" movies only extends back as far as the 1970's at most. The social turmoil of the seventies inspired a fashion for "grittiness" in both the topics and execution of cinema. This fashion included more visible film grain and a flatter pallete for colors and contrast. Because of this there are many films from earlier decades that have brighter colors and contrast or a sharper picture than those from the seventies, or in some cases than current films. The fact is that if one can find a quality HD transfer of even an early 1930's film like this one, many of them can look just as crisp and clean as a film produced last week.
True, but a lot of the old B&Ws are being restored (I have no idea how they do it), and the results are really amazing.
Oh I absolutely agree with you! I was watching something on TH-cam from the 1930’s and the resolution was STUNNING! I was mesmerized! I think it’s another thing that is not talked about in regards to the 1930s! Thank you for sharing that insight :)
I know I'm two years late to this party, but I just discovered your content. I've been a huge Fred Astaire fan for years ever since I first saw Easter Parade. If you haven't seen that one, I highly recommend it.
I love Fred and Ginger movies. I once heard Ginger say they dyed her shoes to match her dresses. She said they had to dye several pairs because she and Fres rehearsed the dances so much her feet would bleed and stain the shoes. Hearing that made me appreciate how hard they were working to make the dances seem effortless and beautiful.
she was very involved in the designs of her costumes and gowns, so it makes sense. talk about talent
Ginger designed that feathered dress, the colour was ice blue. Both Fred and director Mark Sandrich wanted it out, but Ginger and her mother Lela threatened to "walk" if it was dropped, so it stayed! When Fred saw the finished cut he sent Ginger a gold feather for her charm bracelet.
Fred wanted it out because it dropped feathers all over the floor - in his words, 'it was like a chicken had been attacked by a coyote on the set' XD
When I was little in the 80s, Fred Astaire was one of my favorite actors. I think I heard/read that he got offered big songs not because of his voice, but because of how he could bring the music to life. I love to watch him, he always brings a smile to my face.
A lot of these songs, by the very best composers, were written directly for him.
So, Fred Astaire and his sister were child prodigies. He was originally from Omaha, dad lost his job, and the family made a move to NY City to put the brother and sister act in the big time in 1905. Turns out, both children were very, very talented, and they eventually made their way to Broadway and the London stage and grew up as Vaudeville stars. Doing a dance and singing in front people was just another day at work for him by the time he did this movie.
He had spent his life in front of the powerful and wealthy, which I think explained his effortless charm and grace. He was in showbiz all his life, and it didn't screw him up. Fascinating, beautiful man.
Making comments as I'm seeing your comments:
Max Steiner wrote the music for Gone With the Wind as well.
I'm not absolutely sure what they used for moving shots, but I'm thinking they had to use a dolly and a track for any moving shots. The cameras back then were HUGE, so hand held was not possible.
The art deco sets and costumes in this film are beautiful. I love Ginger Rodgers bed in the hotel, and every dress she wears.
I know what you're saying about the 1930's. Maybe because the peak of the rebellion wave from the Victorian era crested and receded at that time, it felt different. it was a "between eras" kind of time, when "anything goes". It did have a special feel of pessimism and wild optimism.
They did have the technology to dub, and did so quite frequently with singing. But, yeah, that's Fred singing and recording on set this time.
If you love seeing the first time a very famous song was used, view some Busby Berkeley musicals. Gold Diggers of 1933 and Dames (both have Ginger Rodgers without Fred) both have songs that have become highly recognizable standards we know even now.
Wow! Now I can see why Fred was so charismatic on screen!! Thank you for the insight!! Also, thank you for the recommendations :) I will add them to the list :)
@@MoviesWithMia I know you will enjoy them. Both Dames and Gold Diggers have surprisingly feisty, strong female characters for movies with what would now be called sexist titles. They also both have very subversive messages against the wealthy and powerful, like many films made during the depression.
@@MoviesWithMia My Grandad had an old Groucho Marx record. One of the tracks was Omaha Nebraska. Always wanted to see it...
Mia, love your reactions to these classics. These movies are a true escape from the real world. I agree the b & w films have an immense quality that color does not. Keep up the great work. ❤
Thank you, Laura :) thank you for watching :)
Aside from Fred/Ginger movies, you definitely should check it out musicals from the earlier 30s like: 42nd Street (1933) , Dames (1934), Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), Footlight Parade (1933).
two of those feature ginger so they´re really good recommendations after watching this film
Lovely reaction!
