Blue Skies

For the second and last collaboration of Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Irving Berlin, Bing and Fred needed all of their collective charm and talent to make this one work.

Bing and Fred play the same type roles in this as in Holiday Inn. Fred's the ambitious partner of an act who wants to get to the top of the show business ladder. Bing just wants to work at the trade and go through life with the least responsibility possible. Of course they fall for the same girl as in Holiday Inn and at Paramount in the 1940s who do you think winds up with the girl?

But the real star of this film is the music of Irving Berlin. This time Paramount gave Crosby and Astaire technicolor and it's put to good use with some great numbers. Astaire does two classic dance numbers with Putting on the Ritz and Heat Wave. Crosby gets two big budget numbers with Everybody Step and C-U-B-A, the latter nicely paired with Olga San Juan.

Previous reviewers found Joan Caulfield as the object of affections performance weak. Maybe so, but she's following a trend of Crosby leading ladies who are nice girls swept up by the Crosby song and charm. It wasn't until Jane Wyman did those two films with Bing that he got a leading lady with real spirit. Sometimes Bing didn't even get the girl.

The hit song here was You Keep Coming Back Like A Song which was a recurring theme. It got Oscar nominated, but lost to Judy Garland's train excursion On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe.

Billy DeWolfe also does a nice comic turn and we get his famous Mrs. Mergitroid act which he did in nightclubs.

Though the plot is thin who cares when you can see Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire at their very best.

Dancing from Fred Astaire. Singing from Bing Crosby. Songs by Irving Berlin. How could one go wrong? Luckily the three main attractions do not disappoint at all, but as an overall film Blue Skies could have been better.

Blue Skies does suffer from a rather tired and over corny story, and it also feels rather thin with a romance that felt like filler and not much else. Joan Caulfield is both incredibly bland and sometimes annoying in a very underwritten part, and the comedy was patchy. In fact, a lot of the comedy falls as flat as a lead balloon and this is not helped by the overplaying of Billy De Wolfe(though he has his moments). And as good as Bing Crosby is, he comes over as rather stiff and clumsy in his acting here, which is a shame as he has shown a lot of natural presence and likability before.

The film looks great however, with some very clever photography in the Puttin' On the Ritz scene and charming costumes and sets. Irving Berlin's songs are marvellous, the Oscar-nominated You Keep Coming Back Like a Song and the unforgettably energetic Puttin' On the Ritz being the standouts, Blue Skies is a beautiful song too. The score is lush and whimsical. Every bit as good as the songs is the characterful and graceful choreography, the truly outstanding number being Puttin' On the Ritz, the whole scene is spectacular and one of Astaire's most classic routines. Crosby sings absolutely beautifully and Olga San Juan brings fire and charm to a rather one-dimensional part with her particularly shining in the Latin rhythm duet I'll See You in Cuba with Crosby, but other than Puttin' On the Ritz, it's the divine dancing and performance of Fred Astaire that makes Blue Skies worth watching.

All in all, decent film but with the likes of Crosby, Astaire and Berlin involved you expect more than just decent. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, and Joan Caulfield star in "Blue Skies," a 1946 musical film also starring Billy de Wolfe and Olga San Juan. The film starts with Jed (Astaire) on the radio telling the story of his buddy Johnny's (Crosby) relationship with Mary (Caulfield), and saying that he hoped Mary, wherever she was, would hear him. Both Jed and Johnny had been in love with her, but she had chosen Johnny.

The story of this love triangle is backed up by one Irving Berlin song after another - there is a lot of music, some fine singing by Crosby and tremendous dancing by Astaire. This was to be his last film but his retirement only lasted a couple of years. He worked in film until 1977 and continued working in television and doing voiceovers until 1981; he died in 1987. In the late '50s, he did two dance specials on television, and he did one in 1968. Was he dancing at the age of 69? Probably.

The movie doesn't really hang together. The production values are great, but the story is trite, and there aren't enough fabulous numbers. Astaire does "Puttin' on the Ritz," which is the height of the film, also "Heat Wave," and with Crosby, "A Couple of Song and Dance Men." There is a section during World War II where Crosby sings some of his Berlin standards, "This is the Army, Mr. Jones," "White Christmas," and "Any Bonds Today?" The beautiful "Always" is done as a chorus number, as is "How Deep is the Ocean," with Crosby sometimes singing along.

Having heard Crosby when he had something to prove back in the early '30s, I can never be content with his crooning, except perhaps in some parts of "Holiday Inn." Astaire is the one who makes this film worthwhile at all. See it for him and for some of the music and musical numbers. Ignore the story.

... but thankfully it was not. Having worked since he was a child, Astaire decided that he was tired and wanted to retire. He announced that Blue Skies was going to be his last hurrah. Fortunately for us, Gene Kelly had to bow out of Easter Parade and he managed to coax Astaire out of retirement to take over. Astaire's career was revitalized and he went on to perform into his 80s.

At any rate, here both male stars are in love with the same woman (Joan Caufield in this case). I like the pairing of Astaire and Crosby. Their respective talents play well off each other, especially in their "A Couple of Song and Dance Men" performance. There are so many songs that show up in Irving Berlin musicals that I didn't even realize were Irving Berlin songs. Crosby performs "(I'll See You in) C-U-B-A." I must say that I prefer Desi Arnaz' rendition. Crosby sang it too slow for my tastes. One of the supporting players, Billy deWolfe, was funny enough. However, I wasn't a fan of his shtick when he was performing sans Crosby or Astaire. He had one bit that went on for quite some time. He was portraying "Mrs. Murgatroyd." I was surprised that his routine was allowed to go on so long since it was just not that amusing. I did some research and found out that deWolfe was a popular comedian in the day and "Mrs. Murgatroyd" was one of his popular characters. Knowing that information, it put his performance into context and it helped make sense out of the attention his act is given in the film.

The showstopping number was Fred Astaire's "Puttin' on the Ritz" number. The rest of the film is average, but Astaire's number makes the entire film worth watching. It is fantastic and a complete joy to watch. The filming and special effects involved in this routine are excellent when considering the production date. There was also another rendition of "White Christmas" which is always enjoyable.

Oh, do notice that the lyrics to "Puttin on the Ritz", which was written for the 1930 film of the same name, have been changed to remove any perceived racial elements. The original lyrics talked about well dressed African American servants out on their night off. The version sung here mentions people who are "dressed up like a million dollar trouper trying hard to look like Gary Cooper". Not many people in 1930 would have known who Gary Cooper was. He was not a big star yet. At any rate, this film is where the change is first made.

I'd recommend it, but just don't expect "Holiday Inn".

Sure it's the same old story of two showbiz guys fighting over the girl, but that's just an excuse to have fun with Fred and Bing. The two dance and sing several fine numbers throughout the film.

And there's the added treat of music by one of the legendary composers. Irving Berlin provides his beautiful songs, including the Oscar-nominee "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song." Fred Astaire does his famous "Puttin on the Ritz" number, while Bing sings the title tune. The duo work well together as they did on "Holiday Inn" four years earlier.

Billy De Wolfe has some funny moments in songs and sketches.

Overall, a colorful and entertaining musical. Don't listen to those who'd turn you away just because the plot is kinda thin.

What more could you want?