IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
A betting castle staff, and a series of misunderstandings and set-ups, leads to an American entertainer and an English damsel falling in love.A betting castle staff, and a series of misunderstandings and set-ups, leads to an American entertainer and an English damsel falling in love.A betting castle staff, and a series of misunderstandings and set-ups, leads to an American entertainer and an English damsel falling in love.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Pearl Amatore
- Madrigal Singer
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Barrett
- Dancer in Funhouse Number
- (uncredited)
May Beatty
- Landlady
- (uncredited)
Eugene Beday
- Bit Role
- (uncredited)
Charles Bennett
- Carnival Barker
- (uncredited)
Frank Benson
- Attendant
- (uncredited)
John Blood
- Bit Role
- (uncredited)
Angela Blue
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Fred Astaire learned that Gracie Allen was nervous about dancing with him on-stage, he reportedly made a point of tripping and falling in front of her the first day on the set to put her at her ease.
- GoofsThis movie is based in England where vehicles drive on the left, but all the vehicles are left-hand drive, which obviously is what side they drive on in the US.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood and the Stars: The Fabulous Musicals (1963)
- SoundtracksI Can't Be Bothered Now
(1937) (uncredited)
Words by Ira Gershwin
Music by George Gershwin
Song and dance performed by Fred Astaire
Featured review
The ever-enjoyable Fred Astaire meets Burns & Allen in this hidden treasure
Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Joan Fontaine. A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS (1937) may seem like a curiosity piece, but it's really a great, lesser-known movie. It's a fun comedy/musical in the vein of the Astaire/Rogers films of the decade. You can't really go wrong with a Fred Astaire movie, particularly from the black & white days. Astaire was so likable and charming on-screen. He was great at comedy, he could carry a tune, and brother could he ever dance.
The romance plot is set up with Astaire playing an American dancer traveling abroad and Joan Fontaine playing a young noblewoman who doesn't want to marry the eligible bachelors at home. The two meet and through a series of misunderstandings, Fred comes to believe that Joan is in love with him. She isn't at first, but if you've seen enough of these light-hearted Hollywood rom-coms, you know what happens. Fontaine's servants have bets on who she will marry, and they try to influence the romantic outcome in their favor.
George Burns and Gracie Allen are comedy legends. They're not known for their feature films, but they really sparkle in this one as Astaire's sidekicks. Their comedy bits are golden and they even join Fred for some dancing.
The rest of the supporting cast is great, particularly Reginald Gardiner and Montagu Love. Joan Fontaine, very early in her career, is absolutely lovely.
The music is from George and Ira Gershwin and is pretty good, if not as memorable as some of the music from the Astaire/Rogers flicks. I recognized "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "A Foggy Day". There are a few wonderful dance sequences, including a wildly inventive fun house scene with Astaire, Burns, Allen, and a crowd of extras. There's also a tremendous solo routine where Astaire tap dances and plays a drum set-- with his feet.
I caught this gem on TCM and I'm glad I did. I'm a huge Fred Astaire fan and this movie fits right in with his others. Plus it's got the added comedic bonus of George Burns and Gracie Allen. The movie is a lot of fun and it's got a nice little love story. It's time well spent if you're a classic movie fan. I just wish this forgotten treasure was more readily available.
The romance plot is set up with Astaire playing an American dancer traveling abroad and Joan Fontaine playing a young noblewoman who doesn't want to marry the eligible bachelors at home. The two meet and through a series of misunderstandings, Fred comes to believe that Joan is in love with him. She isn't at first, but if you've seen enough of these light-hearted Hollywood rom-coms, you know what happens. Fontaine's servants have bets on who she will marry, and they try to influence the romantic outcome in their favor.
George Burns and Gracie Allen are comedy legends. They're not known for their feature films, but they really sparkle in this one as Astaire's sidekicks. Their comedy bits are golden and they even join Fred for some dancing.
The rest of the supporting cast is great, particularly Reginald Gardiner and Montagu Love. Joan Fontaine, very early in her career, is absolutely lovely.
The music is from George and Ira Gershwin and is pretty good, if not as memorable as some of the music from the Astaire/Rogers flicks. I recognized "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "A Foggy Day". There are a few wonderful dance sequences, including a wildly inventive fun house scene with Astaire, Burns, Allen, and a crowd of extras. There's also a tremendous solo routine where Astaire tap dances and plays a drum set-- with his feet.
I caught this gem on TCM and I'm glad I did. I'm a huge Fred Astaire fan and this movie fits right in with his others. Plus it's got the added comedic bonus of George Burns and Gracie Allen. The movie is a lot of fun and it's got a nice little love story. It's time well spent if you're a classic movie fan. I just wish this forgotten treasure was more readily available.
helpful•80
- jimjo1216
- Mar 1, 2011
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,035,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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![Fred Astaire, Joan Fontaine, Gracie Allen, and George Burns in A Damsel in Distress (1937)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjBhYzY1ZWMtZDBjNy00NWI2LTgwNzYtZGEyOWQ5ZWViOGJmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjE5MjUyOTM@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)