Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)

Broadway Melody of 1940
Directed by Norman Taurog
Written by Leon Gordon and George Oppenheimer from an original story by Jack McGowan and Dore Schary
1940/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Instant Video

[box] When they begin the beguine/ it brings back the sound of music so tender/ it brings back a night of tropical splendor/ it brings back a memory of green — “Begin the Beguine”, lyrics by Cole Porter[/box]

There is some really splendid dancing in Fred Astaire’s only pairing with tapper extraordinaire Eleanor Powell.

Johnny Brett (Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy) are a small-time dance team in New York.  One day Broadway producer Bob Casey (Frank Morgan) spots the pair and decides Johnny is just the dancer to be Clare Bennett’s (Powell) leading man in her new show.  However, there is a classic Hollywood misunderstanding and the call comes to King instead.  Even though Johnny has long loved Clare from afar, he supports King’s good luck 100%, even contributing some dance moves to him.  But King has a bit of an alcohol problem and newly swelled head and Johnny’s friendship is tested to the max.  .

Astaire and Powell are fantastic together and their numbers are really something to see.  Murphy also excels, keeping up with both of them step for step as needed.  Powell, while very pleasant, is no Rogers in the acting department, though, and the script lacks the luster of the Astaire-Rogers classics.

Clip Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell tapping to “Begin the Beguine”