Hitchcoc "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," and other Gershwin tunes allow Astaire and Rogers to strut their stuff. These movies are always about an excuse to dance, so this silly plot doesn't really matter. Fred is a ballet instructor who falls in love with Rogers' character and talks her into working for him. At first she isn't impressed but things start to settle. They travel on an ocean liner and someone starts a rumor that they are actually married. She is furious (as she is in just about every one of their films together). They have decided to get married and then divorced, to get the rumors off their backs. There is a silly, contrived scene at the end which doesn't matter because we know they will be back together, no matter what.

jc-osms Another entertaining Fred and Ginger vehicle even if it has one of their more preposterous story lines, which is saying something. This time he's a famous ballet dancer masquerading under a Russian nom-de-plume, I presume for artistic reasons, complete with put-on accent. Thankfully we're spared seeing the great man in tights although it's obvious he's a song and dance man at heart and besides he's determined to charm the leading female revue artist of the day, our Ginger of course, while they're both in Paris.It's not too long though before they're aboard an ocean liner back to New York where their typical on-off-on etc romance finally blossoms just in time for the end titles. Along the way there's much wheeling and dealing in their affairs / affair by a motley selection of interested parties but there's little doubt it'll all come right in the end.The humour here is a little more adult than usual with, whisper it, elements of near-bedroom farce at times and another sub-theme of blending ballet with ballroom dancing seems ahead of its time too. Not that I'm making any great narrative claims for the movie of course, it's still a frothy Fred and Ginger feature after all. The best things about the film are the probably too few dance set-pieces between the stars, the roller-skating routine in particular is a marvel and his "dance with a thousand Gingers" while the fine score by the Gershwin brothers features many of their classic songbook entries. The sets are plush although on the costume front I've seen Ginger in nicer frocks than she wears here. The weirdest scene for me was having Fred dance with a ballet dancer-come-contortionist, not for the first time in one of their movies and some of the humour was a little forced, especially the hotel manager's spelling-bee call from the local jail.Nevertheless, as always it's the song and dance element we look for most in an Astaire and Rogers and both are of top quality in this particular movie.

Michael_Elliott Shall We Dance (1937) *** 1/2 (out of 4) The seventh teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers has him playing a Russian ballet and her a tap-dancer. The two of them really get to know one another while on a boat heading for America but somehow word gets out that they're married, which sets off a firestorm in New York and gives them unwanted attention. SHALL WE DANCE is without question a very good film but there's no doubt that it's lacking some originality. Previous teamings of the two stars pretty much had the same story. They meet. He annoys her. She falls for him. He falls for her. There's a mistake which causes problems. That same story structure is pretty much followed here and there's no question that it's quite predictable by now but at the same time there's no question that the two stars and their supporting players are in fine form and manage to make it work. There are several good moments here but I'd say the highlight is the roller skating sequence where the always impressive duo makes one even more aware of their genius. I'm not sure how long it took them to perfect this dance sequence but it's certainly a very impressive one that ranks among their best work. The Gershwin songs are all pretty good in their one way but "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is certainly the highlight. As I said, both Astaire and Rogers are perfect together as there's never a doubt that their chemistry seems real. Edward Everett Horton is on hand and offers up his usual nice comic timing. SHALL WE DANCE is certainly going to appeal to those fans of Astaire and Rogers even though it does fall short of TOP HAT and SWING TIME.

ackstasis My second film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers {following the magnificent 'Top Hat (1935)'} confirms what I had initially suspected: I don't think I'll ever get sick of these guys! Throughout their careers, the pair co-starred opposite each other on no less than ten occasions, and 'Shall We Dance (1937)' marked their seventh collaboration. Brimming with catchy, stupendously-entertaining musical numbers, and a lightweight screwball storyline highlighted by a slew of accomplished comedy performers, the film was the brainchild of George Gershwin, who wrote the score, and his older brother Ira Gershwin, who penned the lyrics. Director Mark Sandrich returned, once again, to helm the production, which offers little different from the previous Astaire-Rogers pictures, but, in doing so, gave audiences precisely what they wanted. The society inhabited by Petrov and Linda Keene glitters with wealth, class and elegance, presenting American audiences – still suffering the effects of the Great Depression – with a sophisticated fantasy world in which they could immerse themselves.Notably, the film was the first in which Fred Astaire experimented with the blending of ballet and tap-dancing, his character expressing the desire to "combine the technique of ballet with the warmth and passion of this other mood." In this, Astaire proves moderately successful, though he obviously appears most comfortable when tappin' away on a hardwood floor, and it would eventually fall to Gene Kelly to perfect the combination in such films as 'An American in Paris (1951)' and, of course, 'Singin' in the Rain (1952).' Astaire's efforts are culminated in a wonderful and elaborate ballet-hybrid stage show, which features the title song, a Depession-era number that appeals to the audience to look on the brighter side of life by slipping on a pair of dancing shoes, and which concludes with a brief reprisal of "They All Laughed (At Christopher Columbus)" – an ode to the triumphant nature of love against all adversity. "Slap That Bass" is an unusual but gratifying mixed-race musical number, in which Astaire watches an African American jam-session in the engine room of their ship, demonstrating that happiness lies not with those with money, but rather with those possessing "rhythm."The story itself often wanders into rather silly territory {only Hollywood could possibly think to dispel marriage rumours by actually getting married}, but there is more than enough fun to go around. Edward Everett Horton is absolutely hilarious as Jeffrey Baird, Petrov's (Astaire) proud and indignant ballet manager, who not only detests the tap-dancing of which Astaire is so fond, but also disapproves of his budding relationship with Linda Keene (Rogers). Horton's reaction to seeing the scandalous nighttime photograph of the pair - a silent and completely unexpected offscreen pass-out - made me laugh so hard that I started to choke on my glass of water. Jerome Miller is also exceedingly likable as Linda's scheming manager, despite his suspect motivations in aiding Petrov's plight to marry her. Also amusing is Eric Blore, whose accommodating hotel manager Cecil Flintridge finds himself tormented by the conflicting gossip about the two stars' marital status, and later encounters much trouble trying to have himself bailed out of gaol. 'Shall We Dance' makes for an immensely enjoyable musical evening, and you'll find yourself humming "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" for days afterward.