And just to make a slight clarification to what you stated early in the video, Rogers and Astaire did do nine films together for RKO. But there are in fact ten starring the duo in total. Ten years after their ninth feature, the two ended up starring in a musical for MGM, "The Barkleys of Broadway" (1949), which originally was set to have Judy Garland opposite Astaire. However, a string of events led to Rogers stepping in, re-teaming with Astaire one last time. It is also the only one of their ten films to be shot in color.
Regarding the lack of awards, 1935 was a rather stacked year for cinema, with the likes of "Mutiny on the Bounty," "The Informer," "Captain Blood," "David Copperfield," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and several other phenomenal features all competing alongside "Top Hat." However, "Top Hat" was indeed nominated for Best Picture (then labeled as Outstanding Production), which is still quite an honor.
I'm sure you'll work your way through the rest of their films together, so I'd instead like to recommend some of their individual movies.
For Rogers, "The Major and the Minor" (1942) is a delightful screwball comedy with a corker of a premise and "Vivacious Lady" (1938) is a sweet rom-com that also stars Jimmy Stewart.
For Astaire, "You Were Never Lovelier" (1942) is a charming romantic comedy that also features Rita Hayworth, who Astaire said was his favorite dance partner.
Wow! Thank you for the insight and the recommendations! I will definitely add those to the list :)
When I read Astaire’s autobiography, he did indeed note Hayworth as his favorite trained partner. But he also went one step further and stated that Judy Garland was his favorite untrained partner!
Since you mentioned Rita Hayworth I would love Mia to react to Cover Girl with her and Gene Kelly. And in the movie Xanadu, Gene Kelly’s character had the same name as his character in Cover Girl
I saw a feature on TCM about Fred Astaire where he consoled Debbie Reynolds who was having a tough time working with Gene Kelly (who could be very demanding) while filming Singing In The Rain. While the cast was gone on lunch break, Fred strolled in and found her sitting under a piano I recall, sobbing a little, depressed, frustrated. Then he had her get out from under there, comforted her some and then went to work with her on several dance steps all while cheering her up, and I think he gave her a few pointers on dealing with Kelly... and it worked! It's been a good while since seeing that so don't quote me! LOL! Saw another bio about Ginger Rogers and how talented of an actress she was in dramas. Also, during all the song & dance movie making they said her feet actually bled sometimes because of the endless hours of rehearsing and filming each day. Another enjoyable reaction! I'll look for your Sound of Music vid. Saw it in 1965 at a Panavision big-screen theater. The outdoor scenes are unforgettable. And like in Casablanca, they're fighting the Nazis again! Christopher Plummer recently died, and although he'd been in many TV shows since 1953, it was 1965s Sound of Music I believe made him into a very popular movie star.
Oh wow! One more reason why I am falling in love with Fred Astaire! Thank you for all of the insight :)
That's interesting because I read that Fred could be quite hard on his dance partners as well and the main reason he liked working with Ginger was because she was the only one who could handle his perfectionist attitude and didn't cry
@@mikesgirl8304 Could be. This was a feature about Debbie Reynolds so they didn't go into Astaire much.
I watch this movie every Chritsmas (don't know why at that time of the year) and I LOVE how you fangilr over it!! I feel like someone can watch old movies and enjoy them in all their wonderfulness as I do. It makes me so happy XD
Blessings from Spain XD
As far as I know the only Astaire-Rogers movie to get a high definition blu ray release in the U.S. is 'Swing Time'. That's a really good one, too (it has 'Pick Yourself Up' which is one of my favorite numbers) - but I'm waiting (and hoping) for 'Top Hat'. Maybe one day...sigh.
I grew up watching these films on television. It's lovely to see new generations discover them, especially folks as enthusiastic as you are.
Too many studios have forgotten how much impact can be gotten from understated techniques. Today's blockbusters just don't capture the imagination of these classics.
One of the best compliments I ever heard regarding a performer was given to Ginger Rogers, that she did everything Fred Astaire did, but in high heels, and backwards. Fred had many dance partners during his career, including the fabulous Cyd Charisse, but no one ever sparked the public's imagination the way Ginger did.
Have you seen any films choreographed by Busby Berkley? He was an innovative choreographer with great vision. He developed the style of choreography that formed complex patterns when filmed from above, a technique easily recognized when used in more recent films.
