The Barkleys of Broadway

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers together again after ten years and in colour for the first time, and also the last film they made together. The reunion happened by accident. The picture had been prepared to pair Astaire with Judy Garland again after Easter Parade. Rehearsals had barely begun when it became clear Garland's health could not sustain the shoot, and Rogers, who by then had moved away from musicals into successful dramatic work, took the part. The story sits oddly close to that situation: a couple who perform musicals together separate when the woman wants to move into serious theatre. Oscar Levant, as the pianist friend, carries the film's best comedy. Charles Walters directed. Who it is for: anyone who wants to see Astaire and Rogers one more time, and admirers of the classic MGM musical. Who it is not for: viewers expecting the dances of the RKO years, since both have aged and the film does not hide it.