Broadway Melody of 1940

Patrick Willems3.5

Great dance sequences, but also an insane next-level juggling sequence

theriverjordan3.0

Two of the greatest tap dancers of the classic Hollywood era make a natural pair in the eyes of everyone; except the side characters in “Broadway Melody of 1940.” Eleanor Powell had the athleticism, grace, and game. Fred Astaire; the savior faire. The two recognize each other as a match immediately. Love at first shuffle ball change. So, the stakes are high that it will take an hour and forty minutes for everyone else to get with the syncopated rhythm. When they finally do get a chance to duet their pullbacks, though, Astaire and Powell make a marvelous case for how a true pro can make any partner look good. Two pros? Both come out looking so brilliantly effervescent; all the lights of Broadway seem dim in comparison. It’s one of those rare cases, then, when the plot of a classic Broadway musical could stand to actually feel -more- contrived. Sure, a run time spent with either Powell or Astaire alone is still time blessed by a trove of charm and talent. But when the story involves Astaire’s drunk dead best of a partner perpetually keeping one from intersecting with the other… giving everyone else on screen the ol’ cane off starts sounding tempting. Thankfully, there’s the Wizard of Oz himself, Frank Morgan, one of the era’s best character actors, to make a case for letting the hijinks play out. But the crowd came for Astaire and Powell… every other minute here is essentially a warm-up act for the two hottest tap dancers on celluloid. Warm Winter FuzziesGolden Age Musicals

alexgiu5.0

They really took their tap shoes everywhere… and I mean everywhere. No floor was safe.