Carefree (1938)

Neglected gem

With so many outstanding Astaire/Rogers musical comedies, it is easy to overlook this very entertaining film, the duo's 8th outing. This one showcases Rogers because she had proven by this time to be a very big box office star in her own right, mainly due to some very good comedies made without Astaire. The film's merits include:

- a stunning golf solo by Astaire
- Irving Berlin's charming "Change Partners", as good a courting song as the stars ever performed
- Rogers herself, looking much more attractive by now with much better makeup and hair and giving a relaxed and natural comedy performance
- an original story which makes a good premise for light comedy and a welcome departure from the usual formula.

The print is very good. The extras include a musical short featuring Betty Hutton in her celluloid debut with talented gangly dancer Hal Le Roy. Hutton has obvious star quality in spite of the poor print of the short so it is not surprising she turned up soon in feature films. The cartoon is set in a grocery store with the product labels coming to life. Astaire and Rogers appear.

The DVD is good value but best if purchased as part of one of the Astaire/Rogers collections. June 1, 2008

I'm in Heaven

The movie Carefree stars Ginger Rogers in a very richly-textured and subtly-nuanced portrayal of Amanda Cooper, a well-to-do but soon-to-be unhappily married young woman. However, in a charming plot twist, she apparently falls in love with someone else... or something like that. There also seems to be some willowy tap-dancing sort of chap in the picture. I couldn't tell you who, however, as I couldn't take my eyes off of Ginger Rogers. March 19, 2008

Heartbreaking

Weep for what the world has lost in Fred and Ginger. They were a miraculous combination of skill and beauty which only happens once, and which will never come again. Compared with these magical performances, and these delightful personalities, modern society, and modern movies, just seem endlessly ugly, brutal, crude and clumsy. The thirties were a schizophrenic decade which also had its horrific downside, but to experience this kind of entertainment was to live, for a short hour or two, in an atmosphere which will never be matched for its lightness, charm, good-humour and quintessence of excellence. December 22, 2007

The driving range sequence is fantastic.

"Carefree" is a fun movie with a decent story line.
The thing is, the driving range dance sequence is one of my favorite scenes of any movie and is relatively unknown. For anyone that golfs, this is an amazing dance scene where Astaire integrates a dance with the launching of multiple golf balls lined up down the range. For anyone that's spent hours trying to hit well struck shots standing still, this is a remarkable feat.
Why this dance isn't used in tournament coverage is beyond me. It's entertaining and amazing... June 29, 2007

Still my favorite

This was the first movie of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers I remember seeing. I still love it & would still LOVE to wear a dress like Ginger wore during the most awesome dances she & Fred shared (the hypnotizing I call it)

Why can't we have glamor like that anymore? February 27, 2007

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