Oh how lovely!! Yes! I wish more people would talk about these classic films!! Ginger Rogers was magnificent!! And yes I have seen a Busby Berkeley film, in fact my first one this past weekend during our MWM live!! We watched Dames! It was fantastic!! Thanks so much for your comment 😁
Hi im 74 live in Australia in the 50's they would play all these old movies on Sunday morning loved them then and still do Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn movies also great together in "Bring up Baby" 1938 and the "The Philadelphia Story"1940 thank you for showing old movies.
Hi Steve!! That is so cool that you are from Australia!! Thank you for watching :)
Sundays are the BEST days for watching movies 😊 I am so glad that you are enjoying the videos :) also, I have Bringing up baby on the schedule! Thank you so much for recommending :)
In my book, Fred Astaire is my favorite entertainer of the 20th century. The best songwriters then--Gershwin, Berlin, et al--wanted Fred to introduce their best songs! He's versatile: good actor, singer, dancer supreme...
Follow The Fleet is not Fred and Ginger's greatest film, but it does contain their most beautiful musical sequence, ""Let's Face The Music And Dance".
Let’s Face The Music And Dance is absolute favorite Fred & Ginger dance scene, it’s sublime ✨✨✨
My favorite Fred Astaire film is from the 1950s: Daddy Long Legs, with Leslie Caron. There’s a fabulous song a dance duet called Something’s Gotta Give.
Great reaction! I love Fred Astaire so much that I’ve got a cat named after him. A tuxedo, of cause. And yes there’s a ginger too, but nobody asks a 17 year old red haired mouse catcher to dance backwards and in heels… 😂😂
I have seen “Top Hat” at least 100 times. I love the fact that you enjoyed it. Your comments are insightful and very enjoyable. I have enjoyed most movies from the 30s and 40s. Keep your interest, especially introducing that interest to the next generation.
They did have dubbing technology by this time (needing to record music "live" on set lasted only through the first few years of the sound era). Fred Astaire was just very good at making the singing look real -- probably he sang for real during filming (even if we can't hear it) to make it look real.
And yes, in all these old B&W musicals there would always be a big set with a polished floor to dance on. And between takes, minions would have to rush in and polish it all up again, every time.
One of my favorite things in this movie is our first view of "Venice," with rows of shiny new Art Deco buildings lined up by the canals -- which are neat and clean enough for bathing beauties to swim in. So (deliberately) hilarious!
I LOVE that you are getting familiar with 1930s movies. My dad was born in 1920 and mom in 1930. I was raised on watching these movies and it’s my favorite movie era. My mom was a seamstress, so every time we’d watch a movie, she’d always point out the costumes/dresses and tell me how she thinks that were sewn.
Also, movies before 1935 were pre-code. There are actually some with brief nudity. The early 1930s movies are much grittier and touched on drug use, child neglect, abuse, etc. Then came the 40s-50s that were all sugar-coated and censored (still good though).
Also, YES, love the Art Deco of the 30s.
I recommend looking for Busby Berkeley movies. Golddiggers of 1933 (and 35 or 37) with Ginger Rogers.
To me the funniest Fred and Ginger movie is Carefree. It's the one for me when Ginger gets to be funny and it's not only Fred being witty
Also Fred hated the dress in cheek to cheek. The feathers came off and kept making him sneeze
That is hilarious 😆 yeah that dress was shedding all over the place, but the way it moved was so beautiful and I absolutely loved it!!!
Also, thank you for your recommendation I will definitely add it to the list :)
A dress which Ginger designed, herself. :)
I'm so happy to have found this channel, since I LOVE classic movies, and they definitely don't get enough appreciation these days! My favorite Astaire/Rogers film is Swing Time. I hope you will get to that one at some point! Another great one that I think you would enjoy is Easter Parade starring Fred Astaire and Judy Garland.
One of the things that many musicals of this era did was work entertainers into their plot. So when a character suddenly broke into song and dance, it was because that was their profession. Some numbers moved the plot along; others were simply parts of the "show within a show," and others did both jobs.
The concept that regular folks- ranch hands, salesgirls, average folks from the street- would break into song and dance in moments of heightened emotions, then go back to normal: that took over musicals a bit later. But during this age of movie musicals, they usually "cheated," and made performance a part of the plot and characters, just to give them an excuse to sing and dance for our entertainment. And it worked! :)
Thank you so much for reacting to movies of this silver era. So few reactors go this far back, but as you have come to discover: so many treasures to be found here! I look forward to seeing more of your reactions to classic films.
