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CAREFREE (Dir: Mark Sandrich, 1938).
A frothy RKO romance; the 8th pairing of the incomparable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
This one has Fred as a psychiatrist and Ginger as his patient and fiancee of his best pal (Ralph Bellamy). Things get complicated when she falls for him and he hypnotizes her to remain faithful to the groom. The movie's outcome is clearly signposted from early on, but there is considerable fun to be had on the journey, nonetheless.
With only four full-blown song and dance numbers Carefree is less a musical than a screwball comedy with the occasional break for a song. The Irving Berlin score is pleasant enough, but by the composer’s own high standards is not especially memorable. 'Change Partners' and 'I Used to Be Color Blind' are the possible exceptions; both are considerably enhanced by Ginger and Fred's fabulous footwork. The highlight is undoubtedly Astaire's solo 'Since They Turned Loch Lomand into Swing' in which he ditches Rogers to partner a golf-club, proving as adept on the fairway as he is the dance-floor.
Allan Scott and Ernest Pagnos screenplay, while implausible, does include a fair amount of humorous moments. While director Mark Sandrich, by now a veteran of the Astaire-Rogers movies, handles the comedy and the dance numbers with equal aplomb. It is all a lot of nonsense, but all is forgiven when Fred and Ginger take the dance floor. There was never a classier screen couple than Mr Astaire and Ms Rogers and support is offered by a particularly distinguished cast, notably Ralph Bellamy and Jack Carson. Unbilled and underused in one of her many domestic help roles is the great Hattie McDaniel.
As its title suggests, Carefree is lighthearted, featherweight stuff. Often regarded as the weakest of the Astaire-Rogers partnership, it does pale in comparison to classics such as Top Hat (Mark Sandrich, 1935) and Shall We Dance (Mark Sandrich, 1937). Still, at a little over 80 minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. The old adage "they don't make 'em like that anymore" certainly applies here; fluff it may be, but it is consummately produced fluff, expertly performed by its legendary cast.
100+ movie reviews now available on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME! Link below.
TOP HAT (Dir: Mark Sandrich, 1935).
From RKO Radio Pictures, Top Hat was the 4th of 10 pairings of the inimitable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
Where to begin? The screwball plot is some trifle about mistaken identity (isn’t it always?), as Ginger, believing Fred is the philandering husband of a friend, rebukes his advances and marries her dress designer instead (or does she?). Topnotch support comes from familiar faces Edward Everett Horton and Helen Broderick are the real husband and wife, Erik Rhodes the cuckolded couturier and Eric Blore as an asinine but resourceful manservant. As convoluted as it sounds the whole thing works beautifully. But who in the audience is really here for the plot? What we are here for is Astaire and Rogers at their artistic peak dancing up a storm to one of Irving Berlin's greatest musical scores and happily that is what we get.
Read the full review on my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME. Link below.
