Rating: NR
Genre:
Romance
Release Date: 08/16/2005
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD1
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
The Barkleys of Broadway became
Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers' "reunion" picture purely by accident. Originally conceived as a follow-up to the successful
Astaire-
Judy Garland vehicle
Easter Parade,
Barkleys was to have starred
Fred and
Judy as a successful
musical comedy team that breaks up when the female half decides to become a "serious" artist. Just before shooting started,
Garland fell ill,
Rogers replaced her, and the rest, as they say, is history. The script is as thin as a spider's web, a mere coat-rack upon which to hang several topnotch
musical numbers.
Fred and
Ginger aren't quite as footloose and fancy-free as they were in their
RKO heyday, but they still work together seamlessly. The film's highlights include
"My One and Only Highland Fling," "You'd Be Hard to Replace," a reprise of
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" (originally performed by
Astaire and
Rogers in
Shall We Dance?), and
Oscar Levant's keyboard rendition of
"The Sabre Dance." The film's least memorable moment is the play-within-a-play wherein
Rogers, cast as the young
Sarah Bernhardt, passionately recites
"The Marseillaise" as an audition piece!
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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