Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie's plot.

You may not believe it, but it's true. There were several, actually, and depended mostly on how Busby got along with the main director. Mark Sandrich got along better with Hermes Pan, who ended up doing the choreography on most of Sandrich's films.

What? You've never heard of Mark Sandrich? Well, have you heard the song, "Dancing Cheek to Cheek?" How about the holiday tradition "White Christmas?" Both of those were feature songs in Sandrich films. He also got along extremely well with both Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, directing them in Top Hat where the feather-shedding gown Ginger wore in Dancing Cheek to Cheek earned her the Astaire-given nickname of "feathers."

Mark also directed them in Shall We Dance? featuring the George and Ira Gershwin tune "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Do you realize that they don't write timeless music like that anymore? He directed the superbly talented dancing pair in Carefree featuring the Berlin melody "Change Partners and Dance With Me."

His fondness for Claudette Colbert showed brilliantly in his lost masterpiece Skylark in 1941. Claudette starred with Ray Milland in one of the all time great sophisticated comedies that somehow (the start of WW II?) didn't survive to appear on video. I've watched for it to appear on the classic TV channels, but without success. I'm afraid that there may be no intact masters still remaining, and that is truly a great loss. He directed Colbert in her powerful and moving tribute to WWII nurses, So Proudly We Hail, which was his last significant achievement.

Fred Astaire stars as Seaman Bake Baker, pursuing dancer Ginger Rogers and performing some of their best dance numbers, courtesy of Hermes Pan. Astaire is one of Hollywood's all time grand gentlemen, faithful in marriage and exemplary in personal behavior. He was widowed in 1954 after fathering two children. He was so in love with his wife that he didn't marry again until 1980. In some unexplainable manner, his personal ethic showed clearly in his movie roles no matter how flippant his character was.

Astaire spoke for me when he said, on modern movies, "They tend to overdo the vulgarity. I'm not embarrassed by the language itself, but it's embarrassing to be listening to it, sitting next to perfect strangers." Now, that is a real gentleman! He also said, "The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any."

As for his acting, I think of him in such varied films as Finian's Rainbow, On The Beach, and his last role in Ghost Story. As for his dancing, it's self-evident in this movie, and further described by the tribute given by world famous Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov when he said, "I have been invited to say something about how dancers feel about Fred Astaire. It's no secret that we hate him. He gives us complexes because he's too perfect. His perfection is an absurdity."

Bake Baker's girl friend, Sherry Martin, is played with natural ease by Ginger Rogers. She and Astaire made nine films together, for various directors, and earned her recognition as his all-time best dancing partner. Despite her familiarity to audiences as a dancer, she was also one of Hollywood's best actresses, even earning an Oscar for her dynamite performance in Kitty Foyle.

Sherry's sister Connie is played by a young and extrememly lovely Harriet Hilliard. Although most Americans remember her as the smart half of Ozzie and Harriet, she proves in this film that she was capable of being sexy, too. Although the role was originally planned for Irene Dunne, conflicting schedules gave it to Hilliard who was perfect in it.

Connie is, in turn, pursued by Chief Boatswain's Mate Bilge Smith (well, remember this was 1936 and hokey names didn't matter) played by ultra-slick Randolph Scott. This was during the period when Scott and Cary Grant were sharing a bachelor's apartment before they both became full-fledged stars, and both were adept with slick repartee. He had played a few society types before this, and wasn't cast as the ultimate cowboy until much later.

Scott played in two movies with Astaire, who turned out to be one of his three best friends along with Cary Grant and Billy Graham. He was another of the silent gentlemen of Hollywood who, after a failed early marriage, stayed with his second wife for 44 years until his death and fathered two children who never ended up in the tabloids. He was canny in his investments and was described as "immensely wealthy" at the time of his death. His best films (to me) were the wartime Gung Ho and the last film he made in which he starred with long-time friend Joel McCrea, Ride the High Country

The plot is far from Gone With The Wind, but is enough to provide thorough enjoyment anyhow. Bake and Sherry are former dance partners who still love each other and are trying to patch old differences. While this is going on, Bilge is getting his slick feathers trimmed by Connie, who is looking for a husband. In between the fleet coming in and going out and coming back again, Bake gives the crew of his battleship dancing lessons, and he and Sherry do some fantastic production numbers. If, because of his being so thin, you think Astaire was tall, check him out along side 6'4" Randolph Scott!

In addition to being plain old fashioned good entertainment, keep an eye out for a young Lucille Ball, and a young Betty Grable, and a young Tony Martin, and a... but, why don't you just watch for yourself and see how many future stars you can spot (especially in the production numbers with the chorus) along the line. I guarantee you'll have fun doing it! Oh, yeah. In the final dance number Ginger accidentally whacks Fred with the beaded sleeve of her gown with a predictable reaction. Sandrich reshot the scene a full 20 times to try and get the effect of the dance number without the slap, but had to end up using the original shot. It's a doozy!

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12