Swing Time

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Swing Time, 1936.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Swing Time, 1936.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Swing Time, 1936.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Swing Time, 1936.

Often cited as the most sublime of all Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance performances, following Fred’s vocal in which the end of their romance and dance partnership is confirmed, choreographed by Hermes Pan to the Jerome Kern tune, Robert Russell Bennett orchestration, in Swing Time, 1936.

A case could be made for this as the best meet-cute in any Astaire/Rogers picture, Fred (as “Lucky”) and Pop (Victor Moore) are down to their last lucky quarter, when they encounter Penny (Ginger) and a policeman (Edgar Dearing), in Swing Time, 1936, script by Howard Lindsay and Allan Scott.

After the Dorothy Fields lyric, the first Astaire and Rogers dance, to a Jerome Kern tune, Fred as Lucky, who has been sandbagging his dance skills, shows her boss (Eric Blore) that Ginger (as Penny) is a great teacher, sidekicks (Victor Moore, Helen Broderick) also inspired, in Swing Time, 1936.

Fred Astaire (as Lucky) has won the contract of bandleader Ricky (Georges Metaxa) in a card game so, despite being rivals over Penny (Ginger Rogers), he is obligated to play Jerome Kern’s pacey Waltz In Swing Time for their audition, a landmark number from Swing Time, 1936.

Dance partners Penny (Ginger Rogers) and Lucky (Fred Astaire) are constrained from confessing their love for each other, Pop (Victor Moore) enlisted as his backstop, lyrics by Dorothy Fields written to Jerome Kern's tune to support the plot point, Ginger's vocal first, George Stevens directing, in Swing Time, 1936.

To prove himself worthy of his fiancee, a dancer tries to make it big, only to fall for his dancing partner in Swing Time (1936). It features the music of Jerome Kern and stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.