(Edit: before any fellow Musical Theatre History geeks come at me- the actual history of musicals on stage and screen is more nuanced and complex than what I said. But by and large, I feel it is accurate, as far as it goes, for a TH-cam comment. I'm not gonna type in the complete history from Gilbert&Sullivan to Lin-Manuel Miranda...)
Wonderful reaction! I was "squeeing" at all the same scenes you were. Thanks for reviewing all these 30s-60s classics!
Oh I absolutely adored this film! It felt classic, yet timeless! Fred and Ginger had such a wonderful chemistry in both dancing and acting! So much fun to watch :)
Ughh I’m obsessed with Fred and ginger, other movies recommendations of theirs are “shall we dance”, “story of Vernon and Irene castle”and my Personal favorite, “swing time”✨
why does no one mention my favorite: flying down to Rio?
Going to the movies in the 30's...the audience wore their Sunday best.
Man that would have been a spectacle to behold!
Great commentary on the great musical film masterpiece Top Hat 1935.
I think it is one of the best films of the great couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
The film is very well directed by the great director Mark Sandrich, in addition to the great dance numbers, it is a great comedy with a great script and very good performances from the entire cast, it has incredible sets of the city of Venice.
I think it is a movie worth seeing for all fans of classic musical cinema.
The truth is that I have always been a great fan of the great musical films of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
Oh yeah I absolutely agree with you :) this was such a well-directed, well-acted, sung, and danced film! Fred Astaire has such a natural grace for screen! This was definitely one of my favorites :)
Best musical of all time. My favorite Astaire-Rogers movie. Thumbs up!
Of course Fred Astaire is known as one of the (if not THE) greatest dancers in film history, but check out what the immortal Tony Bennett said about his SINGING (from the liner notes of his 1993 Fred Astaire tribute album "Steppin' Out"):
"America in the 20's, 30's and 40's, blessed with a brotherhood of composers, experienced a renaissance of magnificent songs. Ira and George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin all penned songs for Broadway shows that left the public walking on air, humming and whistling tunes that they instinctively knew would last forever. Although these American songs were recorded and performed by some of the greatest artists in the history of entertainment, as far as these composers were concerned, there was only one particular performer who could best introduce their songs. His name was Fred Astaire. The dancer, in his top hat and tails, had the magic touch. He would impart his charm and class into each one of these musical masterpieces, his sense of elegance permeating the hearts and minds of the American public. If the composer wrote a gem, Astaire would hone it into a diamond." Whoa!
Such a beautiful quote. Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Berlin... what music!
To answer your question about dubbing, yes they had the technology; in fact the on-set microphones usually weren't very good, so the singing would almost always be dubbed afterwards. Not only that, on Astaire's pictures the floor mics were too weak to pick up the taps, so he would go into a recording booth and re-record his own taps; then either he or his dance assistant Hermes Pan would record Ginger's taps, sometimes they would do it wearing heels for the sake of authenticity XD
So glad you discovered the great legend who was Fred Astaire - he was phenomenal, multi-threat with countless talents though his main one was obviously dance.
In his autobiography, Fred wrote about how during his Broadway career, he had the idea for the 'machine gun' male chorus dance in the middle of the night and started blocking it out using an umbrella for a cane in his hotel room, waking up his sister (who was then his dance partner) in the next room - all of which inspired several scenes in this movie
Fun fat. Fred Astaire hated feathers dresses and Ginger Rogers loved feather dresses. it became A joke on sat where Ginger Rogers bought Fred Astaire a feathered pen and Fred Astaire change the words of dancing cheek to cheek two (feathers I see feathers.”
I took a class on musicals at community college years ago and this was one of the movies that we watched. I really liked it!
Interesting tidbit our teacher pointed out: Lucille Ball has a small role as the woman at the flower shop that the owner has a conversation with about Dale and Bedini. You can't see her whole face and she has blonde hair, but that's Lucy.
You’ve picked up everything I’ve always loved about Fred and Ginger. Best movie couple x
Another Astaire/Rodgers film I love and reccomend is Swingtime.
I love the Nelson Eddy / Jeanette MacDonald musicals and reccomend you watch them.
Love your channel.
Thank you for recommending! I will definitely check those out! And I am so glad you are enjoying the channel 😊
Hi Mia, LOVE that you're so into this wonderful musical. Hoping this will draw you into what is really my most favorite Astaire/Rogers film, Swing Time.
