L'amour vient en dansant

Barely five minutes into the film and only thirty seconds long, a small jewel is not to be missed in this vintage 1941 musical, as it ranks among the best dance numbers to be seen from the golden age of Hollywood. It's where Fred Astaire casually asks Rita Hayworth to follow him on a complex tap routine set to Cole Porter's "Boogie Barcarole". That Astaire performs flawlessly is to be expected, but the stunning 23-year old Hayworth is startling in her precision and élan. Not only is she absurdly beautiful in her crisp rehearsal togs, but she matches Astaire step for step with unbridled confidence and with her long, gorgeous gams perfectly synchronized with his. The rest of the number, performed with an army of similarly dressed dancers, is not nearly as interesting especially since the fusion between boogie-woogie and classical feels forced.

The movie itself, directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano, is a silly mistaken identity affair that feels lifted from one of Astaire's earlier pairings with Ginger Rogers and then retrofitted into a military theme. Hardly a stretch, he plays Bob Curtis, a Broadway dancer and choreographer who works for philandering producer Martin Cortland, played by Algonquin wit Robert Benchley. Cortland has his eyes on chorus dancer Sheila Winthrop and attempts to give her a diamond bracelet until his wife Julia mistakes the gift for her. He pretends the bracelet is from Curtis, which of course, leads to larger complications, especially when Curtis gets drafted and his superior officer turns out to be Sheila's intended fiancé. Off the dance floor and in her first leading role, Hayworth, already in her 38th film, is charming as Sheila, although Frieda Inescort easily steals all her scenes as the deadpan Julia, a perfect match to the acerbic Benchley.

Lowbrow comic shenanigans are interspersed with the Robert Alton-choreographed musical numbers. The highlights are an impressive Astaire tap solo set to "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and two more duets with Hayworth - the alluring rumba, "So Near and Yet So Far", and the infectious "Wedding Cake Walk" where the pair get married amid a dress-alike chorus, do a mean Harlem shuffle and tap-dance atop a white cake shaped like a tank. In fact, opening two months before Pearl Harbor, the film portends the upcoming war with patriotic ensemble numbers like "Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam". The 2003 DVD includes trailers for this film as well as two classic Hayworth vehicles, the career-defining Gilda, and future husband Orson Welles' pulp classic, The Lady from Shanghai. The movie is very lightweight, but Astaire's artistry is always worthwhile in any setting, and it's easy to see why Hayworth became the fantasy figure of many an American soldier.

I have to differ with the viewer who feels that though Rita Hayworth was a marvelous dancer she did not measure up to Ginger Rogers as the partner of Fred Astaire. Rita's dancing was so graceful that she was the perfect match for the stupendous Astaire. Her beauty in this movie is a thing to behold. Now after all these years we can only wish that they included a bunch of other dances instead of all the silliness. How can it be that such a lovely as Rita would have such a difficult life? I wonder if the talented Hayworth ever realized that it would be her early dancing that would really be her lasting legacy and if she did would she have given us more to appreciate for the years. Watching her dance as a young woman is a joy that will be repeated for generations.

Ginger Rogers may have been Fred Astaire's ultimate dance partner, but Rita Hayworth makes a very worthwhile play for that title in 'You Were Never Lovelier'. This fun wartime comedy-musical has a very contrived plot that is as flimsy as tissue paper, but when the two stars Hayworth and Astaire are on screen together all faults are forgiven for the sheer brilliance they show together as dancing partners.

Hayowrth, early in her career, shows little sign of nervousness before the camera and handles her role as Sheila Winthrop very well, she imbues her with charm, grace and just a hint of sass. Astaire is equally likable as Robert Curtis, Rita's love interest from the beginning. As with all of Astaire's films with Rogers the lovestruck couple experience a series of misdemeanours that hinder their romance, until a romantic finale reunites the pair. Light moments of comedy work well to compliment the bursts of energetic dancing, and Hayworth's and Astaire's charisma shine through perfectly when they are needed to lift the action.

