تبدين في غاية الجمال

During World War II, it would have been incongruous to set a fluffy musical like this one in an American city like Los Angeles, which was enduring nightly blackouts and frequent air raid drills, a suspension of many kinds of popular entertainment, and strict rationing. Even New York City faced four years of muted social activity. The closest peacetime location retaining a kind of glamorous cosmopolitan European culture was Buenos Aires, long before it became besotted with Peronism and found itself destined to endure a social and economic tailspin out of which it has yet to recover. (History is full of ironies like this.) Thus we see Astaire and Hayworth dancing in an elegant setting as if war did not exist, oblivious to the completely American cast, story, ambience, and tone transposed into a quasi-Hispanic country created entirely on a Hollywood soundstage. The only Spanish-speaking cast member was probably Xavier Cugat. Clearly, the producers of the film wanted to pretend for the sake of a war-weary audience there was still a place offering hope for a postwar culture unscathed by the horrors taking place in the real world. By creating a kind of Buenos Aires of the mind, "You Were Never Lovelier" succeeded at the box office and delivered a message of optimism simultaneously. The inimitable Adolphe Menjou in his trademark double-breasted suit lived on to become a television mainstay in the 50's, hosting a weekly drama show entitled "Adolphe Menjou Presents." Rita Hayworth stayed in her own Buenos Aires of the mind to create "Gilda" in 1946. And Fred Astaire continued for the rest of his long life to be Fred Astaire. None of these actors ever had a close match in terms of the iconic images they projected into the world. Few actors achieve that lofty height, perhaps no more than a couple of hundred out of millions. The sound of the bandoneon is notably absent in any Buenos Aires of the mind. More's the pity. But the Kern-Mercer score tells us in any case that we are really in, say, Cincinnati or Kansas City.

Fred Astaire is re-teamed with Rita Hayworth one year after their big hit for Columbia, "You'll Never Get Rich". That film put Hayworth on the Hollywood map, yet her performance in this wan romantic musical hardly gives a suggestion why she was suddenly so popular. Down Buenos Aires way, a tyrannical hotel owner demands that his four daughters marry in order of age; one may think the picture takes place in the 18th century...but no, it's 1942. Astaire, playing a former hoofer-turned-gambler who goes back to dancing to earn some money, gets mixed up impersonating a letter-writing admirer to Hayworth's society beauty. Fred, gazing at Rita with a brotherly smile, tries but fails to make the sparks fly, while she's so aloof and indifferent (lip-synching to her songs like a wind-up doll) that any signs of romance quickly sputter. They do dance comfortably together, however, and the Jerome Kern score, while not especially memorable, is pleasant enough. ** from ****

YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER is a sweet love story. I love Fred Astaire with Rita Hayworth, and her domineering father played by Adolphe Menjou. It has a terrific supporting cast, too. I actually own this movie, and I don't usually buy them unless I really like them! The dancing is not what you see when Astaire is with Ginger Rogers, but I just seemed to gel with it somehow anyway. It has a special air of romance, and Hayworth is not only beautiful, but also she's captivating as an actress. I'm not a huge musical fan, but this is one of my few major exceptions. It has more story and romance than just dance numbers every few minutes, or at least it seems that way. I highly recommend this film to fans of these performers or of the comedy-drama-romance type of musicals.

Set in Hollywood's fanciful concept of Buenos Aires during the early 1940's, "You Were Never Lovelier" is pure escapist fluff that has been filmed with class. Of course, Fred Astaire adds class to any film in which he appears, and the ravishing Rita Hayworth is eye candy with talent. Astaire always refused to say who was his favorite dancing partner, but, based on the rapport and coordination between the two, Hayworth must have been high on his list. She is a beautiful trained dancer, and the sight of Rita tossing her long red mane while gracefully keeping step with Astaire makes one wish that Astaire-Hayworth musicals had been as numerous as those with Astaire-Rogers. The film's flimsy plot revolves around a wealthy Argentine patriarch's refusal to let his daughters marry out of age order, and Hayworth's disinterest in marriage is delaying the weddings of her two younger sisters. Adolphe Menjou, who plays the father of four daughters, dreams up a mystery suitor, and eventually Rita confuses Astaire with this imaginary beau. But, never mind the lack of Latin flavor or the transparent silliness of the script. The plot has no surprises, but enough Jerome Kern songs and elegant dance routines, either solo by Astaire or Astaire and Hayworth together, punctuate the proceedings to keep viewers entertained. Of course, audiences have to suspend disbelief and accept that a love goddess like Rita would fall for a skinny, somewhat older, and ordinary looking Fred, when dozens of tall, dark, and handsome Latin men were panting for her attention. But, like the sound-stage Argentine sets, this is fantasy, and Fred always wins the gorgeous girl, be she Ginger Rogers, Audrey Hepburn, or Judy Garland. Of his dancing partners, only Gene Kelly got away. Women must be won over by Fred's moves, and what great moves they are. "You Were Never Lovelier" boasts some excellent dance routines, and Astaire's work with Hayworth ranks with his best. If the nonsensical plot fails to engage you, hold on, because the dancing will carry you away.

Boy, here we go again. It's too bad they had to have just stupid stories in these Fred Astaire movies, especially with the gorgeous and talented Rita Hayworth as his partner. Ginger Rogers was great in her roles as Astaire's most-often dance partner but nobody looked as awesome as Hayworth in the early-to-mid '40s. In one of the numbers here, she wears a short mini-type skirt so you also get to enjoy her great legs. Her dance scenes with Astaire are almost worth the price of the film. I say "almost" because, as usual, the story was stupid, insulting anyone's intelligence and not fun to watch. Adolphe Menjou spent the entire movie being gruff and crabby, anything but entertaining. The romance angle was typical for it's film era, which is not a compliment. Just fast-forward to the dance scenes and you have a film that's watchable.

