• The fourth and final film in the series- the best one and the first one with Fred Astaire (probably no coincidence)
  • Frank Morgan (from Wizard of Oz, The Shop Around the Corner and a lot more) with some nice comic relief
  • The premise is basically a mistaken identity love triangle where Astaire’s character gives a fake name (of his buddy) while avoiding creditors.
  • There’s a nice buildup over the course of the film for both the big opening night (all of these films are about the theater of course) and we all want to see Eleanor Powell and Astaire dance together and the film withholds that beautifully (they finally dance together at 67 minutes in)
  • This isn’t Busby Berkeley’s gorgeously choreographed long shots and overheads—these are long takes and camera movements to compliment the two dances- probably the two smoothest that have ever done it
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1940