It doesn't have Fred Astaire, but if you want to see more Ginger Rogers, look up Lady in the Dark. Last I checked it's free on TH-cam (can't get it anywhere, believe me I tried). She fantastic in it, the dancing is great, and the costumes by Edith Head are to die for, especially one that was considered the most expensive costume of its time, and one of the most expensive costumes in movie history (not including now, I think). Here's a hint: it's red and brown.
Also, White Christmas is another good one, especially for the holidays. It also has one of my favorite all-time costumes: Vera- Ellen's soft pink dress at the beginning of the film. I adore how it flows when she dances.
Some other 1930s musicals to check out: some other Fred and Ginger movies are: "The Gay Divorcee", "Swing Time" and "Shall We Dance": "Rosalie", "The Broadway Melody of 1936" and "The Broadway Melody of 1940" staring Elenor Powell who is considered by many to be one of the greatest female tap dancers to ever live; Also, "42nd Street" is a showcase of the huge spectacle musicals common of the time; ""Gold Diggers of 1933" is choreographed by the legendary Bubsy Berkeley who specifically filmed spectacle numbers just for the camera.
Thank you for your recommendations :) I will DEFINITELY be checking out more of Fred and Ginger’s films!!!
Hey Mia, have you seen this adorable dance number yet?? A real classic…
th-cam.com/video/2QboC9Dldk4/w-d-xo.html
I think it was an escape, a fantasy world that just let you forget all the real world for a bit. Great reaction here.
I totally agree with you :) Thank you for watching :)
This is one of my go to movies to cheer me up when I'm feeling low. A movie that was made to cheer up people during the Depression works pretty well. 😉
Edward Everett Horton was a wonderful character actor known to my generation as the narrator of "Fractured Fairy Tales" in Rocky & Bullwinkle. Helen Broderick was the mother of Broderick Crawford who won an Oscar for "All The Kings Men."
Those dresses of Ginger Rodgers were magnificent. The last one was covered in Swarovski crystal and weighed somewhere north of 70 lbs. Imagine dancing while carrying that much weight.
Your's is the first reaction I've seen to a classic Astaire and Rogers film. Keep it up!
This is one of my favorite movies. Whenever I'm down it can bring me up. The artistry of Astaire was incomparable. And, Ginger Rodgers was pretty good.
Great reaction! I I'll recommend a few musicals to you. Gold Diggers of 1933 - an epic pre-code musical, amazing Busby Berkeley numbers (some pretty sexy) with a very young Dick Powell & Joan Blondell. Babes On Broadway - another fabulous musical with great energy and tons of famous artists in their youth starring Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland. And a completely different Musical - Beyond The Valley of The Dolls (1969) - Roger Ebert (It's screenwriter) called it 'A Camp Sexploitation Horror Musical that climaxes with a quadruple murder and a triple wedding!' fab music, costumes, hair a parody/satire of overwrought hollywood melodramas played totally straight.
Thank you for watching :) and thank you for your recommendations :) I will add them to the list :)
a glamorous and enthralling depression-era diversion top hat is nearly flawless with acrobatics by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that make the hardest physical stunts seem light as air, TOP HAT (1935) 100/100% Certified Approved ☑️ Jerry Travers: 🎵Heaven Im in Heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak and I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek🎵
I've only just discovered your channel and its been so entertaining to see someone go through the same emotions and excitement discovering these golden age movies that I did! 😄
If I could recommend some films similar to this, there are two films with Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth called "you'll never get rich" and "you were never lovelier" which I adore and want to share with the world 😂
Also Rita's most famous film, 1946 film noir "Gilda" which has some amazing songs in it too. Also I want her black dress almost as much as I want Gingers feathery dress in this movie 😂
Even as late as the 60s, "Making love," especially in movies & tv, meant basically "making out."
The flowing dress is probably because it has been 'cut on the cross' or bias which is also favoured by some modern designers of haute coutour.
considering movie tickets were 25 cents, a million dollars was a staggering attendance box office. The media, including music, movies, theatre, and press are so filled with invented escapist glamor . So much of the music in this era was beautifully recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennet during their careers furthering the timeless and eternal character of this art. It is the American Songbook
Just discovered your channel. Very much enjoying it! BTW, in case no one yet has mentioned it, did you catch Lucille Ball as a flower clerk in the scene you referenced around 11:40?
One small thing regarding the box office of old movies, they don't have total gross like we do today, most of the time the number available is 'rentals' which is basically the distributors (studios) cut from the total gross, or sometimes even the profit the studio made on the film.