The army base setting is refreshing, yet also distracting. A little too much time is given to the rather unamusing antics of Astaire's servicemen buddies. The film isn't overly influenced with visual style, the sets look as if they have been used time and time again, yet Hayworth and Astaire are sublime whatever the situation. Rita looks very beautiful in this one, and she displays a natural acting talent. Astaire was never much of an actor but he lights up the screen like no other. Nice supporting work from Frieda Inescort is a highlight, as is the dancing finale for Hayworth and Astaire atop an army tank. Yes, the army sub-plot came in handy in the end.

Margarita Cansino was still undergoing the 'Rita Hayworth' transformation while this film was being made, so Rita still looks quite Latin in most scenes, with darker hair than we are normally accustomed to from the famous redhead. Fred often said that Rita was the best dancer he ever worked with, and at times he does seem in awe of her capabilities that definitely match his. Rita considered this one of the two jewels in her film career (the other being 'You Were Never Lovelier' with, you guessed it, Fred), and it is a gorgeous film.

A feel-good musical that isn't a mind-blowing film experience, yet is definitely an enjoyable one.

7/10.

Released shortly before America's entry into the war, Columbia's "You'll Never Get Rich" is one of Fred Astaire's better films during the relatively dry period that extended from his last RKO film with Ginger Rogers to his first films at MGM…

Since leaving RKO and Ginger Rogers, Astaire had danced with Eleanor Powell in "Broadway Melody of 1940" and with Paulette Goddard in "Second Chorus."

In "You'll Never Get Rich," he had a new partner in Rita Hayworth: a lushly beautiful redheaded actress who was being prepared for stardom in mostly low-budget films… She was a talented dancer who had worked with her family for many years in a vaudeville act called the Dancing Casinos…

"You'll Never Get Rich" cast Astaire as Robert Curtis, a Broadway dance director who is drafted into the army… He becomes involved in an on-again, off-again romance with Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), a beautiful chorus girl whose fiancé is a captain in the army… The not-very-interesting plot is often interrupted for musical interludes… Astaire and Hayworth dance together twice—to the sensuous Latin beat of "So Near and Yet So Far," and in "The Wedding Cake Walk," a military finale which has a chorus of war brides and soldiers, plus the two stars, dancing atop a huge tank…

Astaire and Hayworth make an attractive dance team, although Hayworth seems a bit too formidable, too "grand" for Astaire's self-effacing style…. Astaire also has several numbers without Hayworth: most notably, a dance in a guardhouse to the song "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye," in which he combines several kinds of dazzling footwork…

"You'll Never Get Rich" is lightweight but amiable entertainment, and it kept Astaire dancing

"You'll Never Get Rich" is a 1941 film starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and a very large cast. Benchley plays Martin Cortland, a producer who chases around on his wife (Frieda Inescort) and sets his sights on Sheila (Hayworth), who is in his current show along with Robert Curtis (Astaire). When his wife suspects, Martin has Robert take Sheila out and present her with a diamond bracelet that Martin actually purchased for her but that his wife found in his pocket. Martin then pretends he bought it for Robert to give to Sheila. Sheila angrily refuses it, and when Robert goes to her place to explain, he comes face to face with her boyfriend, whom he thinks is her brother - whoever he is, he has a gun in his hand. Robert finds himself drafted and, desperate to get in and avoid Sheila's boyfriend, pads himself with the 5 extra pounds he needs to get into the service. He then spends just about the rest of the film in the guard house until the grand finale - and even then, he's returned to the guard house.

That's the story and admittedly, it's not much. There are some very good dance numbers, but the thing about the film that's special is the partnership of Astaire and Hayworth. They are marvelous together. Supposedly Rita was his favorite partner, and it's easy to see why. She doesn't dance; she floats, and she's so gloriously beautiful, you can't take your eyes off of her. Fred and Rita dance to the "Boogie Barcarole," "So Near Yet So Far," and "The Wedding Cake Walk," sung by Martha Tilton for Rita. Fred's solos include "Shootin' the Work for Uncle Sam," and "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye." It's hard to go wrong with stars like Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, and while this isn't the best film of either one of them, it's still enjoyable.