Eight out of ten seems an extravagant score for a fairly nonsensical bit of cotton-candy, but earned, if only for the muted elegance of the "I'm Old-fashioned" number, which is the absolute essence of romance. Although he always maintained a tactful evasiveness on the subject, I suspect Rita Hayworth may have been Fred's favourite partner. She, nee Cancino, was born into a (flamenco) dancing family, and like Astaire, danced with her whole body. While he, as is evident from the long roster of screen partners (including the late TV specials), obviously believed, with some justice, that he could transform any reasonably adequate dancer into what was required, he must have rejoiced, making this and their other joint movie, to work with a woman whose instincts were, uncoached, a match for his own. See it.

There are a few lovely songs and dances here, including the instant classic "I'm Old-Fashioned". Fred and Rita are marvelous together. Her sensual, full-bodied style brings out something new in Astaire, a devil-may-care energy that's a delight to behold. As a lover of musical comedy, I'm very tolerant of slight plots and cardboard characters, but the story here even tries MY patience. To begin with, there's too much of it. The first half is much too talky, pushing the creaky, leaden plot uphill like Sisyphus pushing his rock. The poor excuse for a plot consists of a series of artificial misunderstandings (artificial even by musical comedy standards!), each of which could immediately be cleared up by a few words from one of the principals, who instead stand there dumb, allowing everything to go to hell. Characters vacillate between hatred and love of one another with no discernible motivation. The talented Menjou is wasted in an unfunny, one-note role. Compared to this, the Astaire/Rogers movies are models of plot construction and character motivation. The second half of the movie picks up, with more music and dancing, though Xavier Cugat's band is a bit dull, with its fusty chorus singing in unison. Not a favorite Astaire film, but worth seeing for the numbers and for lovely Rita, whose chemistry with Astaire, whether dancing or talking, is delightful.

Enchanting, very funny South American romp for champion dancer Bob Davis (the inimitable Astaire), who gets accidentally hooked into courting the frigid daughter (Hayworth) of a rich local (Menjou, at his cranky, flustered best). A very well-written script keeps the action and laughs rolling in constantly. The greatest assets of the film though, of course, are the dynamic dancing of the star duo to the excellent Kern/Mercer score. Charming, witty, and dynamic.

With two such talented and appealing leads, the studio must have felt it needn't spend any money on a script. Not only the story as a whole but the individual gags are from hunger, as we used to say. Sample: Fred Astaire, not knowing who Rita Hayworth is, comments adversely on her family; a minute or two later, he does the same with Adolph Menjou; a few minutes later, he and Xavier Cugat ridicule their boss, Menjou, not realising he has entered the room behind them. How lazy can you get! We are also supposed to think it hilarious that someone falls down. This is condescending enough to the audience, but positively insulting to Astaire when he has to tell Hayworth he is just an unsophisticated rube from Omaha (Astaire's actual birthplace), and she has to ask him (he is over 40) if he has ever kissed a girl! A pity Astaire wasn't as exacting over scripts as he was over choreography. If it's best to ignore the dialogue scenes, however, the musical numbers are unmissable. We get to see Astaire using Latin rhythms in his choreography, as well as a style of dancing that, as in his "audition" number in Menjou's office, involves a more emphatic use of hips and thighs. The big romantic number, "I'm Old-Fashioned," is sex in motion, a kind of partner to the "Night and Day" number in "The Gay Divorcée." In the earlier film (the first in which he starred with Ginger Rogers), the dance is a seduction of the reluctant maiden. Here, despite Hayworth's being much younger than Astaire, it is, given her greater sensuality, more like the passionate-but-comfortable partnership of a long-married couple. And when the two wrap their arms around each other in the "Shorty George" number, they show a physical pleasure that is absent in their awkward, corny conversation. Others have remarked on Adolphe Menjou's being angry and domineering and not at all funny in what is meant as a comic role. To those who know Hayworth's sad history, the part is extremely discomfiting, given that Menjou was such an old lech and that the story has him writing anonymous love notes to her, trying to warm up his frigid daughter. In real life, Hayworth's father, with whom she had a dance act, repeatedly raped her, and the sexy, manipulative screen personality she showed the world (as is typical with sexually abused girls), was a cover for her real fear and reserve. As she ruefully said, "Men go to bed with Gilda, but they wake up with me."

The second of the Astaire/Hayworth pairings finds Fred playing the horses in Argentina, when he loses his stake and has to look for a dancing job. A convoluted set of situations follows, allowing for several swinging dance numbers set to the music of Xavier Cougat's orchestra. Lovely sets, costumes, and people make You Were Never Lovelier a wonderful looking movie. Lots of weird inconsistencies make this movie comically unrealistic, such as: Maria's (Rita Hayworth) family has a name that sounds Latin (Acuna), and they live in Argentina, but the four sisters couldn't look less like sisters, and none of them looks Latino. 3/4 of the way into the movie, we learn that the father was born of immigrant parents from Britainy (France). Well that could explain the non-Latin look of the girls, but what about the surname and the cousin named Fernando? I know it's silly to bother looking for logic and plot consistency in a 1940s Hollywood musical, but this one is ditsier than most. So, watch it for the dancing, the music, the humor, and the costumes. Even with a goofy script, there are lots of funny moments.