If you are into Pre Code films , you already love Ginger Rogers and Edward Everett Horton ( the king of the double take ) ….the partnership with Astaire and their extraordinary dancing took it to stellar levels. The art design, the rich black and white and sophistication was so cool !
Also the great songs and cute love story !
Loveeee Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers💖
Devling into one of your oldies! Your print is much better than mine, jeez! The sound on mine is terrible! One of my favorite musicals from the 30s is "42nd Street" which has some amazing Busby Berkeley numbers. And even though it's not really a musical, "San Francisco" is fantastic. (it has a musical element to it, but it's more of a disaster movie! Amazing!).
Hi Mia, I enjoy your channel! I am a Tap Dancer myself so I recognize the steps!
Hi 👋🏽! Wow! That is awesome! I love to watch tap dancing! It’s one of my favorite forms of dance! I am sure it takes a lot of practice and work! That is amazing 😊
A few years later Ginger Rogers starred in one of my favorite screwball comedies, "Bachelor Mother", with David Niven and Charles Coburn. Hilarious !
In the 30's the movies were an escape from the daily troubles and struggles of real life....
Think I'll watch this. . . I've seen it, before, but now I'm craving a straight through in its entirety. Thanks!
Yay! It was a fantastic watch!!
My father in law had money during the early 1930's, and he owned a top hat and tails. He went out on the town (NYC) dressed up. After he married my mother in law, his money had to go towards his new family, so the top hat got put away. We found that top hat after he died.
Love the comments about Astaire's first film audition. "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little...."
Wild, right? And now he's a legend! An incredible performer! Definitely one of my favorite actors!
I love your reaction. Gingers ostrich dress was actually dyed light blue. Actually the dress she'd on Fred's tux and everyone wanted her to wear another dress. Ginger locked herself in her trailer until she got what she wanted. Thankfully for us Because I couldn't imagine her in any other dress.
Merry Christmas 2023 dear Mia, I have already seen this reaction at the time, but I return to this channel many times, like the thirsty man to the oasis.
Merry Christmas to you too, Jesús 🎁🎄
@@MoviesWithMia Your channel is our gift.
If you look at the films of the 1930's it's pure escapism in huge part because of depression. You bought a ticket for the movies and went in and forgot about your troubles for an hour or so. Well probably actually more like an afternoon because back then they had live acts and music and a B movie with the main feature.
Oh yeah I absolutely agree with you! Even as I watch them today, I feel lost in another time! 30's era films are definitely my favorite!!
The first film they starred together in was Flying Down To Rio but they were not the main leads but they stole the film with the audience when they first danced together and people wanted more so Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were teamed up and they did do 10 films together 9 with RKO Studios and there only one in colour for MGM. The films go as follows Flying Down To Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow The Fleet, Shall We Dance, Swing Time, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle which were RKO and MGM The Barkleys of Broadway which was their last film where Ginger Rogers insisted they danced to You Can't Take That Away from me as she never got the chance to do in the film Shall We Dance. So glad that you are loving these old films and appreciate the hard work that went into them. The late Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Fred Astaire as he took some influences from the musical Band Wagon which was one of many for Mr Astaire outside his partnership with Ginger Rogers for his music video Smooth Criminal.
This movie is why Fred and Ginger are a legendary dancing team. And you'll need to watch "Easter Parade" eventually for more Fred Astaire. 🥰
P.S. Don't know if someone has told you the story of that Ginger Rogers dress that you loved yet? Ginger helped design that dress herself with all of these feathers that she knew would look beautiful during the dance. But, the feathers also shed constantly so, Astaire was getting feathers all in his eyes, in his mouth, and all over his suit all throughout the number. So he got really mad at Ginger about insisting on that dress 'cause it was just so annoying. But, after he saw the movie, he told her she had been right about the dress all along and gave her a little feather charm as a present.
In an older doc, I understood that Astaire insisted each feather be sewn down, so they wouldn’t come off (and into his mouth/face).
Haha.. seeing how much you're getting into this film, I'm thinking you're definitely going to have to review White Christmas in December.
Oh will do! Sounds like a fun one!
