A Damsel in Distress 
                                           
Director: George Stevens
Year: 1937
Rating: 5.5
After seven straight films co-starring with Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire took on another leading lady for the first time and it was to be the first to lose money. He went back to Rogers for two more films right after this. Not that it would have made much sense to have Rogers in this one as the role in question is that of a daughter of an English Lord. With her flat American accent that would have been tough but the easy-going romantic plot certainly would have fit in with the other Astaire-Rogers films. Director George Stevens chooses a newcomer - Joan Fontaine which seems an odd choice. Not that she isn't a wonderful actress and there are a few close-ups that are Hollywood magic. But she can't dance a lick or sing I expect as they don't give her the chance to do so. She is only in one musical number - Things are Looking Up - and she basically alternates between walking and skipping as Astaire dances around her. When they realized she couldn't dance, Astaire wanted to get Ruby Keeler which might have been interesting though seeing her play an English Lady stretches the imagination.



The music for the most part comes from two of the greatest Tin Pan Alley composers ever - George and Ira Gershwin. There are two classics - A Foggy Day in London Town and Nice Work If You Can Get It - and a few other solid songs. Tragically, George Gershwin was to die of a brain tumor before the film was released. The real disappointment in the film for me is the dance choreography which feels uninspired except for one number. Hermes Pan who choreographed all nine of the Astaire-Rogers films is in charge here but none of them click. The great A Foggy Day in London Town takes place in a forest. Huh? And Nice Work if You Can Get It is sung by three elderly women and Astaire is barely in it. There is one lengthy number in a Fun House with Astaire and Burns and Allen that is very clever but even then the dancing is minimum. The film ends with Astaire playing the drums - with his feet - all in one take and it is pretty amazing.



Yup, George Burns and Gracie Allen. They play his agent and his secretary - George the straight man to Gracie's head swirling dizziness and malapropisms that rat-a-tat so quickly that I missed many of them.


(George) "What's today?"

(Gracie Allen) "Oh, I don't know."

(George Burns) "Well, you can tell if you look at that newspaper on your desk."

(Gracie Allen) "Oh, this is no help, George. It's yesterday's paper."



(Gracie Allen) "You know, if it weren't for two things you'd be a terrific dancer."

(George Burns) "What's that?"

(Gracie Allen) "Your feet."


I adore Gracie Allen. Interestingly, when they first started their act Gracie was the straight man but even as the straight woman she got more laughs than George, so he switched them around.



The film is a puff of merry clouds. Fred is a famous song and dance man in London when Joan jumps into his cab to escape a manservant following her to keep her out of trouble. She is in love with an American and her family disapproves. A cupid makes Astaire believe that she has fallen in love with him and so goes after her to the Castle she lives in. Many misunderstandings later the expected happens. Lots of space is given to Reginald Gardiner as the opera loving manservant, Montague Love as the perplexed Lord and Harry Watson as the mischievous cupid - all well done. Not one of Astaire's best - it has no buzz but Astaire is always charming. "Say goodnight, Gracie", "Goodnight Gracie".