Fred and Ginger - in order

[Rita Hayworth]

I've never seen a little Shirley Temple film, shock horror. Although she's famous and I've known who she was since I was small I just haven't watched one. I have seen The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer and Fort Apache but these aren't in the same vain. Maybe I should, child star's really my cup of tea but now I'm curious.

This surprises me ... with your vast (utterly) knowledge of movies ... I was shocked to read this CCFan!

[charliechaplinfan]

I do have huge gaps, Shirley being one, in fact children centred films in general, I've just never been a fan, so I've never seen Lassie or even National Velvet. I will look out for some Shirley though.

I don't completely get the Marx Brothers either, it's shameful

[JackFavell]

I admire your frankness! Not everyone is drawn to them.

[movieman1957]

Allison:

The Marx Brothers are very much you love or hate them. Most people don't follow with "they're okay." The Bride will seldom watch a whole film with me but there are times when she'll hang around for parts and she'll enjoy it.

For "foreigners" wooing Ginger it must be somewhere in that they are easy, in 1930's terms, to make out a nerd or stuffy may be the better term and their being non American makes it easier to cheer for Fred. Stick Allan Jones (Marx Bros romantic lead) in there and Fred still wins but Allan is more likable than any well of those other guys.

[knitwit45]

Alison, watch Heidi. My favorite of all her movies, she isn't tooo sweet, just a precious little girl caught up in circumstances beyond her control. The very last scene of the movie, she turns to the camera and gives the best smile I've ever seen. I grew up watching Heidi every Christmas, our grade school had a copy of the film and ran it just before Christmas break. I have my own copy now, and it's a must to start off Christmas.

[JackFavell]

Oh no! "grandfather.... grandfather...." waaaaah! Heidi is my cut off point for Shirley.

I like Cap'n January, and Litttle Miss Marker, and I have Wee Willie Winkie to watch, which I am pretty sure was my favorite as a kid.

[charliechaplinfan]

I love the story Heidi, I'll look out for it. I'm sure I will appreciate her.

I don't know whether I've tried to watch the wrong Marx Brothers as a starting point, A Night at the Opera and Animal Crackers are the two I've tried. One day I hope to appreciate them, I don't know what it is, they don't tickle my sides like Laurel and Hardy and I'm not filled with the same admiration as I am with Buster and Charlie. I do intend try them again.

[knitwit45]

I'm a "they are ok....in clips or 30 second bursts" kind of girl. I much prefer less out of control comedy, I always feel like someone's mother should put those boys to bed with no supper.....

[charliechaplinfan]

Ah Nancy, you've made me feel better about it.

[knitwit45]

Most die hard fans of the "boys" don't understand how we non-enthusiasts can just shrug our shoulders and move on. Our Chris is the exception (but I bet he shakes his head when reading things like this)

[ChiO]

My head is shaking so hard that it's rattling (so what else is new, you might ask). I never tire of DUCK SOUP and MONKEY BUSINESS. And never, ever, ever tire of Groucho.

Comedy is so personal. You see, the next time I smile during a Keaton movie will be the first time. I must be the Devil incarnate. C'est la vie.

[knitwit45]

I've been away from home most of the day, and have thought several times about my feelings towards "The Boys". I absolutely LOVE Groucho's one line zingers, but not to sit and watch an entire movie of theirs. As you say, O, "C'est la vie".

[charliechaplinfan]

My hubby does not get Buster and can't understand what I like but then he doesn't get the Marx Brothers either, for some people there is no hope

[charliechaplinfan]

Shall We Dance this time the Gershwin's wrote the sound track including some of their timeless classics including one of my favourites They Can't Take That Away From Me. My DVD has a lovely introduction with Ava Astaire MacKenzie in which she says of Hermes Pan working with a pianist trying to work out dances for the score shaking his head and telling the pianist that he just can't work with this music only to find out later that the pianist was George Gershwin himself. Well thankfully they did find a way to work with the music, only this time there aren't as many joint dances but what there are are special.

Directed once again my Mark Sandrich and featuring Edward Everett Horton and Eric Blore and including some of the best exchanges between them and one of the most delightful entanglements, we are back at the Gay Divorcee with confusion about marital status, this time caused by Horton's impressario and Astaire himself the rumour goes around that Astaire/Petrov is married to Linda/Rogers resulting in tooing and froing and an eventual marriage so that Ginger can divorcee him as no one believes them to be unmarried.

Fred is excrutiating when he plays Petrov when he first meets Linda, he is of course American but playing Russian, a joke on the fashion of the time for ballet dancers to have Russian names. When she finds out she is first cross then melts and starts seeing Petrov then is cross again when their false marriage is leaked. The backwards and forwards of this romance is punctuated by such numbers as I've Got Beginners Luck, Slap That Bass sat in the engine room, They All Laughed sang by Ginger and then danced wonderfully with Fred, the irrespressible Let's Call The Whole Thing Off danced on roller skates, it's quite a number and topped off with the romantic They Can't Take That Away From Me and the showstopper Shall We Dance danced with lots of Ginger masks.

This is another great teaming, there really isn't much in between the musicals to seperate them in terms of which is best, I think it depends on my mood and whose songs I feel like listening to. This is a great film in the Astaire/Rogers cannon, probably the longest but doesn't feel like it. They have really honed their partnership and I find myself getting sad that I am nearly at the end of the journey, what a shame they split up the partnership, I wonder why? Fred was never as seductive and romantic, the nearest to the sexiness displayed with Ginger comes for me only with Cyd Charisse, there's plenty of comedy in Fred's other outings and many pleasant and good partnerships but he never matched the magic with Ginger.

Edward Everett Horton, he did have some roles as good and has a range as an actor but for me he is forever Fred's stooge, often in place as an impressario but often a buffoon holding his position because of Fred's talent and his own kind nature.

Fred, Ginger, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Hermes Pan, Jerome Kern, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore et all it just doesn't get better than these movies and music

[JackFavell]

I like all the numbers in Shall We Dance except the final one with the masked Gingers. This of course leads to me not liking the movie quite as much as the others, but it will do, and how! roller skates is the best.