I hope I'm not making too many comments, but I'm writing them as I go along... as I listen to you urging younger viewers to check out these old B&W films, I'm remembering a time during the early 90s when I went skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado with a group of co-workers. Except I didn't ski, so while everyone else was out on the slopes, I wandered around town and eventually rented a movie to watch... What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? with Joan Crawford and Betty Davis. It was about halfway through and getting really juicy when everyone straggled in from the slopes, and at first, they just scoffed at me watching this old black and white movie. How boring, right? But if you've ever seen this movie... well, I won't spoil it for you if you haven't but suffice it to say that, one by one, they would stop in their tracks and watch a scene, then silently sink down onto the couch or a chair, and soon everyone was watching, completely enthralled. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.
I love reading your comments!
Oh wow! I love how one-by-one, your co-workers were entranced by What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? By the way you’re describing it, it seems like a interesting movie! I’ll definitely have to check it out :) thank you for sharing that story!
“Baby Jane” is a black comedy classic!
CBS tv Charles Kuralt did Astaire’s obituary for Sunday Morning. Over a clip from Top Hat, “ we knew he really wasn’t the Prince of Wales bu if he had said so we would have believed him.” Kuralt added,”This was a man exempt from gravity.” He added that at the time men were expected to wear white tie and tails nod this was a mapilfered have
I've seen most of all of these old movies when i was a kid. (yes im old) our first tv
Everything was black and white. I still love them and glad you do too! I love him and Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.
P.S. mutiny on the bounty won the oscar that year.....Great movie!!
I love Fred with my whole heart and it's always so pleasing to see someone falling in love with him! Every time he shows up I'm like "isn't he a cutie???? Can she see how much of a cutie he is?????? She can. Nice."
Great reaction! And great channel, I just discovered it a few days ago and have been having fun watching your reactions. You might like watching "Bachelor Mother" with Ginger Rogers and David Niven. It is not a musical, but it is a very funny screwball comedy from 1939.
Thank you for watching! I am glad you are enjoying the videos! Also, thank you for the recommendation! I will add them to the list :)
I enjoy watching you discover these films. It is thrilling to see younger people enjoy the great films made before 1970.
Some info- the feather dress causes a lot of issues because the feathers would fly off and stick to Fred's tux and everything else. The Venice set stretched through two or three interconnecting sound stages at the back of RKO (now Paramount). As for it not winning Oscars, remember that the 5 or 6 major studios made 40 to 50 films a year so there was a lot of competition. Plus RKO was a "smaller major" studio and the bigger ones tended to dominate the awards in the early days.
Please watch His Girl Friday and It Happened One Night. And keep up the good work!
Hi John :) I am so happy that you enjoy the videos :) Thank you for sharing that insight! I thought the Venice set was absolutely gorgeous and the fact that they were able to achieve that is completely astonishing! Also, thank you for your recommendations! I will add them to the list! :)
It's great you can appreciate all these old movies. People went every week to the movies. They didn't have to be reminded of the Depression. They wanted to escape into a wonderland of rich and beautiful people having fun.
Another great reaction, Mia! There is a connection between this movie and the film "The Green Mile," Which is itself another excellent film base on a Stephen King novel. If you liked Fred Astaire's moves here, I think you'd really enjoy Gene Kelly in the color classic musical "Singing In The Rain." Great job -- once again!
Thank you, Glenn :) and I cannot wait to watch Singin in the Rain!!!!!
Also, someone else brought up The Green Mile! I have seen lots of scenes from that film, but I’ve not seen it all the way through! So cool that they used that scene in the movie!!!
Since you mentioned you like to find popular songs that originally came from an "old" movie, you might want to check out "Dames" (1934). A song originating from this movie "I Only Have Eyes For You" has been covered by the likes of The Flamingoes, Art Garfunkel and Michael Bublé. Since "Dames" is one of those Busby Berkeley big production dance movies, the song is treated with a big production.
BTW, a movie I had mentioned before, "The Gold Diggers of 1933" has Ginger Rogers singing "We're In the Money" in pig Latin.
Okay definitely have to check that out!! Because I LOVE “I Only Have Eyes For You” it was in A Bronx Tale which one of my favorites!!
Apparently, they both hated that dress, because they both ended up with feathers in their mouths. Rogers once made the point, "I don't know why they make such a big deal out of (Astaire). I did everything he did, but backwards, and in heels."
