Everything about The Barkleys Of Broadway totally explained
The Barkleys of Broadway is a
1949 musical film from the
Arthur Freed unit at
MGM that reunited
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers after ten years apart. Directed by
Charles Walters, the screenplay is by
Betty Comden,
Adolph Green and
Sidney Sheldon, the songs are by
Harry Warren (music) and
Ira Gershwin (lyrics) with the addition of
They Can't Take That Away from Me by
George and Ira Gershwin, and the choreography was created by Robert Alton and
Hermes Pan. Also featured in the cast were
Oscar Levant,
Billie Burke, Jacques François and Gale Robbins.
Rogers came in as a last minute replacement for
Judy Garland, whose frequent absences due to a dependency on prescription medication cost her the role. This turned out to be the last film that Astaire and Rogers made together, and their only film in color. Many critics at the time remarked upon Rogers' changed figure, noting that the elfin girl of the 30's had made way for a sturdy, athletic woman.
Plot
Josh and Dinah Barkley (
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers are a husband-and-wife
musical comedy team at the peak of their careers, but when serious French playwright Jacques Pierre Barredout (Jacques François) suggests that Dinah should take up dramatic acting, it eventually splits the couple up. Their good friend, acerbic composer Ezra Miller (
Oscar Levant) tries to trick them back together again, but fails. When Josh secretly watches Dinah's rehearsals for Barredout's new play and sees how she's struggling, he calls her up and pretends to be the Frenchman, giving her notes that help her to understand her part, the young Sara Bernhardt. Dinah gives a brilliant performance, and she accidentally learns that her late-night mentor was Josh and not Barredout, opening the way for their reconciliation as a couple and their return to the stage as a team.
Production
The Barkleys of Broadway began with the title "You Made Me Love You", and with
Judy Garland in the lead role opposite Fred Astaire, a repeat of their pairing in
Easter Parade. In fact, producer
Arthur Freed had
Comden and
Green working on the script for the new film even before
Easter Parade was finished.
Cast
Cast notes
MGM borrowed Jacques François from Universal. Barkleys was his first film in English, and was to be his last American film, although he did two U.K.-based productions. His French film career was extensive: he worked up until his death in 2003.
Songs
"Swing Trot" - music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Dance critic Arlene Croce called this the best number in the film. Seen through the opening credits, it was released without visual impediment on That's Entertainment III .
"Sabre Dance" - by Aram Khachaturian, a piano solo performed by Oscar Levant
"You'd be Hard to Replace" - by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin
"Bouncin' the Blues" - by Harry Warren
"My One and Only Highland Fling" - by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin
"Weekend in the Country" - by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin. Performed by Astaire, Rogers and Oscar Levant, whose singing voice can be described as unique.
"Shoes with Wings On" - by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin. Fred Astaire performs this number alone, as part of the show that Josh Barkley does by himself. It utilized green screen technology to have Astaire, a cobbler, dance with many pairs of shoes.
Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky), First Movement - Performed by Oscar Levant with full symphony orchestra.
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" - by George Gershwin (music) and Ira Gershwin (lyrics). This song was also used in RKO's Astaire-Rogers film Shall We Dance, where Astaire had sung it to Rogers. Their dance duet here, one of their most effective, was the first time they danced it together.
Response
Critical response to The Barkleys of Broadway was mixed but positive.
A radio version of the film was broadcast on 1 January 1951 as an episode of the Lux Radio Theatre, with Ginger Rogers reprising the role of Dinah Barkley, and George Murphy playing her husband and partner Josh.
Awards
Although the film didn't win any awards, it did receive several nominations. Cinematographer Harry Stradling Sr. was nominated for a 1950 Academy Award for Best Color Cinematography, and writers Comden and Green were nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Musical.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Barkleys Of Broadway'.
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