The Barkleys of Broadway
The pairing of Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in
Easter Parade (1948) was so dynamic that even before the film was finished, producer Arthur Freed put the screenwriting team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green to work on an original musical which would reunite Astaire and Garland. But rehearsals had barely begun on
The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) when it became clear that Garland was in much too fragile an emotional state to do the film.
Coincidentally (or maybe not - Garland's emotional problems were an open secret), Ginger Rogers had sent Freed a congratulatory telegram after a preview screening of
Easter Parade. Freed remembered that, and called Rogers to ask her, tentatively, if she'd have any problem working with Fred Astaire. Although Rogers was annoyed at the question, there was reason to ask. Astaire and Rogers had not worked together in ten years, since
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939). The popular partnership had ended after nine films together because Rogers wanted to be a dramatic actress. There were rumors that the Astaire-Rogers working relationship had been frosty, rumors that both denied in their memoirs. Rogers characterized it as "cordial, if distant." Astaire said, "Gin and I had often discussed the possibility of getting together for a rematch and here it was out of a clear sky." So Ginger Rogers replaced Garland opposite Fred Astaire in
The Barkleys of Broadway. It was their tenth and final film together.
About the only hostility, in fact, came from Judy Garland. It was well known that it was difficult to light Rogers' face because it was covered with fine, downy hair. Garland sent Rogers a congratulatory bouquet...in a huge shaving mug. Soon after production began, Garland showed up on the set while Rogers was working, and began schmoozing with the cast and crew, causing a commotion. Rogers retreated to her dressing room, and director Charles Walters had Garland physically removed from the set.
If not outright hostility, there were tensions. As they had in the past, Astaire and Rogers disagreed on the height of her heels, and the use of weights in her sleeves. The songs, by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin, were not particularly memorable. In fact, the best song in the score was an old George and Ira Gershwin number, "They Can't Take That Away From Me," which had been written for another Astaire-Rogers film,
Shall We Dance? (1937). In that film, Astaire had sung it to Rogers, but they had never danced to it. Rogers claimed it was her idea to use the song, which worked well in the context of the story, but Arthur Freed took the credit for that brainstorm.
The Barkleys of Broadway was the first (and, as it turns out, the only) Astaire-Rogers film in Technicolor, and that too caused problems. Technicolor was still relatively new, and the blinding lights were uncomfortable to work under.
When
The Barkleys of Broadway opened, critics bemoaned the mediocre score, and the fact that Rogers - who had done little dancing in the intervening years - had gained some weight, and lost some of the fluidity she'd had as a younger dancer. And they thought Rogers' dramatic rendering of the "Marseillaise" was ridiculous. But overall, there was joy from critics and fans alike at the reunion. In her book about the Astaire-Rogers films, dance critic Arlene Croce states, "No musical ever got off to a better start." The number is the up-tempo "Swing Trot," and according to Croce, "it's the best thing in the movie." Unfortunately it has to be watched through the opening credits. Unobstructed by titles, that number was finally seen in all its glory in
That's Entertainment III (1994). Among other delights are Astaire's solo, "Shoes with Wings On," the Astaire-Rogers duets, "Bouncin' the Blues" and "My One and Only Highland Fling," and the witty Comden and Green script.
While
The Barkleys of Broadway was in production, Fred Astaire received an honorary Academy Award "for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures." The Oscar was presented to him by Ginger Rogers.
Director: Charles Walters
Producer: Arthur Freed
Screenplay: Betty Comden & Adolph Green
Editor: Albert Akst
Cinematography: Harry Stradling, Sr.
Costume Design: Irene, Valles
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno
Music: Lennie Hayton; songs by Harry Warren and Ira Gershwin
Principal Cast: Fred Astaire (Josh Barkley), Ginger Rogers (Dinah Barkley), Oscar Levant (Ezra Miller), Billie Burke (Mrs. Belney), Gale Robbins (Shirlene May), George Zucco (The Judge), Jacques Francois (Jacques), Clinton Sundberg (Bert Felsher).
