The Belle of New York (1952)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Charles Walters

Writers:

C.M.S. McLellan (play)
Chester Erskine (adaptation)

Release Date:

22 February 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

M.G.M's Gay TECHNICOLOR Musical!

Plot:

In squeaky-clean New York at the turn of the century, playboy Charlie Hill falls so much in love that he can walk on air...

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Remake | Based On Play

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	Charlie Hill
Vera-Ellen	...	Angela Bonfils
Marjorie Main	...	Mrs. Phineas Hill
Keenan Wynn	...	Max Ferris
Alice Pearce	...	Elsie Wilkins
Clinton Sundberg	...	Gilford Spivak
Gale Robbins	...	Dixie 'Deadshot' McCoy

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Fred Astaire had been set for the lead for this film since the mid-1940s by producer Arthur Freed. The film was originated as a project for Astaire and Judy Garland. But since the two stars had overlapping film schedules, the project never materialized until the early 1950's with Astaire and Vera-Ellen.

Quotes:

Charlie Hill: It's not obscene, it's French.
Mrs. Phineas Hill: French is obscene!
One of Frenchie's girls: What is the meaning of this obscene?
Charlie Hill: It means you better go.
One of Frenchie's girls: Very well then, I obscene!

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Belle of New York (1919)

Soundtrack:

When I'm Out With the Belle of New York

Dancin' Man

Fred Astaire wrote in his autobiography that he was personally hurt by the critical and box-office failure of this Freed Unit musical, adapted very loosely from a turn-of-the-century stage success. You can see why audiences rejected it, but you can also see he was right to be proud. The story is trite even for a musical, and nothing can liven up the dead space between numbers -- not Marjorie Main playing to the gallery, not Alice Pearce frumping about predictably, and most certainly not the central conceit of the central romance, which is that love makes our young sweethearts (the script keeps referring to Astaire as "young man," which he plainly is not at this point) literally walk, and dance, on air.

The gimmickry gets in the way of a couple of numbers, too: Astaire and Ellen dance on a hapless horse's back, and Astaire cavorts atop the Washington Square arch. Still, the Warren-Mercer score, though it contains no hits, is tuneful, clever, and well suited to the meager plot; the MGM Orchestra is irresistibly lush; and the Technicolor gorgeously shows off the handsome production. In short, the film may be a triumph of studio engineering over inspiration, but as long as the stars are dancing, it's a delight.

Vera-Ellen partners Astaire charmingly, even if she's not the world's most dynamic actress, and she has a fun solo, "Naughy But Nice." As for Astaire, he's his usual self, and we'd want it no other way. His best number is the one least dependent on special effects, "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man." "Gonna leave my footsteps on the sands of time," he sings. You surely did, Mr. A.