SWING TIME (DVD/P&S-1.37/ENG-FR-SP SUB) DVD

Swing Time
The sixth of RKO's Fred Astaire -Ginger Rogers pairings of the 1930s, Swing Time starts off with bandleader Astaire getting cold feet on his wedding day. Astaire's bride-to-be Betty Furness will give him a second chance, providing he proves himself responsible enough to earn $25,000. Astaire naturally tries to avoid earning that amount once he falls in love with dance instructor Ginger Rogers. Numerous complications ensue, leading to the "second time's the charm" climax, with Ginger escaping her own wedding to wealthy Georges Metaxa in order to be reunited with Astaire. The film's most indelible image is that of Fred Astaire, immaculately attired in top hat and tails, hopping a freight car--a perfect encapsulation of the film's Depression-era cheekiness. The Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields score includes such standards-to-be as "Pick Yourself Up," "A Fine Romance," "The Way You Look Tonight," "Never Gonna Dance" and "Bojangles of Harlem." The peerless supporting cast of Swing Time includes Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Eric Blore, and Landers Stevens, the actor-father of the film's director, George Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Fred Astaire as John "Lucky" Garnett Ginger Rogers as Penelope "Penny" Carrol Victor Moore as Pop Helen Broderick as Mabel Anderson Eric Blore as Mr. Gordon Betty Furness as Margaret Watson George Metaxa as Ricardo Romero Landers Stevens as Judge Watson John Harrington as Dice Raymond Pierre Watkin as Al Simpson Abe Reynolds as Tailor Gerald Hamer as Eric Facannistrom Harry Bowen as first stage hand Harry Bernard as Stagehand Frank Jenks as Red Jack Good as dancer Donald Kerr as dancer Ted O'Shea as dancer Ralph Byrd as Hotel Clerk Charlie Hall as Taxi Driver Jean Perry as Roulette Dealer Olin Francis as Tough Mug Floyd Shackelford as Romero's Butler Joey Ray as Announcer

Crew Carroll Clark - Art Director Van Nest Polglase - Art Director Hermes Pan - Choreography Bernard Newman - Costume Designer John W. Harkrider - Costume Designer George Stevens - Director Henry Berman - Editor Dorothy Fields - Composer (Music Score) Jerome Kern - Composer (Music Score) Nathaniel Shilkret - Musical Direction/Supervision Mel Burns - Makeup Dave Abel - Cinematographer Pandro S. Berman - Producer Darrell Silvera - Set Designer Vernon Walker - Special Effects Erwin S. Gelsey - Screen Story Howard Lindsay - Screenwriter Allan G. Scott - Screenwriter

Swing Time
Perhaps the perfect example of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers appeal, Swing Time is a charming romantic-fantasy that's almost impossible to resist when its musical set pieces are in motion. The plot, however minimal, only distracts from the classic melodies and entertaining dance sequences. Directed by the venerable George Stevens, Swing Time was the fifth Astaire-Rogers film, and came out during the peak of their popularity; it's of a piece with the duo's other successes, and in fact markedly resembles their earlier hit, 1935's Top Hat. Perhaps the most cherished dance number is "Bojangles of Harlem," during which Astaire dances with shadows and pays tribute to famous dancer Bill Robinson. The stellar score also includes "The Way You Look Tonight" and "A Fine Romance." ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
 

Dorothy Fields: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (winner) Hermes Pan: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Dance Direction (nominated) Jerome Kern: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Song (winner)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc Commentary by John Mueller, author of Astaire Dancing New featurette "The Swing of Things: Swing Time Step by Step" Musical short "Hotel a la Swing" Classic cartoon "Bingo Crosbyana" Theatrical trailer English, French and Spanish subtitles DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 140 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Credits [1:19] 2. It's Not in the Cards [1:37] 3. No Cuffs [3:18] 4. No Wedding [3:01] 5. Marital Money Matter [3:04] 6. Catching a Train [1:55] 7. Change Exchange [4:08] 8. Interested in the Dance [3:13] 9. Trial Lesson [2:42] 10. Pick Yourself Up [7:23] 11. Clothes Unmake the Man [5:04] 12. Picket Line [3:03] 13. The Way You Look Tonight [2:10] 14. Interupted Music [4:30] 15. Ace of Spades [4:26] 16. Waltz in Swing Time [3:15] 17. On the Safe Side [3:09] 18. Snowy and Secluded [3:27] 19. A Fine Romance [6:17] 20. It's Nice [5:38] 21. Bojangles of Harlem [8:16] 22. Bad Luck of the Draw [4:38] 23. Otherwise Engaged [2:20] 24. Never Gonna Dance [6:03] 25. Goofy Trouble [3:40] 26. Missing Pants [3:39] 27. A Fine Romance [2:04]