BW-110m. Closed captioning.
by Margarita Landazuri
The Barkleys of Broadway
Fred Astaire cancelled his planned retirement to return MGM for
Easter Parade and decided to stay on for this follow-up feature. Judy Garland was too ill to co-star, which led to a noted re-teaming of Hollywood's most famous dancing couple, ten years after they called it quits.
The Barkleys of Broadway is a good but not great musical from the strongest years of the Arthur Freed unit. Fred and Ginger are still sentimental favorites but their screen images have been changed to keep up with the times. Although they're still a pleasure to watch together, the original magic has been replaced with MGM formulas and Technicolor gloss.
Synopsis: Husband and wife musical comedy team Josh and Dinah Barkley (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) continually scrap, which leads their producer to introduce an understudy (Gale Robbins) into their show. That only makes Dinah all the more insecure, just as she is being pursued by a theatrical 'genius' Jacques Barredout (Jacques Francois) who flatters her with offers to play in serious drama. The Barkleys break up from the tension, leaving Josh on his own to find a way to get them back together again - with a little help from the team's composer and pal, Ezra Millar (Oscar Levant).
In
The Barkleys of Broadway the great writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green don't even attempt the breezy fantasy of Astaire and Rogers' 1930s scripts. Either straight romance was considered too old-hat in post-war 1949 or everyone involved simply thought the stars were now too old to be dizzy lovers. This picture insists on being "about something," scoring lazy points from easy targets like theatrical pretension and misguided modern art. In place of inspired innocence, we get a cheerful blandness.
For Josh and Dinah, falling in love is something that happened 'years ago.' They're afflicted with Movie Marriage Sickness, squabbling over petty issues for no good reason. Their breakup is a mild upset, the presumed end to most relationships. The 'old' Fred and Ginger lived in a fantasy world that somehow dodged miseries like divorce; they seemed eternally in love with love itself. Here they're brought down to Earth to bicker about mundane matters.
The script not only makes Fred and Ginger imperfect, it does so on unequal terms. The original duo shared a proclivity to jump to conclusions and make assumptions about people, but now only the insecure Rogers has career doubts and questions her husband's sincerity. She believes everything bad she's told about him, while he always gives Rogers the benefit of the doubt. Astaire blames only himself and remains ever hopeful that she'll return, unselfishly providing career help along the way.
Comden and Green's big script contribution is a telephone game in which Josh Barkley pretends to be his estranged wife's new director, to give her useful performance advice in her new role as Sarah Bernhardt. The glimpse we see of Rogers in the Bernhardt role is pretty confusing. Her French doesn't sound bad but the scene is neither emotionally moving nor funny. Then again, she is playing opposite George Zucco ...
The script draws no verdict on bad theater except to paint the show's director as an oily wife-poacher. The only other cultural joke is a sloppy jab at modern art, with the clownish Hans Conreid as a charlatan painter. His surreal masterpiece is an eyesore that casts Dinah as a pancake in Josh's griddle pan.
Fred's special effects dance with some magic dancing shoes is the number that gets all the attention. The emotional standout is a reprise from
Shall We Dance of the Gershwin standard
They Can't Take That Away from Me. Director Charles Walters sets the stage for an RKO-style number that works just fine the old-fashioned way. The rest of the songs are by Harry Warren with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. An unwelcome element comes with two piano pieces by Oscar Levant, MGM's comedy relief man guaranteed to depress the Karma of any musical. Levant's cultured hypochondriac cynic is even less appealing than usual.
Warners' DVD of
The Barkleys of Broadway is attractively transferred, a bit dark perhaps but with almost no damage and practically every shot in good color registration.
The docu featurette on this one is weaker than most, with young dancers offering nuggets of insight that make us wince. The reason Astaire's characters were so good was that he was a good actor! He and Ginger were a really special couple, honest! The more informed experts fill us in on all the particulars, but
The Barkleys of Broadway just isn't as fascinating as they seem to think it is.
Extras include a trailer and a Droopy cartoon called
Wags to Riches about a murderous battle for the little dog's inheritance. The featurette
Annie was a Wonder is a charming
Passing Parade short starring the loveable Kathleen Freeman as a Swedish immigrant house worker.
For more information about
The Barkleys of Broadway, visit
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The Barkleys of Broadway, go to
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by Glenn Erickson