Love your reaction! Fred and Ginger are my ultimate favourite dance couple, they're just so brilliant together. The media back then liked to portray them as being at odds with each other, because Fred was a known perfectionist (once, Ginger danced until her feet bled). Also, because they didn't kiss in any of their RKO movies, which was at the request of Fred's wife. (They did kiss in The Barkleys of Broadway, maybe because after 10 years Mrs. Astaire had gotten over any jealousy?) Another little tidbit from Top Hat: I can never hear "Cheek to Cheek" without hearing "Feathers, it's all feathers" instead, because Fred absolutely despised that wonderful feather dress (chosen by Ginger), which had the unfortunate habit of shedding feathers *everywhere*. Ever after he called Ginger "Feathers" and even gave her a silver feather as a momento.
Actually, they did kiss several times, but as a joke or plot contrivance, not to mention Fred's secret kiss in "Carefree" just out of sight of the camera! They kissed numerous times in "Barkley's" - I guess maybe Phyllis had given up by then.
Fred and Ginger have always been my heart.
Love your enthusiasm. Can't wait for The Sound of Music, I first saw it as a small child when it was released.
Thank you 😊 I am LOVING The Sound of Music so far!!
Warner Brothers had a competing series of musicals during this time period, such as "42nd Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933". They are different in that they actively comment on the Depression, and have elaborate choreography by Busby Berkeley. Worth a look!
Also, Ginger's feather dress deserves its own credit!
Wow I think this was your best review to date. Yes everything in this movie was perfect. I was going to comment how the La LA Land number was an homage to the Isn't it a Lovely Day number, but you beat me to it.
2 things you didn't mention:
- One of the hallmarks of the Astaire/Rogers films are how funny the supporting players are, like Edward Everett Horton.
- This was a score by Irving Berlin, probably America's best composer. After all he wrote White Christmas and God Bless America.
Two other F&G movies are Swing Time (Jerome Kern score) and Shall We Dance (George Gershon score).
Future recommendations: A Warner Bros. musical like 42nd Street. Unlike other glossy studios, Warner Bros. were realistic and gritty and dealt with the Great Depression. And they were all directed by Busby Berkeley, with all those overhead shots of dancers making geometric shapes!
Max Steiner also did Gone With The Wind. Talk about a titan for film composers. So many iconic scores.
Swing Time is another fantastic Fred/Ginger movie. It probably has some of their most iconic dance routines in it. I'm a fan of this movie, and I love Fred Astaire too. But I wish his film's plots made a bit more sense😅. They are screwball slapstick ofc. I always have to remember for the time they came out, the 30s-40s during the Great Depression and war, they gave people comfort and escaped, which they needed. Great review 👍
Yes! I truly fell in love with Fred Astaire in this film! He has a sort of swagger that comes with self-confidence and I just loved watching him dance!
@@MoviesWithMia Truly one of a kind. I know he put it in his will to never have a film done on his life, since no film could ever capture him accurately. But he's so fascinating. Dancing is something I wish I was good at😅
There's a documentary from the 80s in which Ginger says she designed that ostrich feather dress. Fred was upset because the feathers kept flying off and onto his tux, but as she said, "I had designed the dress, and I was going to wear it!" She also said, "I DEFY you to see any feathers flying onto his tuxedo." Not that it didn't happen, but it's hard to see.
Your fangirling is how I watch this movie too! 😅 For another Fred and Ginger I would recommend Roberta, which I feel is generally overlooked. It also stars Irene Dunne and Randolph Scott alongside Fred and Ginger so we have two romances going on! It has some of my favourite numbers and the clothes are divine.
For something more serious and not a musical but still a huge, art deco triumph, look up Grand Hotel if you haven't already seen it. One of the most stacked casts of all time!
Thank you for the recommendations! I will definitely check those out :)
One interesting note, the girl in the flower shop (not in this clip) was Lucille Ball.
A great movie 🎥
The films were a treasure of the 30s and we see that in the Woody Allen film 'The Purple Rose of Cairo' - even just 90 minutes of being able to forget your troubles and loose yourself in the world of the movie you're seeing, even if it's just through seeing people in elegant apartments and beautiful clothes
I absolutely agree with you :)
@@MoviesWithMia Yes! I was going to comment that 'Purple Rose of Cairo' is, in part, a loving tribute to the escapist Hollywood movies of the 30's like 'Top Hat'. If you haven't seen it, I bet you'd really like it! (It is one of my favorites!)
I refurbished a family turntable, and your review of this film inspired me to to buy the vintage 45 rpm vinyl record with the song, Cheek to Cheek. 🥰
Oh wow! That is amazing! I am honored to have one of the videos inspire you to get that vinyl record! Cheek to cheek is such a great song! Thank you so much for watching 😊