You'll Never Get Rich

Robert Curtis is a Broadway choreographer. To cover up his boss's affair he takes part in a lie, and the lie sinks him in the eyes of Sheila, a chorus girl. Then he is drafted. As luck has it, Sheila's fiancé is at the same base. Robert has to deal with the army and with convincing Sheila; in the end a show is put on at the base and the matter is settled on stage. Sidney Lanfield's film brought Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth together for the first time. It was also Hayworth's first leading role in a major studio production and it established her career. The songs and lyrics are by Cole Porter. The narrative is thin but the dance numbers are strong; the pairing works on screen immediately and the film is built essentially on that. Who it's for: Viewers who like classic Hollywood musicals, Fred Astaire, and Rita Hayworth. Who it's not for: The script is slight and the jokes are weak. The army sections also carry the propagandist tone of the period.