FRED ASTAIRE and GINGER ROGERS in their first starring roles! A delightful escapade about marriage, divorce and all the romantic complications in between, with songs including the Oscar-winning “The Continental” and Cole Porter’s eternal “Night and Day.”
Co-hosted by Bridgett Emerson.
Discussion Date
May 7
Discussion Time
7:00 pm
Location
Virtual Event
on the event date, use the button below to join the discussion
movie details
starring
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers
creative team
Directed by Mark Sandrich
Music composed by Herb Magidson, Cole Porter, Max Steiner, Harry Revel, Samuel Hoffenstein, Kenneth Webb
run time
1h 47m
where to stream
Dailymotion
YouTube ($)
Amazon Prime ($)
Apple TV ($)
Film Introductions
by Bill Rudman
When did we begin thinking of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as simply “Fred and Ginger,” the most illustrious dancing team in the history of the American musical?
I would argue that it happens the moment Fred begins singing Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” to her in this, their second of 10 films together—and his vocal soon turns into a stunning dance duet.
The Gay Divorcee, based on Fred’s 1932 Broadway success, is a comedy of mistaken identity, with the comedy supplied by Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore and Edward Everett Horton. I find their high jinks delightful, but that’s a matter of opinion. What we can agree on is that we come to these films to be enchanted by romance. And as Arlene Croce writes in her famous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Book: “Fred and Ginger are the romantic characters created by the two of them when they dance.”
By the way, our discussion of the film on May 7 will be co-hosted by our resident dance authority Bridgett Emerson.
How the Program Works
Join the Mailing list
On the appropriate Thursday, email list subscribers will receive an email with a video introduction from Bill Rudman. This video introduction gives an inside look at what to expect before viewing the film.
Watch the Film at Home
TMTP will provide a list of sites from which that month's film can be rented or purchased.
Join the Live Discussion
The following Thursday, Bill Rudman will host a live discussion via Zoom to discuss the film in real time!