The Band Wagon (1953)

The Band Wagon
Directed by Vicente Minnelli
Written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
1953/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/from my DVD collection
#266 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

[box] Stagehand: You got more scenery in this show than there is in Yellowstone National Park![/box]

I have loved this movie for decades.  Yesterday’s viewing did nothing to change my opinion.

Tony Martin (Fred Astaire) is an aging dancer who has been called back to New York from Hollywood by his friends Lester Martin (Oscar Levant) and his wife Lily (Nanette Fabray) who have written a musical for him to star in. Lester and Lily are thrilled that Jeffrey Kordova (Jack Buchanan) is interested in directing the play.  Jeffrey is an obvious take off on the Orson Wells type who is directing three shows on Broadway while starring in one of them.

Jeffrey envisions the simple plot of Lester and Lily’s play about a children’s book writer as a modern-day version of the Faust legend.  He decides to get prima ballerina Gabrielle Gerard (Cyd Charisse) on board by engaging her boyfriend as choreographer.  Tony has grave misgivings about Jeffrey’s approach and thinks Gabrielle is too young and too tall to be his partner.  But Jeffrey has organized the money and Tony, Lester, and Lily are helpless to resist.

The musical moves into production.  Rehearsals are full of tension.  Jeffrey has loaded up the show with so many gimmicks and so much scenery that the out-of-town tryouts are a disaster.  But the show must go on and, with Tony at the helm, Lester and Lily’s original version is resurrected.

I have always thought the comedy in this film was almost equal to Singin’ in the Rain.  I just love Jack Buchanan who manages to play the egomaniac director to perfection while retaining the ability to do a mean soft shoe.  The fund-raising scene is hilarious.  You are going to get a lot of dancing in a musical with Fred Astaire and I think it is well-incorporated into the plot.  Recommended.

The Band Wagon was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay; Best Costume Design, Color; and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYSg5o-N0aI

Trailer

Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan doing the soft shoe