1.05.2011

roberta


the year: 1935

the genre: musical


the cast: Fred Astaire (Huckleberry Haines); Ginger Rogers (Comtesse Scharwenka); Irene Dunne (Stephanie); Randolph Scott (John Kent); Helen Westley (Roberta / Aunt Minnie)


the plot: Football player John Kent tags along as Huck Haines and the Wabash Indianians travel to an engagement in Paris, only to lose it immediately. John and company visit his aunt, owner of a posh fashion house which is really run by her assistant, Stephanie. There they meet the singer Scharwenka (alias Huck's old friend Lizzie), who gets the band a job. Meanwhile, Madame Roberta passes away and leaves the business to John, who has fallen in love with Stephanie.


don't miss: Huck and Liz's reunion:



watch for: a bleach blonde Lucille Ball as one of the models during the fashion show.


listen for: "You don't appreciate her. I know she seems a little hard and sophisticated, but underneath she's a pearl." "And a pearl so I'm told, is the result of a chronic irritation on an oyster."


did you know: the film was based on the book "Gowns by Roberta". It's my second favorite Astaire/Rogers movie.

3 comments:

Erika said...

Isn't that banjo player the sidekick of Zorro and one of the bubbling bad guys in Babes in Toyland?

Millie Motts said...

Yes! Good catch!

Erika said...

This was a fun movie! Lots of good one-liners. "Clothes should clothe..."

I didn't realize "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was such an old song! I also liked "I Won't Dance" and "You're Lovely to Look At..." I thought at first the soprano was Disney's Snow White, but I guess it was just the voice of the times.